Our Method Over Madness study revealed that 1 in 8 marketers feel trapped in unhealthy relationships with their retailers.
On that bombshell, Charley Atkinson and Josie Herdan were eager to embark upon this year’s Successful Shopper Activation course from the IGD – a 3-day experience designed to help marketers craft trade plans that better align with shopper & retailer needs.
Led by time-served trade marketer Simon Attfield, the course explored real-life case studies from his experience at P&G, Britvic, Clairol & Tata global beverages to translate theory into action.
‘The opportunity to work through practical exercises was invaluable to me’, remarked Josie. ‘It got me thinking deeply about all the elements involved in best-in-class activation’.
The course deep dives into all tenets of traditional shopper marketing – from defining objectives, to mapping the path to purchase, to optimising messaging and evaluating success.
It’s primed Charley to refresh the team on the breadth of ‘sofa to store’ thinking:
‘Whilst we focus so much on shopper mindset and missions when they are in the store, we need to tune into their mindset before they’ve even left the house. What factors have influenced their choices to this point? And what comms will therefore be most effective to influence the choices they make next?’
In particular, the week unlocked some valuable insights into the power of category management.
‘The insights around shopper navigation definitely challenged my thinking’, observed Josie. ‘It was surprising to learn how shoppers only look up to navigate – and they don’t tend to look down for any reason! It really made me reconsider exactly how selective we need to be when choosing touchpoints’.
‘And that ‘moving media’ has 400% more eyeballs on it than traditional signage!’ added Charley, ‘my team will definitely be bringing this one to the forefront where possible’.
‘It’s definitely made me more considerate of the subconscious ways that we shop. Identifying with and tapping into these attributes (such as drawing out ‘category colours’ to drive product recognition) will ultimately help us to deliver plans that are closer to their needs’.
‘And’, Josie concluded, ‘exploring the perfect store made me realise that with the right partnership foundations, it is possible to deliver game-changing work’.
If you’d like to get closer to your shoppers or craft best-practice plans with confidence, we’d love to help. Get in touch with Charley or Josie to find out more.
