Driving a car that spews fumes, stalls out, and guzzles gas like a tractor-trailer doesn’t make sense. It’s hazardous to you (and anyone in your path), unreliable, and expensive.
Many of today’s consumer goods companies are driving these vehicles. Well, not literally, but their approach to marketing is just like these broken-down cars that should be scrapped. Handing over money and discounts to retailers just for the privilege of letting them make money is illogical when you, the consumer goods company, receive nothing in return. No profits. No brand loyalty. In fact, quite often, your brand erodes at the hands of marketers who are not fully vested in your brand’s integrity.
So, the system needs to change—dramatically. Change is scary, yes. There is a risk to diverting from the path most traveled. But what exactly will you be sacrificing?
- Profits? No. You’ve already compromised them.
- Retailer relationships? Not if you apply strategies that build their business alongside your own.
- Sales? If the shopper only buys your product when it’s reduced, you haven’t done enough to bring value to the brand in the mind of the person making the purchasing decision. You can continue to give your product away, but you’re just whittling away from future sales for short-term results by encouraging people to stock up at a reduced price. And frankly, price shoppers are as disloyal as they come.
Think about what you’re not getting from your current marketing campaigns. Look at the results you are seeing. Is there room for improvement? And how do you propose to achieve better results? By doing the same thing year after year?
Shopper marketing is the answer. Unfortunately, too many consumer goods companies aren’t asking the right questions, which is why their sales and marketing has stalled like a decrepit vehicle. What are the challenges in getting your brand into the hands of consumers? Where are the breakdowns? Please share your issues and let’s see if we can help, as a community, to find solutions.