Your Store as a Great Media Source in 2009

With Canwest (Canadian newspaper empire) on the brink and various agencies getting quiet, it is obvious Canadian retailers are following US counterparts in cutting ad spend this year.

While perhaps prudent fiscally, there is a great risk that a prolonged paring of image building and reinforcement can lead to longer term brand damage that transcends any recession.  This will be compounded where retailers shift from their current value proposition and brand platform to a low price/value position in store.

The better approach is not a culling of messaging, but rather a shift from content to creative message delivery.  How can we continue to get our message out in a clever, cost-effective manner?

Too many retailers short-change the potential impact of their physical stores ... a great latent media source in their own right.  Our research repeatedly confirms the importance to shoppers of storefronts and windows triggering first-time visits to stores, more so than any other media in most cases.  Rare exceptions being the hyped store openings of high profile global chains (such as H&M).  Stuart Hemerling has shared his related findings below from an ecommerce study by his firm, Prophis eResearch.

Most importantly, retailers own this media channel.  Perhaps now is the time to consider compelling refreshing of windows and storefronts, and merchandising inside, while continuing to develop insight as to shifting shoppers emotional wants and needs beyond tangible product and price.  It costs relatively little to craft a compelling visual narrative ... and the payback can be big.