The Future of Consumer Advertising Through Marketing Insight

In an increasingly busy environment, marketers are finding it more challenging to get their message in front of the right target audience in the right environment. In the past, a marketer could just buy commercial time on television during prime time to reach a large part of their target audience. Today, the media is so disbursed across television, newspaper, radio and websites that no single media can reach a mass amount of your target audience. The last mass marketing channel may be the retail shopping environment, an increasing communication media turned advertising vehicle of today's marketer.

Even in today's fast-paced environment, everybody still has to shop. Retail stores such as groceries, malls and department stores are being targeted for use by in-store advertising programs. In-store programs are becoming a greater portion of the overall marketing mix. This media makes it easier to reach your target audience. Even better, your target audience is at the store for a purpose to purchase products. This creates a scenario where the buyer is at the store so much of the convincing to purchase process has already been accomplished by the time they see your in-store advertising. The buyer is already in buy mode once inside the store.

In-store advertising began with cardboard displays, printed ads, coupons at checkout and video screens to broadcast the marketer's message. Today, video ads in stores are more targeted and are powered by networks that offer programming aimed at particular shoppers. This can be targeted by where the buyer is standing in the store, the promotions on nearby displays, and the time of day. Consumers can now get shopping help from their shopping carts. For example, if the consumer picks up a loaf of bread, the cart will suggest what brand of lunch meat or peanut butter is on sale. The majority of these programs will focus on grocery, drug, convenience and big-box stores. Eventually, these programs will spread to electronics stores, home building products and other consumer venues.

The next generation of in-store advertising will allow shoppers to request information via their mobile devices or in-store kiosks. These devices will provide advice, help consumers make choices and make it easier for customers to find what they are looking for. Most of these next generation experiences are in pilot trials and prototypes today. To become an advertising force, these marketing devices must address new marketing challenges. First, they are still in development so they must determine the right mix of ad content and technology to be meaningful to the consumer. Second, new metrics must be established to gauge how effective these in-store ads are at closing the sale. Finally, marketers must learn how to integrate the new in-store types of advertising media with their existing marketing programs.

Once completed, the next generation in-store advertising programs has the potential to transform the retail environment and the advertising industry. This will change the marketers' mix, their overall approach to target consumers and their strategic assumptions about reaching their mass audience. since in-store advertising transforms the way marketers interact with consumers, it will attract substantial advertising dollars. Similar to the evolution of internet advertising as a new media that already takes in more advertising dollars than cable television and radio. Additionally, in-store advertising promises to be more effective by making promotions click in the consumers mind while standing in the store.