We know that as a marketer things have become a whole lot more complex and that sometimes you just want to sit down, take a break, and sip on a great cup of coffee.

Well, we seriously want you to have a cup of coffee on us. In fact, with Shopper Marketing Experts, you could sip on your coffee while you build your capability, wherever you are – even in the comfort of your favourite place to drink your coffee. But more on this a little later.

Life for a marketer used to be a lot simpler

Or at least it felt that way. Brands were grown by pulling two simple levers: build a brand and drive distribution. If marketers got that right, all was well and good. And within each of these areas, the options were well documented: consumer goods brands were built with advertising (mainly TV and radio) with a sprinkling of public relations and events; distribution was about putting the product into as many of the stores across the country as possible.

Shoppers have many more options and channels today

Over the decades, things have gotten more complicated. The number of media channels that consumers feast on continues to increase, driving up the complexity and cost of pinning down a target market. Some retailers have grown to stupendous size, and getting that distribution is expensive and a long way away from a foregone conclusion.

And then there is shopping. Before the Internet, before cell phones, and before the explosion of brands, innovation, and new categories, shoppers had far fewer choices of what and where to buy. If they wanted to buy a television, shoppers typically went to a local appliance or department store, checked out the picture, asked the salesman a few questions, and made a purchase. Done.

Today, shoppers are faced with myriad choices about what to buy: which brand, what screen size, what level of audio quality, what resolution? Will it mount on the wall? What about the impact of aspect ratio? Is it smart, has it got wifi connectivity? What router will I need, how much data will it use?

Shoppers are also faced with many more choices of where to buy: mega retailers such as Best Buy, hypermarket chains such as Walmart, or one of countless online retailers who will ship the product to the home without the shopper needing to step out of their front door.

There is also a plethora of blogs and social review sites, all with varying opinions and ratings and price comparisons. And almost everything seems to be on a once in a lifetime sale or promotion, permanently.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if one didn’t need an engineering degree to make a purchase decision?

Something needs to change

Because so much has changed in the consumer goods world over the last sixty years, it may come as a surprise that the vast majority of consumer goods companies are still using the same model to drive their business as they did in the 1950s.

The consequences of that inertia are terrifying. Marketing monies spent on persuading consumers to desire brands are becoming less effective. Driven in part by this, and by the increasing power of “Big Retail,” more money is being spent on achieving distribution and discounting products in stores than ever before.

And the problem with that is that up to 70 percent of this retail investment loses money.

The consumer goods industry is no longer fast growing. Its profits are under pressure. Yet the majority of companies in this industry continue to use a growth model built for yesteryear.

Recall the words of the American retail giant John Wanamaker: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is, I don’t know which half.” Although Wanamaker made this statement a century ago, the reality remains. Consumer goods companies are failing to gain the return on investment (ROI) they need from their marketing because they don’t get “it.”

Most continue to be invested in twentieth-century thinking that fails to take into account the shifts in the industry—including e-commerce, shopping choices, cluttered stores, limited shopping time, and other factors—that have changed the face of shopper influence. We’re over a decade into a new century, yet far too many companies have failed to dip their toes into this bubbling whirlpool of opportunity.

Experts Mike Anthony and Toby Desforges

Both Mike Anthony and Toby Desforges have spent most of their working lives in this industry: they love it and are grateful for the experiences and opportunities it has given them. But they are saddened by the state of affairs they see today. The industry they joined two short decades ago was vibrant and exciting—it was “the place to be.” Today it is no longer the industry of choice for people at the beginning of their career. There is no reason in their minds that this should be so.

Read the story of how Mike and Toby have been part of establishing Shopper Marketing Experts – an engaging shopper marketing focused learning platform and community.

A new marketing model

Shopper Marketing Experts presents a new marketing model that takes into account the reality of today and tomorrow together with the experience of yesterday. It has been built on years of engagement with savvy executives from global entities, helping them untangle their marketing strategies and their teams.

With a step-by-step approach—five in all—Shopper Marketing Experts delivers a tested method that builds stronger, more symbiotic relationships between the retailer and manufacturer. Every recommendation has been extensively tested and proven. The approach works, and it delivers better results for companies, their partners, their shareholders, and the people they employ.

The power of this five-step process lies in the progressive prioritization it creates; it only focuses on the greatest consumer opportunities, the key shoppers, the prioritized channels, the optimum marketing mix, and the customers that offer the highest return.

At the heart of this model lies a concept and a practice called shopper marketing.

Shopper marketing requires that marketers connect with the consumer and the shopper—often two separate people (check out this great article by Mike Anthony)—to better understand these two fundamental elements in the “supply and demand” of the consumer goods industry.

Shopper marketers then use this understanding to form more meaningful propositions for, and therefore relationships with, retail customers. This revolutionary shopper marketing method drives better brand engagement with consumers and more effective results with shoppers in stores (be they virtual or real). It drives the goal of all consumer goods companies: profitable growth.

Shopper Marketing Experts reaches out on many levels (check out our infographic)

• Firstly it explains more about the industry’s issues, the potential solution, and how that solution works in the real world.
• Secondly it explores the key concepts which drive the new marketing model.
• Thirdly it is designed to be an engaging and interactive “how to” guide—to help practitioners (be they consumer marketers, shopper marketers, salespeople; whether they work for a manufacturer, a retailer, an agency, or a market research company) take steps toward a better, more effective marketing model.

Shopper marketing is of interest to everyone

The whole world is a shopper, and we are all being marketed to by retailers and manufacturers alike. Shopper Marketing Experts delivers insight into how this world works (and how it doesn’t!) and shows how it could be done so much better.

But it isn’t just about shopper marketing. Shopper marketing is a revolution—a revolution in marketing driven by shoppers. The trends we outline affect anyone working in the consumer goods or retail industry, which together represent potentially 20 percent of global GDP. And as with any revolution, each of us has a choice: to rally and drive the change or to be dragged along in the tailwind of those blazing the trail.

Shopper Marketing Experts is an invitation, an outstretched hand, if you will, to come and join a revolution, and that is an opportunity that comes along perhaps once in a lifetime.

OK, so how about that cup of COFFEE on us?

Coffee and a 10% tip

Usually you have to buy the coffee and give a 10% tip. However, we like to do things a little differently. Let us get you the coffee and give you a 10% tip!

• HOW IT WORKS: Subscribe to any of our Shopper Marketing Experts paid annual subscription packages during the months March through April 2017, and we will send you a $10 gift card for you to sip on a nice cup of hot coffee at a Starbucks near you – enjoy! (if there is no Starbucks near you, sorry, but we don’t have any alternatives).
• Not only can you enjoy sipping on your coffee, but we will also give you a 10% tip off of our paid annual subscription packages price list – Simply enter the code Coffeeonus at checkout. There you go.

Free basic access

We also have an offer without the coffee and 10% tip if you like.

• HOW IT WORKS: During the months March through April 2017, you can sign up to our basic package absolutely FREE – this gives you 12 months access to our monthly live webinars, the community and limited course content.

So, we truly hope you join us for a cup of Coffee and enjoy your Shopper Marketing Experts journey.