Staples

An appeals court finds that tape giant 3M abused its industry status by offering retailers bundled product discounts that were impossible for smaller competitors to match.

Client: VTech Electronics of North America LLC, Glenview, Ill.
Size of Run: 1,000
Production Date: September 2002
Producer: Design Phase Inc., Northbrook, Ill.
Division: Temporary, Toys and Accessories
Comments: Shipped as a prepack display to Staples stores, this unit set up in seconds. Retail staff merely unpacked the display and attached the two-sided header. All 500 displays sold-through during the Christmas season.

Products: Computer software
P-O-P companies: Professional Container Corp. (temporary), City of Industry, Calif.; J.D. Equipment Inc. (wire and plastic), Los Angeles
Distribution: Mass merchants, office supply stores, computer stores, drugstores, supermarkets
Introduction: Fall 2001
Duration: Semipermanent and temporary
Construction: Corrugated, wire, plastic
Display set-up: Retail staff
This corrugated floorstand helped Cosmi roll out its new impulse-oriented software for palm-size computers last fall in Staples stores.

Client: The Wall Street Journal, Princeton, N.J.
Size of Run: 1,100
Producer: Taurus Display Corp., Cherry Hill, N.J.
Division: Temporary, Computers: Software
Comments: Designed specifically to fit within merchandising requirements for Staples stores, this floorstand showcases online subscriptions to The Wall Street Journal. Although subscriptions are available for purchase online, this display helped to make consumers aware of the service.

Review of an academic paper entitled, "Why Retailers Sell More or Less Than Their Fair Share in a Category,"

Client: David Blank & Assoc, Seattle
Product Promoted: Project 2000
Marketing Strategy: The client wanted to expand the traditional customer base for this product by creating interest in office superstores.
Introduction: April 2000
Number of Displays: 1,000
Distribution: Staples stores
Construction/Materials: .010 and .020 vinyl, offset lithography, screenprinting, heat bending in base, adhesive tapeP-O-P Company: Rapid Displays, Union City, Calif.

As the computer hardware market matures, product marketers are finding that they must simplify their P-O-P messages to reach an expanding customer base and work more closely with retailers to gain placement.