“People are no longer just sitting in front of the TV, waiting to take in whatever advertising messages are being served up,” says local delegate to the conference, Daniel Goss, a director of alternate media company Top of Mind. “Worldwide, marketers are rethinking the channels they're using to communicate with consumers and looking beyond traditional media.”
This point was made very clearly by Maurice Levy, the CEO of Publicis France, who spoke about the ad industry's blind loyalty to above-the-line, traditional media, because it's comfortable and easy to use. “The reach of these media is often quite small compared to other, less mainstream channels, especially once fragmentation comes into play,” says Goss. “There has also been a big shift in media consumption habits - the consumer is now in control, and decides whether, where, and when he or she will consume media.
“Shopper marketing and in-store marketing are therefore growing in importance in the States, as marketers have realised that the in-store environment is one place in which they can be sure they're making contact with this new, on-the-move consumer.”
The substantial reach of in-store media is also proving hard to ignore. “If you had an in-store campaign in the local Shoprite group, for instance, that message would be exposed to 10-million unique customers a month, through 36-million transactions,” he says. “There is a growing trend overseas where agencies are beginning to take notice of alternative ways of reaching consumers. Traditional media are still dominant, but they are losing significant ground. The talk internationally is digital and in store, and clients are starting to back this up with spend.”
He quotes the example of Proctor and Gamble in the States, which is focusing its media choices on digital, mobile, and “media which deliver at the moment of truth”. The latter are the in-store media that are there when the consumer reaches towards the shelf, when the purchase actually takes place. Take a medium like TillTops, a till point branding medium found in stores throughout SA. It gives marketers one last chance to make an impression and influence purchasing, at a point in the shopping trip when the on-the-move consumer is made to slow down in a queue, making him or her more receptive to advertising messages. It takes advantage of the two strongest points of in-store media: it not only tries to reach consumers at point of sale, but also leverages off the huge numbers of people going in store and reaches them at a point that every single consumer must past through.
Capitalising on alternate media streams is one factor in reaching the on-to-go consumer. A second is to become more aware of the influence of the swarm. “The concept of the consumer as part of a swarm, rather than a herd, was a hot topic at the conference,” says Goss. “Consumers used to be like herds, and marketers could tell them in which direction to move. Today, consumers are sceptical of marketing messages, and don't just do as they're told. They behave like a swarm, with individuals talking amongst themselves, allowing swift changes of direction.
“This is key to the change taking place in marketing today, where consumers are taking direction from their networks - be they online in independent blogs and chatrooms, or family and friends - to find out how others have experienced the brand.”
Elizabeth Ross, president of Tribal DDB, said that where consumers used to consume media, now they are the media. They spend a lot of time listening to each other as opposed to listening to ad agencies and marketers.
“As marketers, we need to be aware of these influences, and determine what is driving customers before they even walk through the shop door. The best advertising messages and in-store campaigns will have little effect if there is a negative influence coming from the swarm,” concludes Goss.
