Friday, October 1, 2010

Washing out in a sea of advertisements? We’ll create waves with a Media Strategy for your store

Retail advertising strategies should be a reflection of your personal retail philosophy. Generic solutions which Mall Marketing Departments typically use to advertise stores may not be appropriate for your particular store.

Store owners often fail to realise the value in advertising their own business at the mall, believing that it is the responsibility of the mall’s marketing department to ensure the success of the store since owners contribute to a marketing fund.

But why be lost in the sea of advertisements that bombard consumers every day? Mall marketing departments typically only advertise the Centre and market events happening in Centre, leaving the responsibility of advertising your store up to you.

 As tenant mixes at Shopping Centres have become increasingly volatile and customer profiles have changed, reaching shoppers at the store is more important than ever and you want to be sure that you attract shoppers to your store. To do that, advertising and promotion should play a significant part in your business strategy.

Where the blanket approach of mass marketing was flaunted by marketing professionals in previous years, today’s industry authorities appreciate the nuances of one-to-one marketing. We know that consumers are savvier than ever and with access to an abundance of information, consumers don’t want sales people rattling off rehearsed presentations. Instead, they want representatives who will help them find real solutions. By learning who your customers are and by offering them tailored products and services that work for them – and indeed establishing a brand with which they can associate – you are sure to increase sales and keep your customers coming back.

So reaching shoppers in-centre has become more important than ever, making it necessary for you and your brands to be out there.

Good media and communications strategies are imperative in yielding the best results for individual stores. This plus word-of-mouth can drive substantial returns on your advertising investment. Store advertising should focus on creating store awareness. From the moment you sign the lease with the Centre’s Landlord, you should strive to generate brand awareness… Create hype! Let shoppers know you’re coming!

An essential starting point is outfitting your store’s windows with attractive vinyls and erecting striking signage and even light boxes. This is where iMedia’s design and logistics teams help you to shine. Allow them to assist you with creating the ideal media and communications strategies for your store that will ensure it remains prominent in the shopper’s minds.

iMedia goes about planning, designing and flighting your material in a way that will adhere to Mall standards, create brand association and entice your customers. From the implementation of a communication strategy to the mall database, to the flighting of your branding on pylons, Touch Screens, billboards, way finds and the mall’s website -et al - they ensure that your store, your brand and the discounts you offer are known about. iMedia will then audit the performance of your advertising at the mall to ensure that it is working for you.

Another way of creating brand and store awareness is to take advantage of the Mall’s common areas and set up a display or promotion. iMedia will help you with the booking and logistics of the Activation, again adhering to the Mall’s high standards.

Let iMedia assist you with effectively zeroing in on your target customers at the mall. After all, research suggests that 75% of brand decisions are made at the Mall! 

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