Hall of Fame Profile: James Marstiller

What areas have you been involved in during your career?My 22-year career at Purina, now Nestle Purina, has involved several different venues, including product R&D, brand management and most recently, sales. I began as the marketing manager within the selling organization for our National Accounts Team. I then took responsibility for managing a sales territory in the Midwest that was grocery-focused. My last stop in the selling organization involved building a team that focused on creating best-practice sales capabilities.My current role is a global one and involves sharing best practices around the world.How did you get started in P-O-P?It started when I was in marketing. It was then that it became apparent how important the retail environment was to the health of brands. Issues like driving sufficient effectiveness at shelf was very important. This was especially key for smaller brands that were trying to stand out but didn't have large advertising budgets. Today, of course, the messages communicated in the retail environment are key success factors for all brands.The power of point-of-purchase became even more relevant when I was managing a sales territory. It was in this capacity that our team began experimenting with store-within-a-store concepts and executions. These solutions, which included extensive P-O-P communication, helped motivate shoppers in new ways to drive total category growth. This focus on the shopper allowed our relationships with customers to improve and strengthen.Has there been a common theme for you across these roles?Yes. Without a doubt, the common theme for me is innovation. The opportunity to stretch my innovation muscles is what gets me out of bed in the morning. It's that ability to do something in a new way that hasn't been done before, to create a unique competitive advantage, and to help the greater team win that are most rewarding.Developing breakthrough innovation is perhaps the biggest challenge in our industry today. As organizations, we've figured out how to learn faster, how to cut costs and achieve synergies, and we've invested countless dollars in technology. However, real breakthrough that results in increased demand and consumer excitement is becoming increasingly rare. There are specific reasons for this, but that is a subject that you could write a book about.The P-O-P industry should be very excited about the role it plays in the innovation process. It is a key for communicating to shoppers in new ways that drive demand and create value. The opportunity to be innovative and help drive the business is almost unlimited -- as long as you are willing to look in new areas and consider new thinking. These are very exciting times.What can you share with us about the Nestle Purina Learning Center?The Nestle Purina Learning Center (which is located on the Purina campus in St. Louis) was conceived as a way to house our best practices and capabilities. It is an enormous commitment to P-O-P and the retail environment. We needed a place where we could work with our employees and share with them the importance of the retail physical environment, so we built one. It's also a facility that we can bring our retail customers to and share our best thinking. The Learning Center sets up the retail environment as the point of focus -- the hero -- and as a key point of interaction with the consumer.The Learning Center facilitates learning, innovating and building new relationships. The retail environments inside the Learning Center allow our employees and customers (many of whom are in the P-O-P business) to work together to make retail more productive and more exciting. We have different retail environments that different customers can appreciate and relate to. Of course, P-O-P is central to this. We can demonstrate, with the help of our P-O-P vendors, how to better communicate to shoppers, and to make their trip easier, more fun and more productive. When we deliver a win for our customers, our vendors and ourselves, we know we've succeeded. We've worked with many, many retailers in this capacity across all channels of trade.Was the Learning Center a project that had to have approval from above?Absolutely. There was, and is, absolute commitment from top management. Like any successful endeavor, the Learning Center reflects the teamwork and dedication of many smart people. There are really too many to name. There is one person who consistently made enormous contributions, however, and that is Greg Norsworthy. Greg was my right-hand man for five years and is a true visionary and an unrelenting champion of point-of-purchase. He is currently in charge of the Learning Center and will take the facility to an even higher level.The Learning Center is an example of P-O-P research and development taken seriously. Will other companies follow suit?I would suspect so. The importance of the various retail environments is more important now than ever. The retail environment is where our consumers come in contact with our brands. That moment, or point of interaction, is crucial, and how we communicate to them in the retail environment is very important.If we look at the retail environment as a medium to communicate to our consumers, then we have to consider the communication possibilities because the consumer is right there in front of our products. The majority of purchase decisions are made at the point-of-purchase. We hope that our advertising impacts consumers' attitudes toward our brand, but it's at retail where the behavior occurs. There is a big difference between attitude and behavior.How often is Nestle Purina PetCare making changes at retail?We are constantly making changes. It's a constant evolution. We're always experimenting and testing. We have evolved over the past 10 years, and I can only imagine that the rate of evolution will accelerate over the next 10.There is no doubt in my mind that the point-of-purchase will become more and more important. There are several things that help drive that, including the consolidation of retailers in the United