The explosion of digital marketing has disrupted traditional media formats and whilst it has increased our ability to target, it has made it increasingly hard to generate cut through. When and where consumers receive and digest media has also changed dramatically with an increasing number of touch points all the way along the path to purchase. Shopping channels and missions are also evolving rapidly with e-Commerce, and convenience expanding exponentially offering new opportunities but also even more complexity.
Navigating these choppy, ever changing waters is challenging, but exciting, as it is forcing us to learn new approaches and skills to drive both consumer and shopper penetration and loyalty.
Effective planning and investment choices are critical to winning in this new media landscape. Increasingly the effective use of data, and subsequent targeting, is key to building a winning strategy. At Heineken we have increasingly seen shopper and trade marketing as a critical aspect of the marketing mix that can drive both ours and our customers business. We see this discipline as an essential investment choice as not only does it drive brand equity but it ultimately can result in a direct sale at Point of Purchase. Delivering effective shopper marketing, can really drive cut through, accelerate trial and conversion when it matters most – at the moment of the purchase decision.
We spend a lot of time at Heineken building strategies around the right pack, price and promotion architecture to deliver category value, but we also recognise that this strategy has to be bought to life in retail through excellent shopper marketing. Our Beer and Cider category is facing into a significant amount of legislative change in the coming years with Minimum Unit Pricing and Deposit Return Schemes etc. all having an impact on price and promotion. It will therefore be even more critical to build world class shopper marketing campaigns to deliver cut through and drive consumer loyalty when other pillars of the marketing mix have been removed (eg price promotion).
Heineken have been working with BASE Technologies for over 4 years now, collaborating on; planning, building and evaluating our shopper marketing investment across the Off-trade channel. Leveraging BASE's expertise, software and evaluation tools has helped us deliver increasingly effective shopper marketing campaigns that are more targeted by occasions and media channel. BASE helps us select the right consumer and shopper touch points for each brand, campaign, channel and customer. Each year the Return on Investment (ROI) for our shopper marketing spend is increasing as we generate more insight, make better choices and target more effectively.
It amazes me that more businesses have not engaged as deeply in Shopper Marketing as a discipline given the benefit it can drive for brands. Millions of consumers make trips every week to different channels and stores. Our ability to influence these consumers along their path to purchase has never been more important given the cluttered media landscape and the need to drive cut through. For me Shopper is an essential part of the marketing mix and businesses like BASE are fantastic partners to help educate, plan, create and evaluate our investments across our campaigns. I am personally excited by how Shopper Marketing will grow over the coming years as the priority focus it deserves.
Toby Lancaster is the Category and Commercial Strategy Director at Heineken UK. Toby has been with Heineken for 4 years, after a variety of UK and International roles over 17 years with Nestle.
