Media

By Lauren Durant, Isilumko Media, Operations Director

Whilst the actual execution of a promotional campaign is crucial in successfully achieving pre-set objectives; developing a powerful relationship and two-way communication between the activation and logistic legs of the campaign can generate highly desirable and substantially improved results of your in-store campaign.

An example is a recent promotion launching four new products, for which I&J required the execution of a 9-week large-scale in-store campaign targeting 165 chain stores in five regions across the country; a logistical migraine if proper planning is not employed.  Generic objectives included consumer introduction to the four new products, product sampling, distribution of coupons and an overall sales drive.  The strong professional relationship and open communication between Isilumko Media, as the promotional company, and the merchandiser led to an exceedingly successful campaign.

It’s a marketer and promotion agency’s nightmare to run a promotion but be sold out or run out of stock on the day, thus it is critical that the correct volumes of stock be ordered into the store beforehand.  It is imperative that the promotions company, the brand and the merchandiser work together to set the sales targets and thus determine the stock levels required.

To achieve the Goldilocks balance (not too big, not too small an order), the agencies and client should look at past performance of similar product sales in the category over an in-store campaign, as a starting point. From here the time of month, particular store/chain and sales promotions marketing material should be assessed as these all influence the sales levels on the day. The stock orders would then typically increase between 50 and 100 percent. Once the campaign has started, it is also best practice to adjust these figures taking competitor behaviour and actual sales into consideration each week, as stores are often revisited weekly.

In preparation for the in-store activity, the promotions company must ascertain the store’s schedule for promotional activity and ensure communication to the merchandisers and stores well in advance.  Communication with the store should take the form of both a telephone conversation and email; you will find that due to there being multiple managers in most stores you’ll be privy to cases of “broken telephone” so written and verbal communication is essential. This process is then supported by the merchandisers who are in regular contact with store management and ensure that all stores are well stocked with the products being promoted on the day.

Further to this, on the ground communication between field representatives provides feedback on promoters’ performance, and similarly the promotions company is able to offer feedback to the merchandiser regarding stock levels, product positioning, price labels and competitor product listings and positioning in store. 

Such communications take place in real time thus enabling immediate implementation of suggested changes and improvements, which depending on the day of the week, can often be addressed the following day.  This can either be in the form of a restock or coordination of a move to a nearby store which has stock. The mutual commentary is also included in the comprehensive feedback report; adding value to a client-centered service.

As with all collaborated efforts communication is key to guaranteeing success; but challenges should be anticipated.  Proper planning, complete with a plan B, should always be in place to negate the impact of unexpected pitfalls on the overall success of the campaign. 

To find out more about Isilumko Media’s in-store activations and various other promotions products; visit: www.isilumko.com/media.