Hoyle Playing Card Display Shows Its Hand

Ensuring that a merchandiser continues to look good as product sells down is always a concern. Designers at St. Paul, Minn.-based Hoyle Products are "betting" they've solved this problem with a colorful litho label on a display that serves both practical and graphical purposes.Not content with the typical "time to reorder" message, Hoyle lets retailers know without a doubt that they're getting low on product. As retailers sell through four layers of the company's playing cards, the words "Going, Going, Gone" appear on the interior of the corrugated floorstand.When the product is sold out, Hoyle replaces the unit with a new prepacked display. Holding 144 packs of cards, each unit is expected to sell through in three months.Created to encourage impulse sales of playing cards in supermarkets, warehouse clubs and mass merchants, the display features an elaborate header with die-cut playing cards and a three-dimensional banner. Attached with corrugated tabs designed by Hoyle's own P-O-P team, the banner projects from the surface of the header and says "Hoyle Playing Cards." The same words are printed on the header behind the banner, "in case the banner comes off at some point or doesn't get put on at all," notes Charles Parla, merchandise manager and designer at Hoyle Products. The banner will be reused in future displays while the bottom section of the display will be reprinted with graphics appropriate for seasonal promotions.Also on the header, an arrow points downward directing consumers' attention to the cards. Sorting through a variety of images and concepts during the design phase, marketers at Hoyle searched for the right presentation. "After a while we took a step back and said, 'What message are we trying to send?' We wanted people to simply take a look," says Parla. "The arrow is simple and straight to the point. It's not like a new product that we needed to explain; we just needed to get their attention."To the left of the arrow, a starburst provides a space for handwritten price information. On the right, the company's trademark Joker reminds consumers that it's "Time for a Fresh Deck." The Joker "is a neat icon that appeals to younger people," says Parla.Designed in-house with advice from Kell Specialty, Chippewa Falls, Wis., and manufactured by Kell, the display began shipping in January.Parla says the display is a big change from the brand's last floorstand. "This one is more user friendly," he says. "The product really stands out much better because there are a lot more facings."

Hoyle Playing Card Display Shows Its Hand

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