part one: dimensional designs
by John Siebenthaler

POP — Retail’s Best Friend
Humans are predictable, especially when we’re on the hunt for bling. We like shiny. We like new. We like — movement! Color! Size! Our plains-hunter ancestors’ hard-wired survival skills equipped us to notice what’s different. Which brings us to the rationale for POP (Point Of Purchase) advertising. It works simply because it’s instinctive.

POP’s capable of delivering an exceptional ROI. It’s qualified, measurable and, for the right product, remarkably effective. In fact there may be nothing quite as persuasive as POP when it comes to coaxing that last hesitant dollar out of the jeans of a nervous, cash strapped market in a down economy.

By Any Other Name
Also referred to as At Retail Marketing and Point Of Sale (POS), dimensional advertising is the little engine that can and does drive buying outcome in virtually all consumer categories. Relied on for pushing impulse items and focusing buyers’ eyeballs on promotional goods, dramatic advances in digital sophistication are today responsible for propelling POP marketing to new heights.

POP’s a highly visible component of mostly retail marketing that’s widely used by manufacturers angling for a last minute advantage. You’ll find it everywhere – malls, theaters, restaurants (table tents) – except in most powersports dealer showrooms.

We’re talking about manufacturer or distributor supplied materials, not the occasionally inspired local dealer who livens up the joint with some painted sheetrock, track lighting and flame cut steel plate accent.

Nothing To Gain But In-Store Sales
Despite a few memorable examples from the OEMs – HD consistently wins awards for their P&A in-store promotions – industry spending remains focused on print and event marketing with an occasional online toe in the water. The aftermarket as a whole just hasn’t realized the multiplier effect that premium POP has on sales of everything from big ticket items to checkout trinkets.

Most of us recognize it from the brand name manufacturer’s displays that dot grocery aisles. Usually utilizing traditional spot color on kraft board, those cardboard obelisks highlight product by putting it right smack in front of the buyer’s face.

And there’s more. Properly researched and designed POP can be very useful in offsetting e-commerce competition, something that most dealers today view as just short of the plague when it comes to threats to their livelihood.

What Works — What Doesn’t — And Why
If you’ve heard an industry consultant recommending the cliched mass display of merch stacked at the end of an aisle or along the back wall — a technique similar to lining up the trees in the forest so they’ll then stand out — resist the urge unless what you’re selling is truly unique.

Modern marketing has moved considerably beyond that model, which dates back to the introduction of area codes, and consumers know it. They know it from the interactivity that assaults their senses at the mall, in the grocery, at the gas pump. POPs influence on consumer purchasing is hard to ignore and rating effectiveness can be as simple as measuring coupon redemption rates.

And although the absence of decent display furniture will hamstring just about any POP effort, fixturing, shelving and slot wall aren’t by themselves POP. The ultra trendy merchandising POP’s capable of delivering creates sexy shelf appeal and a pleasure center of promised rewards for consumers who can’t wait to shop because they want to spend – and will, with just a little push.

For manufacturers looking to book more shelf space, imaginative POP can be the way to the dealer’s heart. And for dealers, POP’s the answer to what’s often seen as a retail arena desperate for fresh air and sunlight.

We’ve had a lot of fun putting together a few POP efforts for our partners, ranging from bus shelter posters to floor displays. If you haven’t thought about adding POP value to your marketing and merchandising plans it’s a great way to get out in front. And stay there.