Creativity – A Tactical Advantage
Competition is fierce. Shoppers are demanding experiences. Dollars must work harder. The “store” is now a destination. There has never been a more challenging – or more invigorating – time for retail marketers. A new level of fearless creativity is required. To get the thoughts flowing, we offer the fourth in a short series of posts about creativity.
Retail marketers, take note: “Let’s do a display” is not an idea. It’s a tactic.
Think of the tactic as the “what.” The tactic is the tool used to get shoppers buzzing about, bestowing love upon and ultimately buying the product or signing up for the service. It’s also what keeps them loyal to your brand.
The way we manipulate the tactic – the way we define, specify, interpret and translate it – is what transforms it into a real, actionable, unique idea.
I want specific, juicy ideas to come out of the marketing program brainstorms I facilitate. I already know the tactics. The goal is to manipulate those tried and true activities into new shopper touch points. That means generating fresh takes on classic executions and developing detail-rich experiences that make a concept sing (and the shopper swoon).
To keep the session on track and to focus conversation on concepts that are both original and actionable, I always put together a list of standard tactics to serve as jumping-off points for new ideas in retail marketing.
Shopper Marketing Tactics That Are Just Waiting To Be Turned Into Ideas
- Contest
- Pop-up
- Survey/Poll
- Sweepstakes
- Twitter Campaign
- Facebook Page
- Anniversary Celebration
- Talent Search
- Spokesperson
- Charity Partner
- Scavenger Hunt
- Event Sponsorship
- Celebrity Tie-in
- Sampling
- Advertorial
- Expert Association
- Integrated Content
- Microsite
- Media Partner
- Countdown
- Interactive Display
- Video
- Teaser Signage Campaign
- Guest Designers
- Spotter’s Campaign
- Breaking the Fourth Wall
- Mobile Unit
- Creating a Social Event
- Shopper App
- Promotion
- Unexpected Signage Placement
What would you add to the list?