Feature: Fielding Advice

For many years I have found a good rule of thumb is never to eat at establishments that display pictures of the food they serve. The types of fayre pictured appeal only if you adopt the junk food habit, or in the case of the kebab shop, drink the prerequisite amount of fluorescent RTDs.

But there is also another factor involved. Even in an extreme state of intoxication the buyer is likely to notice the difference between the images displayed and the assembly of beige and brown offerings they find they take ownership of. But they don’t care.

The grocery environment is another matter. For a start the consumer is far more discerning and promiscuous. You do not get many second chances in grocery marketing but if you get it consistently right you can stop worrying about the pension fund and dig out the brochures on overseas property. You only have to ask Stuart Rose what the use of imagery has done for his and the stock of Marks & Spencer. The television ads’ with the distinctive female voiceover has seduced a British public who keep coming back for more because brand promise is delivered.

Some brands are good at keeping their marketing promises. Unfortunately too many fail at the point of purchase and promotional activity is no exception. What looks good at the stage just before execution often fails to meet the real potential. Do not take my word for it. A Grocer report found that out of 100 managers of multiples interviewed less than ten percent could remember a promotion they considered successful during the preceding 30 days.

The reason for this is simple and it should not be surprising. Few promoters and sales promotion agencies spend enough time in grocery outlets. Few have real experience of setting up promotional furniture, training supermarket managers or implementing audits and compliance.

However, retail outlets are a media in their own right. It is the one where brand promises are fulfilled. The arena in which FMCG products win or lose, where 80 percent of buying decisions are made. Which is why there should be a better relationship between promoters, agencies that produce promotions and their field marketing counterparts.

Well he would say that, I hear you say. He is a field marketer touting for business. To an extent I have to confess to a mercenary position, but more fundamentally it is important to consider that the majority of field marketing activity is about working grocery outlets, be they multiples, symbol stores or independents. What this means is that as an agency sector we know how the retail ‘media’ works.

Experience instantly tells you whether a particular promotional furnishing will work, and if outlet staff will bother with it. We know how much instruction and training will be required for fixtures to be maintained, how much compliance work will be necessary, if stock auditing will be required and the amount of necessary support at wholesaler level. In other words, good field marketers are know alls when it comes to instore activity.

This begs the question: why don’t more sales promotion agencies bring in field marketers during the planning process? In the majority of cases field marketing will be needed for implementation and consultation for planning is free. The earlier they are involved in the equation the better equipped they are to produce campaigns. So why doesn’t it happen?

I suspect the reason is due to time constraints and a natural inclination to be wary of introducing clients to other agencies of any persuasion. Another party being involved means more complication and more work, and who wants someone else getting their feet under the table with the client. There is a case for the latter view when it comes to field marketing agencies that are part of communications groups where a referral to sister agencies is a possibility. The answer is to opt for a good independent. There are a plenty around.

The important point is that there is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained by tapping into the experience of field marketers. All agencies of all types complain about not being part of the campaign big picture so that when they are appointed they find themselves interpreting strategy at tactical level, usually at short notice. Field marketing is normally the Cinderella of this scenario. All I suggest is giving us a try to see how much better and easier instore promotions can become if you use the people who spend most of their time in the environment.