Simplicity, relatability and value are three of the priorities retailers should keep in mind when planning retail strategies. Also, products can’t be cheap or misleading, and packaging can help bring customers past consideration into purchase.
Following are 10 commandments for retail product marketing success:
-
The power of simplicity (in naming and message): Simple messages help brands to get their point across directly. When the creator of Five Hour Energy brought me his product, it was called Chaser Energy and he had a long sales pitch about how his prior work had been in hangover remedies, and this was a similar foray into ‘cure’ products, so he had created a shot to give you five hours of energy. I told him to call that out, and the brand name, which now dominates the marketplace in its category, brought that brand to high heights.
Advertisement
-
Be relatable: People want to know how this product will impact and affect them directly. By pointing to before and after photos, giving data-driven examples of the short- and long-term effects, and providing anecdotal examples that underscore the diversity of the user base, brands are able to tap into an ever-expanding array of consumers.
-
Have organically relatable spokespeople, if you choose to pursue this route: Celebrity endorsements are great, but they must be on-message and on-brand. Having an overweight celebrity endorse a fitness product or having Harold & Kumar serve as spokespeople for productivity products loses all credibility and value. Ensure credibility by aligning spokespeople with messaging in an authentic way.
-
Pricing is less important than value, but both have merit: Understand this spectrum and price accordingly. People are willing to pay for high value, but delivery of that value must be shown prominently, particularly in the early lifecycle of the product’s sales.
-
The product has to work: It can’t be cheap or misleading. Showing this in marketing and messaging materials is vital to underscore the idea that the money consumers are going to spend is money well spent.
-
You must have the right team in place: From lawyers to accountants to marketing to packaging.
-
Imagery sells: When possible, use any imagery available. There’s a reason Instagram and Snapchat have taken off — people like products that are relatable, as we discussed, and these social media platforms have enabled people to envision themselves with the product. Imagery also ties to commandment number two, in that imagery as a tactic should be employed whenever possible to highlight the relatability of the product to a broad array of users and consumers.
-
Retailers must understand the exceptional importance of packaging when selling and marketing a product.
-
Omnichannel marketing today cannot be overstated: Hit them everywhere they are, and be relevant and targeted in your approach to marketing. This ties to commandment two — being relatable, and to commandment seven — imagery, in that imagery allows products to be shown in photo, in audio, in video and with various people utilizing the product. At one time, we were limited to a spokesperson in a simplistic broadcast advertisement. Now, multiple spokespeople and multiple styles can be utilized to show the product across the spectrum.
-
Timing: Know the right time to launch, to market, and to sell. Timing is everything. Launching the Star Shower, the faux Christmas lights, around the holiday season, timed to launch a few weeks prior to the holiday rush, for example, pristinely positioned that product for the exceptional success it has seen. Similarly, launching indoor products and toys for kids — from nail polishes to innovative activities — before the winter season — can be instrumental in aligning with seasons people are usually indoors, or outdoors if the product demands.
Noah Bremen is the Founder of bdirect Companies. After graduating from Michigan State University, he worked as VP of Sales for Peter Bieler, the innovator behind ThighMaster™. Bremen then spent two years developing the iconic Razor™ scooter brand.
