With many consumers across the country already beginning their holiday shopping, this is an ideal time to get your message in front of where they shop.
We are not talking about in the actual stores but out in front of them, catching shoppers as they are about to enter with a quick lesson, perhaps a demonstration, as to just how superior your client's product is.
Think of it as a sort of popup store in front of a real store, and it could be as simple as a table with a few street team members talking to shoppers or a full-featured cart equipped with video screens.
Elaborate or simple, they offer the marketer the advantage of reaching consumers and shaping their opinions about a product immediately before a buying decision is to be made. Call it the last work before the sale.
To find out how to get your client’s message in front of retail stores, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Advertising in front of retail locations to drive traffic and sales.
Who
Just about any out-of-home vendor with street teams can execute a sidewalk promotion, but what they bring to the event varies in sophistication.
Some will show up with small trucks that double as mobile showrooms, offering the advertiser the option of video screens capable of airing full-motion video, as well as the ability to project images on the sidewalk.
How it works
Sidewalk promotions can be thought of as a much more sophisticated form of the old sandwich boards, in which men wearing signs front and rear would walk in front of a store advertising its wares and promoting sales.
In this modern version, the advertiser is more likely to be a company that sells products in that store rather than the store itself. But sometimes it's the retailer who brings in a team. Frederick’s of Hollywood has hired models, dressed all black, to entice passersby.
In the simplest form of promotion, street teams will stand in front of the store and hand out coupons offering a discount on the product or some other inducement to buy. Or they might hand out samples in the case of a fast food chain or a maker of food products.
But more and more video is the favored option. Nintendo has staged promotions in front of Toys R Us stores, using Segway scooters equipped with video screens to show off its consoles and games.
Last year AT&T placed street teams in front of AT&T retail locations wearing video screens on their chests to tout the ability of its mobile devices to tune into TV shows.
The most elaborate storefront promotions employ mobile showrooms mounted on mini trucks. Shoppers are invited to try out a product before entering the store. SanDisk has used them to promote its digital cameras, and T-Mobile has used them to market its mobile phones.
These mobile showrooms are designed to give the product demonstrator working space to do a full-fledged presentation of the product, as if it were a counter in the store itself.
Another advantage of mobile showrooms is that they can be packed up and moved to another retail location with ease, allowing marketers to hit multiple points in a single day. And the trucks are wrapped with ads, so they double as mobile billboards.
Markets
Campaigns in front of retail locations can take place in any market.
Numbers
There were 2.84 million retail establishments in the U.S. in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2007 Economic Census.
How it is measured
Advertisers can track the number of coupons or samples that are handed out, as well as how many coupons are redeemed. General impressions can be estimated using street traffic data.
What product categories do well
Frequent advertisers include fast food, consumer electronics, beverages, video games, telecommunications, retail and snack foods.
Demographics
Since these campaigns are street-level, demographics vary by location and target audience.
Marketers can target by market, by neighborhood and by retail location, and with some level of sophistication. They'll know the makeup of the store's customer base and also the sorts of people who live and work within those several blocks.
Making the buy
As always, pricing varies depending on what elements are included, but a one-day campaign at one location can start at as low as $1,000.
Who’s already in front of retail locations
Recent or current advertisers include T-Mobile, Comcast, Nintendo, Wendy’s, Snickers, CVS, Frederick’s of Hollywood, Target, Samsung and Dunkin’ Donuts.
What they’re saying
"It gives manufacturers a chance to communicate directly with the consumer right before making a buying decision. And it helps drive traffic. In retail the consumer tends to hold back questions, but this takes the intimidation factor away." –
Benjamin Cohen, founder of BobCarMedia.
Web site info
GoGorilla Media
http://www.gogorillamedia.com
BobCarMedia
http://www.bobcarmedia.com
Brand Marketers
http://www.brandmarketers.com
Mango Moose Media
http://www.mangomoose.ca
Attack! Marketing
http://www.attackmarketing.net
michael alan group
http://www.michael-alan.com
