It’s the time of year when it appears as if every publication and blog has a collective ‘moment’ and decides to dust off the crystal ball to see what might be in store for the coming year. This year has been no exception, except that perhaps (for shopper marketing at least) those crystal balls aren’t working, as all I see is a rehash of the trends of recent years. E-Tail will continue to grow, social will become more important, convenience will be key and let’s not forget value as an important driver. All well and good and I don’t disagree with much I see – but it doesn’t really step change anything.
So I propose as shopper marketers, researchers, brand managers and key account guys, rather than gazing into the future to what might befall or bless us in 2013 – we take ownership of it, and make things change. Marketers in particular get a lot of stick for not being accountable – so let’s step up now, and create our own future.
Here is my wish list for shopper marketing for 2013:
Accountable Marketing – Yes. 2013 will be seen as the year that marketing professionals stopped talking about how difficult it was to measure the effectiveness of their activity, and just got on and did it. It’s difficult to measure the socio-human benefits of building a new airport but the guys that do it at least have a go.
Consumer and shoppers: will be officially declared different: Yes I know that it is now a point that, at an erudite moment, everyone will recognize and endorse, but 2012 will have seen the last of the slips (‘the consumer in the store”, ‘as the consumer enters buying mode’). No more!
Marketers will write research briefs and researchers will refuse to do the work unless it’s a decent brief with meaningful objectives: Researchers will no longer hide behind “that was what the brief asked for” and marketers will not spend research dollars without a clear understanding of exactly what they want to prove or disprove, and a really clear plan of what they will do when they know the answers to those questions.
Key Account Managers will stop giving unconditional support to retailers: It might be the season of goodwill to all men, but unconditional support is a gift too far. As Toby Desforges humorously outlines in his recent post, if we spend without conditionality it is cost: conditionality gives us the chance of turning spend into investment.
Store visits for all: No commercial managers in retail or manufacturers will get a bonus in 2013 unless they have been to a store at least once a week for the entire year. Why? Check out here
Shopper Marketing’s family tree will be published: Finally, after years of uncertainty, the antecedents of shopper marketing will be published for all to see. Not a mutated offspring of trade marketing and category management at all, shopper marketing will be seen as a Marketing discipline, part of the brand marketing spectrum, which recognizes that brands have to market to both consumers and shoppers if they are to win.
Sheffield United will get promoted. Off topic? Who are Sheffield United? The Blades Eh? Oh! Sorry!
“The Shopper Marketing Revolution” is published. Mike Anthony and Toby Desforges write the definitive book on shopper marketing and a few people even buy it!
All the best for the festive season to everyone – thanks for reading, commenting and sharing in 2012 – see you all again in 2013!!!
