SHOPPER MARKETING IS ONE OF THE FASTEST – GROWING PRACTICE AREAS IN CANADA.
JASON DUBROY, VP, SHOPPER MARKETING AT DDB CANADA, EXPLAINS WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT
What is shopper marketing?
The U.S. Retail Commission on Shopper Marketing defines it as “a retailer and manufacturer collaborative business process that leverages the use of insights – driven marketing and advertising initiativesto satisfy the needs oftargetedshoppers, enhance the shopping experience, and improve business results and brand equity for retailers and manufacturers.” The key words: “enhance the shopping experience, and improve business results.”
How does it differ from what marketers already do?
The fundamental difference is the creation of campaigns based on shopper insight – how they buy it – versus consumer insight – how they use it. Shopping is both a behaviour and a mindset, and certain activities have an incredible effect on purchase intent either before, during, or after a shopping trip. You need to be able to understand how people shop for something, the shopper mode they are in, and then manufacture the right solutions that fit the right problems.
How do you become a shopper marketer?
The most effective – and valuable – shopper marketers will have spent some time on a brand team, as well as with key accounts and research to really get a full flavour of the inter – related disciplines. Many larger organizations are now rotating their high – potentials through all of these areas for just that reason. Others are growing from a customer marketing background where they have hands – on experience co – creating with their retailer partners. From an agency perspective, a diverse background in retail, digital and promotional marketing, along with some creative mass and CRM experience are really in demand right now.
What does your job involve on a day – to – day basis?
Its really all over the place. One day itll be meeting senior executives at retailers across the country to get insight on how to better advise our clients on joint marketing planning, another day its analyzing a neuromarketing study or collating shopper and brand insights together to map out a promotional purchase strategy.
WANT TO BE IN SHOPPER MARKETING?
“Shopper marketing is only three or four years old in Canada, so finding qualified talent has been challenging at times – its a hot commodity,” says Oasis Search Groups Stuart Calvert, who specializes in this area. Ideal candidates need a strong understanding of brands, the customer and retail, as well as research analytic skills. “We are seeing more and more candidates from brand and market research, moving over to shopper marketing,” he says.
WHOS HIRING?
A lot of companies are still trying to figure out how to do it or what it means, but consumer packaged goods companies, pharma and retail, as well as creative and design agencies are embracing it.
THIS IS NOT A FAD
83% of food, beverage and consumer product manufacturers plan to increase investments in shopper marketing over the next three years, and 55% say shopper marketing will be their top investment, and plan to increase spending on it by more Than 5% each year.
Source: U.S. Grocery Manufacturers Association and research firm Booz & Co.
