King for a Day

To recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I wanted to write a column with an inspirational message for the industry. Instead, I ended up with a few short rants much more reminiscent of Larry King (which, I guess, is at least a little better than sounding like Don King. But you be the judge.)The more I learn about shopper marketing, the more I'm convinced that its developmental processes may be more important than the marketing activity that results from them. Rather than producing truly unique concepts, the focus on shopper marketing often seems to simply verify common-sense ideas that marketers have known all along -- or at least would have known had they climbed out of the Excel sheets and PowerPoint decks long enough to actually observe shopper behavior like they're doing now. Similarly, the incremental business lift derived from collaborative shopper marketing may be secondary to the mindset overhaul required to properly carry it out. Addressing shopper needs can really help product manufacturers and retailers align their objectives on more efficient, effective programs (after they've each aligned themselves internally). That idea really jumps out at me as I listen to highlights from the panel discussion held by the Retail Commission on Shopper Marketing last fall, which we present this month.Here's a "great moment in business research" I encountered at the National Retail Federation's annual show this month: A study conducted last fall by Carnegie Mellon, MIT and Union College found that the "collective intelligence" of a group "extends beyond the cognitive abilities of the groups' individual members." While I'm glad that this theory has finally been quantified, I'd suggest that it has been assumed since cavemen first employed Six Sigma practices while building a fire. (Here's a similar subject I'd like to see examined: Why does a bad comedy often seem funny when viewed with a group of friends? Is this a case of "collective unintelligence?")Having attended marketing conferences for almost 15 years now, I should be over this. But it still bugs me when I hear agency executives discuss branding as if it were distinct from -- and, naturally, more important than -- the product itself. All too often, the implication is that products are merely Pet Rocks, bereft of any intrinsic value until a marketer comes along and creates a branding strategy. With all of the false-starts that have taken place in the development of in-store digital signage networks over the years, I'd finally decided that widespread adoption would ultimately occur not for marketing purposes per se, but for the "sustainability" that can be gained both environmentally and operationally: the ability to eliminate landfill-destined materials, along with the power to ensure chain-wide compliance, increase campaign speed to market, target more effectively by region or store, etc.At this month's National Retail Federation show, however, I learned that there's a movement in Philadelphia to curtail digital signage as an unnecessary drain on energy (among other concerns) and, therefore, a detriment to the ecosystem. So I guess I'll have to chuck out the environmental angle, too.I understand Walmart's need to conduct massive publicity campaigns as it seeks to enter new urban markets. But spending all that money to let the "common folk" know that the chain is on their side makes it sound an awful lot like a politician rather than a consumer advocate.Peter BreenManaging Director, ContentIn-Store Marketing Institute

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