Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Print Production, Sales Promotion | Tags: advertising, economy, value
As consumers have shifted spending from luxury to necessity items, advertisers have had to work hard to demonstrate they are a necessity. Messages are falling out of newspapers, consuming the airways and email boxes as brands are desperately trying to prove that they are the best, they’re different and they provide the value that consumers are looking for.
Take Microsoft and Apple for example. While most companies have limited their advertising during the recession, Apple and Microsoft have continued to be present in the market with their Mac and PC ads. Apple and Microsoft’s commercials that have aimed to attack each other’s brands, seemed to have helped their perceptions as well. Apple has shown that they are hip, innovative, and trouble free with great service. On the other hand, Microsoft has worked to show that they are environmentally green, can offer consumers a plethora of software and are affordable. Both brands have ultimately shown how their products are different and how they provide value to consumers.
Consumers will continue to be bombarded with television commercials and Sunday ads telling them to take advantage of money savings deals and last chance offers. However, brands need to stand out amongst the clutter by demonstrating their value, proving to consumers that they are unique, and what they have to offer is a necessity, not a luxury.
Filed under: Brand Development, Marketing Strategies, Print Production, Sales Promotion | Tags: advertising, ecomony, value
The economy is still not in the best shape but it is showing signs of a rebound. In the advertising world, however, a shift has occurred. The star studded, CGI, high-tech commercials that once dominated the air are now used mainly during big event weekends, like Super Bowl Sunday. Companies are now focused on simple, low budget ways to communicate effectively with their core audience because consumer values have changed. Consumers want value for their money and companies are responding by focusing more on value over price. Wal-Mart is the perfect example. Their “Save money. Live better” promotes low prices as a means rather than an end – low prices allow you to save money and live better. It focuses on the value of saving money. The economy has forced companies to change the way they communicate and only time will tell if this shift is here to stay.
Filed under: Brand Development, Creative Development, Marketing Strategies, New Media | Tags: marketing to women, shopping occasions, Web 2.0, women shopping trends
Long gone are the days of connecting with women based solely on their demographics. Media targeting women 25-34 will likely do little to motivate them to make a purchase or take any action. For today’s multitasking, multi-talented women, it’s all just white noise – and they learned to tune it out a long time ago.
As new media and Web 2.0 tools arrive on the scene seemingly weekly, marketers have to constantly fine tune targeting strategies to get through to these women. The good news: We have the tools to reach these women in the right place, at the right time, with the right message. Understanding the fundamental reasons why women shop is the key to breaking through the clutter and delivering your pinpointed message.
Sound easy? It’s not. Consider a woman’s motivation while shopping for something quick and easy to prepare for dinner. The goal is to find healthful meal option, that her family will eat, and to be in and out of the store in record time. This is entirely different from the mindset of that same woman when she needs to do a big, “stock-up” grocery shop. Marketing to this woman is like hitting a moving target. Literally.
So how do you crack the code? First and foremost, know your audience beyond their demographics. Understand their different motivations for each shopping trip; whether to the grocery store, mall, or big-box retailer. Second, learn what points of connection are their biggest influencers for different shopping occasions – is it :30 radio in a.m. drive, or word-of-mouth referrals from friends and family? And finally, stay up to speed as innovations to the media landscape keep changing the face of marketing. As women seek more personal connection points, be there waiting for them.
Filed under: Brand Development, Graphic Design Services, Marketing Strategies, New Media | Tags: consumer value, marketing to women, spending, women shoppers
“Value” has taken on a whole new meaning in this Great Recession. You can’t ignore the omnipresent messages from marketers across every category, in every medium, claiming reduced prices and huge savings. And while it’s true that consumers are trying to spend more responsibly now, value doesn’t only mean the lowest cost.
For women shoppers especially, adding value is about more than saving them money. Women value products that help them. Help make her life easier; help her feel smarter, stylish, beautiful, sophisticated; help her connect to a cause or charity she cares about; help her connect to people or communities she cares about; and of course, help her feel like she got a good deal.
Many experts suggest that the current recession will permanently alter the way women shop. That they will continually evaluate their spending and that the age of “over abundance” is over. Savvy marketers will adapt by creating value however and wherever they can to forever become a part of women’s lives.
