In the world of consumer packaged goods marketing, the stormy economy has delivered some challenging times. The retail industry is consolidating. Consumers are shopping on price, trading down to store brands, making fewer trips to the store and buying only what they need, not what they want.
To adapt, retail and shopper marketing agency Integer operates with the understanding that you can no longer isolate what happens in stores as one communication point, a framework it terms “The Shopper Continuum.” The framework follows the journey of the shopper, encompassing “Pre-Tail (work done by the shopper before going in store), Retail (in-store communications) and Post-Tail (follow-up communications).
“In most CPG categories it's a daily, weekly or, at the most, monthly purchase cycle, so you need to stay top of mind with that shopper so when they're ready to pick up a product in that category they are thinking about that specific brand,” Chief Executive Officer Mike Sweeney says.
To keep on top of the shopping culture that affects brand strategy, Integer conducts a national, ongoing quantitative shopper behavior study in conjunction with M/A/R/C Research and reports the results to clients in its newsletter “The Checkout.” The latest issue discusses what shoppers are and aren't willing to do to make a sustainable impact, revealing that one in four shoppers is willing to pay more for something if it makes them feel like they are contributing to something that is saving the environment.
Integer's genesis is in CPG clients and that continues to be a strong portion of its portfolio today. The agency, founded in September 1993, began as an outsource of Coors Brewing Co.'s Marketing Services Group — now MillerCoors — after the company revamped internal operations to put its focus on the core business of making and marketing great beer. Eighteen years later, MillerCoors is still a client, as are other major companies, including P&G, Kellogg, Johnson & Johnson, Bimbo Bakeries, AT&T, Pella, Polaris Industries, Michelin, Fedex Office and 7-Eleven.
Across the board, clients are expecting more return on their investment, whether it's brand advertising, digital or shopper marketing.
“It's fair to say that they're setting aggressive, yet achievable goals,” Sweeney says. “You want to push your ability to maximize sales in the marketplace, but you also don't want to be unrealistic.”
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