Communisis

We love this insightful post from Will Poskett highlighting the issues of cutting ad spend, especially for growing brands. As Will points out, reducing marketing investment can lead to: 🚫 Loss of brand momentum 📉 Decline in sales momentum 🔇 Getting drowned out by competitors For brands it's not just about maintaining presence, but strategically investing in your brand's future. It's all about consistent brand deployment. Next time you're considering budget cuts, ask yourself: 🤔 How will this impact my brand's long-term visibility? 💪 Am I giving my brand the strength it needs to compete? 🔍 What opportunities might I miss by cutting back?

Influencing in-store behaviour is no easy task. Retailers want to keep noise to a minimum, and shoppers can view plastic-heavy displays as wasteful and environmentally harmful. Still, brands need to get their message heard to convince consumers to take action. Gail van Dijk discusses how brands can overcome these challenges in Chain Store Age, with behavioural interventions that shift the focus from messaging to action, including: 🤳Contact-free displays that make it easier than ever to buy a product 👀Naked products that sell themselves through augmented reality and artificial intelligence, and 💃 No mess, no fuss, try before you buy digital experiences Read more 👇

Looking for a little summer inspiration for your point-of-sale activations this summer 😎? This post from Tim Nash shows off the cool power of ice cream 🍦! Not a bad way to "scoop up tangible engagement" from consumers!

What does predisposing more people to your point-of-sale activations actually mean in practice? We take Insights by Kantar's latest rules for #brand growth and apply them to #PoS activations in our latest blog. What did we learn 👨🏫? For PoS activations, it is important to be bold, differentiated, and distinctive. You need it to be seen, particularly where your customers tend to make their purchases. You need to take your PoS activations to new places to drive growth. But most importantly, you must ensure brand consistency to maximise its power and potential to grow your brand. Read more below 👇

Sustainable procurement has been a theme for us this month, with Adam Spurdle highlighting the challenges and complexities surrounding the topic. In his latest article for SupplyChain247, he outlines some of the ways businesses can create greener supply chains. If you work in #procurement, this is certainly one to read 👇

New research by Insights by Kantar—"Blueprint for Brand Growth"—certainly makes the case for investing in #PoS activations with 'Rule 2: Be more present'. But what happens if we apply all the rules to PoS activations? We give it a try in our latest blog which explores each rule in relation to PoS activations. What did we learn 💡? 🎉 Rule 1: Predispose more people - Make your PoS POP to positively impact more people. 👀 Rule 2: Be more present - Be consistent with your brand and always be easy to buy 🧭 Rule 3: Find new space - Explore new places to activate Read more below 👇 #branding #retail #marketing #pointofsale

It’s time to “ruffle feathers” if you want to stand out in-store and no more so than in supermarkets, where people face a choice of up to 35,000 products. In this article, Wander Bruijel, Chief Strategy Officer at Born Ugly, makes the case for distinctiveness in the grocery category. And we couldn’t agree more and believe it is equally applicable across any retail category, where consumers are faced with choosing from a wall of “same, same but different” products. That’s why what you do in-store matters. It’s why point-of-sale activations can be so impactful. But don’t clutter the scene with discount promotions, rational logic or boring benefits. Do something different. Use your brand assets – your colours, your characters, your logo. And be memorable. This will help your products fly-off the shelves.

Have you seen Kantar’s new rules for brand growth? Using 6.5 billion global attitudinal and shopper data points, Kantar’s experts have developed a decision making framework for marketers. It includes three rules of brand growth, which if meaningfully applied can command five times the market penetration today. So what are these rules and how can you apply them? Here is a quick summary from the 64 page report (link to the full report in the comments). Rule 1: Predispose more people A fancy way of saying BE MEMORABLE. It’s about creating Mental Availability among your buyers so they know who you are before they get to their purchasing decision and comes from Byron Sharp’s work in How Brands Grow. Creative. Emotional. Distinctive. These are the three things your brand needs to be if it’s going to be remembered. Rule 2: Be more present This is all about physical availability – another term used in Byron’s work. For Coke, it was all about optimising its distribution, product, pricing and packaging to be at the arms reach of the consumer. Present in every buying situation, when it came to quenching your thirst. Available. Accessible. Distinctive. These are the three things your brand needs to be if it’s going to be more present in more buying situations. Whether that is online or in-store. Rule 3: Find new space This is about creating a strategy that enables you to access “blue oceans.” But don’t just think of this as product expansion and new innovations. Think about what moments your brand can meaningfully enter beyond those you already do today. A great place to start is reading Jenni Romaniuk’s work on category entry points. Emotional. Behaviours. Different. You need to consider the emotional buying situations, consumer behaviours and how your brand is different to the alternatives to win in this space. It might just unlock the next big product innovation you’ve been looking for!

Want to know what some of the biggest hurdles companies face today in adopting sustainable practices? Have a read of Adam Spurdle's latest article in SupplyChainBrain. In this article, Adam outlines five challenges procurement must overcome to adhere to sustainable practices: 💰Initial Investment - sustainability carries a price tag, at least at the outset 🌍Supply chain complexity - Regulations differ from country to country 🔎Data controls and measures - Tracking, traceability and measurability are complex and not standardised 🙅♀️Culture and incentives - You need the right culture to drive change 🙈Lack of visibility - Inconsistent data flows, varied business systems and constrained collaboration can cloud transparency Read more below 👇

#SustainableProcurement isn't just a buzzword—it's crucial for the planet and businesses. By choosing eco-friendly and socially responsible suppliers, companies can make a positive impact on the environment and society. But it's not easy. Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) face difficulties managing complex global #supplychains. Each country has its own standards, making it tricky to ensure everyone follows sustainable practices. Our Global Supply Chain Partnership Director, Adam Spurdle, spoke with Aaron McMillan at Procurement Magazine about maximising the visibility in global sustainable supply chains. The key takeaways: 🤓Ensure proper data control, especially when dealing with various tracking methods across different environments and countries. 📐Create consistent guidelines, measures, and incentives to engage your suppliers and reduce the complexity of managing shared sustainability goals. 🔎 Look for technology solutions that optimise workflows, improve forecasting, and give you a clear line of sight on the entire supply chain from sourcing to delivery, so you can be intentional with your choices, from delivery route optimisation to materials and much more. Read more 👇