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Thinking Big

By Peter Breen

Did you ever get the feeling that January is a lot longer than all the other months?

No, I don't mean the day (or three) it legitimately has on those five shorter months. I'm talking about some mystical force that makes it seem as if each new year begins with a 64-day month.

A lot of big things happened in the world of in-store marketing during January -- and early February, too. New store prototypes. Major brand launches. Corporate reorganizations. It just seems to be way too much to have occurred in only 31 days, doesn't it?

One of the more significant events took place on Jan. 16, when NBC Universal held the first ever "Upfront" conference for in-store and other out-of-home media. Some industry watchers saw it as a milestone in the emergence of the store as a legitimate advertising medium, and it surely is a big step forward for in-store digital networks. But I'm still wondering if it might not be an obstacle for the development of true customer-focused marketing: how do you address the needs of local shoppers with an ad for, say, insurance sold by an entity twice removed from the store's operation?

Wal-Mart made big news again -- a couple of times. The company unveiled its latest green store design and got a little tougher on the sustainability demands it places on vendors. It also restructured its apparel division, moving the sourcing and product development teams out of Bentonville to fashion-forward New York in the latest bid to get trendier; later in the month, it launched an exclusive collection that seemed more appropriate for its existing customer base: "Hannah Montana" apparel and accessories for girls. (That last news was really big news in my house, thanks to my seven-year-old daughter's obsession with the Walt Disney property.)

There also was the Super Bowl, which, in the world of in-store marketing, is more often known as the "Big Game" (unless you have an official NFL license). But while the merchandising conducted by PepsiCo, Kraft Foods and several other brand marketers certainly came up big this season, most retailer activity played out pretty small.

Other big events over the last six weeks: Johnson & Johnson launched Zyrtec over the counter with a campaign putting displays in just about every store -- and it had to, since the brand faced immediate private-label competition; Circuit City decided to bet its future on a smaller, more service-oriented format; and JCPenney teamed with Polo Ralph Lauren for the biggest brand launch in the chain's 105-year history.

I just hope things slow down a bit. Otherwise, the rest of the year is going to seem as long as January.

Peter Breen
Managing Director, Content
In-Store Marketing Institute

Published: February 2008

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