Feature: It Pays For Brands To Shop Around
It’s certainly no secret that the ongoing advertising downturn is forcing brand owners to experiment with less traditional types of media, and much has been written about the growth of niche markets at the expense of the fragmenting TV industry. However, until now, the increasing popularity of one fledgling sector – supermarket media – has gone relatively unnoticed.
According to The Media Vehicle (TMV), one of the UK’s largest supermarket media contractors, this is all about to change. The sector is attracting an increasing number of premium advertisers eager to target consumers in a brand-centric environment. High-profile FMCG brands such as Nestle, Proctor and Gamble and Birds Eye Wall’s have all incorporated supermarket media into their marketing mix and the sector looks set to take an increasing, albeit a relatively minor, share of the advertising pie.
Jessica Hatfield, group CEO of The Media Vehicle, says: “Media owners are looking at a more accountable ways of reaching consumers and supermarket media is unique in that it gives brands the opportunity to put ads directly where their product is being sold.”
Supermarket media is not the most glamorous option for brands, with trolley posters, one-way view posters and 3D-effect floor panels among the sector’s most adventurous opportunities. However, the sector reaches 98% of TV households and with the average weekly shopping trip estimated to last around 48 minutes, direct-call-to-action supermarket campaigns have proved impactful and highly cost effective.
According to TMV, trolley and floor advertising helped increase sales of heath & beauty products and pet food by more than 10% between 1997 and 2001. Sales of beverages, laundry products and confectionery improved in excess of 8% and sales of dairy, breakfast and grocery items rose by more than 7% during the same four year period (see below).
The sector’s reach is also extensive and TMV’s network of trolley posters alone spans 1,931 stores nationwide and is estimated to reach almost 180 million shoppers in a four week period.
Supermarket media is expected to see a period of growth over the next few years, driven by the sector’s increasing accountability and its ability to offer advertisers tailored national and bespoke campaigns. Hatfield, says: “Supermarket media has become an essential part of the media mix. FMCG brands are realising there is no point planning a multimillion pound TV campaign without including in-store activity.”
According to John Billet, chairman of the Billet Consultancy, advertisers are growing increasingly disillusioned with TV and if the current trend continues niche sectors stand only to benefit. He says: “Advertisers are turning off TV and this has been happening for some time. Faced with rising costs brands are flirting with less traditional media and they’re not coming back.”
Hatfield agrees, saying: “Brands are beginning to realise the multiplicity of different media channels as they look for more meaningful ways to communicated with consumers. With this in mind I don’t expect supermarket media to grow, I know it will.”
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