Filed under: Graphic Design Services, Marketing Strategies, New Media, Sales Promotion | Tags: money saving habits, shopping, shopping trends, spending, women
Are women still shopping in this hard-hitting recession? But of course. However, how women are shopping is changing as they look to control their spending – especially on discretionary items. Even women who can afford premium brands are trading down to low-cost mass merchandisers, pre-shopping sales on the Internet, and clipping coupons like never before. Women are looking for convenience and affordability, but are still not settling for just any item, they want the perfect one. The perfect stove, the perfect summer sundress, or the perfect gift. Since money is tight – when they shop, they want to make the smartest decision possible.
With all of the choices available to consumers now, in every category, women want someone to tell them where their money will be best spent. They seek advice from their favorite magazines, Oprah, online customer reviews, blogs, and the like looking for unbiased guidance. And since women have unparalleled access to information these days – they are not going to be afraid to use it. If you want to be one of the brands women trust, there are several things you can do: Get to know them (market to the right demo), take care of them (they love great customer service), and please, please don’t be pushy (just help them out!).
Filed under: Graphic Design Services, Marketing Strategies, New Media, Sales Promotion | Tags: consumer spending, mall events, property owner
Property owners have been forced to think more creatively about how they advertise, and their retailers are no longer able to display a product and watch as it sells. The renewed goal is to convince consumers to buy something they did not plan on buying. Decreasing disposable income is limiting what consumers spend. And rather than purchasing less of something, they’re not purchasing at all. They stop going to the mall and do not spend money on unnecessary items. This poses a problem for property owners whose livelihood depends on the money consumers spend at their retailers. The solution is to attract consumers to the mall with something other than shopping. How do they do this?
Property owners have been implementing free on-mall activities and events to coerce consumers to come to the mall. The goal of hosting these events is to get consumers to attend, and then watch as they spend money on food, drink and shopping once they are there. Although the consumers may not be spending as much, the property owners (and their retailers) are still reaping the benefits of this extra income.
Property owners are also advertising what consumers can do at the mall. Instead of focusing on just shopping, they advertise the mall as a destination. Come for the event, stay and shop (or eat, drink, see a movie).
The conclusion: consumers may not be spending money as much money, but thanks to property owners’ creative approaches to driving traffic, they are still spending at the mall.
Filed under: Brand Development, Marketing Strategies, Sales Promotion | Tags: empty leasing space, property owners
Due to the increasing number of closing retailers, property owners have been charged with creatively advertising empty leasing space, as well as encouraging consumers to continue coming to malls. The trend of advertising available leasing space and the benefits of X number of shoppers has become the front-runner in commercial real estate strategy. This is an effort to best present availability in once-occupied retail locations. However, retail owners must do more than simply advertise empty space with the promise that a certain number of shoppers will pass their location each day. They must also assure prospective retailers that the projected shopper traffic is, in fact, achieved. How are property owners encouraging shoppers to come to a location—even when those shoppers have less disposable income to spend? How can property owners attract shoppers who aren’t intending to shop? The next entry will discuss event strategies and more.
Filed under: Brand Development, Marketing Strategies, Sales Promotion | Tags: consumer, retail, retail trends
The retail market in the current recession continues to drop. Why? For starters, numerous viable businesses have closed, leaving fellow companies desperate to stay afloat among heavy competition for consumers’ decreasing disposable income. Consumers are tightening their budgets due to increased food and gas costs, and their decreasing credit is also a major factor to the decline in spending.
Most operating businesses increase their desirability to consumers with coupons, deals, low interest rates and extended return policies. These tried and true strategies may seem old fashioned and obsolete, but they are in fact signaling an upturn in an otherwise bleak situation.
According to an article in The Associated Press on June 11, “retail sales increased by 0.5 percent last month….It was the largest increase since sales surged by 1.7 percent in January following six straight declines.”
Although a 0.5 percent increase may not feel tangible to consumer, it is much more hopeful than a decline. What will the ripples bring? It starts with the company and ends with the consumer. Companies are charged with renewing their creativity in advertising and storefront space utilization. The consumer will react and adapt. The question is: how? That conversation will continue…