States and the growing popularity of the retailer's brands. We see P-O-P evolving from largely promotional to educational and motivational. It's really about working with the retailer to do what is best for the total category.What are the greatest challenges involved in the pet care category?It's very complicated. There are all kinds of challenges, not the least of which is that pets can't speak for themselves. We have both the owner's needs and the pet's needs to consider. There is always a lot of opportunity to educate and inform when it comes to nutrition. The pet category also has multiple forms including wet, dry, snacks, treats and litter. Veterinarians and breeders are also extremely influential.Long story short: There is a lot going on in this category. The challenge is to make everything as simple and actionable as possible. There are a lot of choices in the aisle. We are always looking at ways to arrange the products and use P-O-P to make the whole environment easier and fun to shop. Another opportunity is that the different retail environments present different communication challenges. We're always trying to find different ways to talk to shoppers and to change behaviors.Explain the differences when working with such customers as Wal-Mart, Kroger and a specialty pet store?We work very hard to understand the differences among all of our customers. Every customer has unique issues, consumer targets and strategies. We work very, very hard to listen and deliver win-win-win solutions.A very different shopper mindset exists depending on whether the shopper is entering a Walgreen's or a Sam's Club. We need to be aware of that and know what to do about it.How often do you visit the different retail channels, and how important is it to visit the stores?Constantly. I was in stores today. Others from the team I work with were in stores yesterday. We go to all the channels that we do business in and some that we don't. When we have guests come in from other countries, we will spend a significant amount of time at stores. And it's not optional. Everyone goes, from the financial person to the manufacturing employee. That's our business.We want to know what is happening in all different retail channels. We know that Old Navy sells dog collars. What does this mean for us as the leader in pet care? It's as simple as this: We conduct our business through stores. We can't understand our business unless we understand stores and what is most important to our retailers. We can't be an effective marketer unless we know retail.How are things changing at the store level?Retail is changing rapidly. Smart companies are working with the retailers as they evolve. We are working with retailers to simplify the retail environment and make it easier for their products to be purchased. Creating an environment that sells is part art and part science. It is a fact that if you can help shoppers find what they want more quickly, they will buy more. We want to make their shopping experience pleasant, effective and simple.What have been the most significant changes affecting P-O-P in the past five years?Increased competition, better understanding of shoppers, and the changing working relationships with retailers. All of these things are changing and evolving.In the future, do you expect to see more or less emphasis on P-O-P in your product category?More emphasis. We'll see even more innovation and it will be built around ways that represent mutual win-wins for the manufacturer and the retailer. Retailers don't want something that looks junky. They want solutions that will excite shoppers and make their experience in-store more pleasant and relevant. Pets are fun and a wonderful part of our lives. Shouldn't the shopping experience reflect this? This experience will become more relevant to shoppers and better reflect their needs and how they interact with products. The P-O-P industry has every opportunity to be a big part of this.Are market forces and cultural changes affecting your company's use of P-O-P?One of the biggest cultural changes is "time compression." People lead lives that are busier than ever. As a result, there will be an increasing premium put on products and solutions that deliver convenience. Given that the majority of purchase decisions are made at the shelf, the role of P-O-P will only increase in importance.What do you like best about your job?The opportunity to innovate is number one. I also enjoy the global aspect of my job. This past year I've been to Budapest, London, Sydney, Osaka, Tokyo and Paris. The travel and the work has been some of the hardest I've ever done, but it's also been fun. I enjoy the various cultural experiences. It's fascinating to see different places and see how people go about their lives.From a business perspective, we adapt to the local conditions for both cultural and practical communication reasons. Of course there are different strategies in different cultures. The retail environment is different everywhere, but I think human nature is fairly universal. If we can communicate, direct, motivate and add value at the point-of-purchase, then everyone will win.In the United States, we have a "driving culture." We use a car for everything. If our destination is more than three blocks, we want to take a car. That's not so elsewhere. Bicycles and public transportation are the predominant forms in many countries. This has real issues for what we recommend for the retail environment. Retailers are not going to sell many 40-pound bags if the "trunk" is a bicycle basket.What advice would you give to anyone just breaking into the P-O-P business?Pay attention to retail. The best marketers spend time in stores and talk to shoppers. It is important to learn to interact with your products in the same way that your consumers do. Put yourself in their shoes. The best ideas are painfully practical and make you say, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Hall of Fame Profile: James Marstiller

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

Related Images

Business Topic

Company

Market Segment