ViVA Partnership Shopper Marketing delivering ‘Moment of Truth’.

Research reveals that seventy-three percent of consumer product goods manufacturers and 86 percent of retailers place shopper marketing at the top of the list for marketing efforts that deliver meaningful return on investment—but are marketers doing this well in multi-cultural markets?

Linda Lane Gonzalez and her company ViVA Partnership, a full service multi-cultural marketing firm, have successfully delivered Shopper Marketing insights for their clients since ViVA since 2002. Although Shopper Marketing is provided by ViVA as a “stand alone” separate service upon request, it is an integral part ViVA’s of strategic marketing efforts.

Now, with ViVA celebrating its 13th anniversary year and with “Shopper Marketing” a hot issue in the marketing universe, ViVA is officially announcing Shopper Marketing as a core strength available to retailers, manufacturers and corporations targeting multi-cultural, U.S. Hispanic and Latin American market segments.

“For the past eight years, ViVA has consistently refined its Shopper Marketing research methodologies within U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets with measurable and actionable results delivered for clients,” says Gonzalez, ViVA‚s founder and CEO. “While other U.S. Hispanic agencies are just discovering this powerful tool, we have been building a solid portfolio of successful case studies. ViVA Shopper Marketing platforms provide customized solutions a brand can own.”

Gonzalez adds that while there are similarities between Shopper Marketing for general market and U.S. Hispanic or multi-cultural segments, there are critical differences that must be understood. “Overall, the factors that prompt Hispanics to buy are more emotionally-based than for general market shoppers. For example, when purchasing laundry detergents, Hispanics are influenced most heavily by in-store messaging about really clean/really white clothing because this reinforces an important Hispanics value— taking loving care of family.”

Gonzalez points to a Fortune 1000 firm that through ViVA’s Shopper Marketing insights discovered that their brand had little meaning to the demographic they were targeting. By making a few simple changes to their signage, the corporation increased retail sales by over 20 percent in the first pilot program. Another client, an automotive aftermarket retailer, has experienced a substantial and consistent lift in sales after making strategic changes based on ViVA research that eliminated shopper barriers, and by implementing other facets of ViVA’s Shopper Marketing intelligence, for example, using a respected spokesperson and improving store appearance, (case study below).

According to Gonzalez, ViVA is expert in seeking out the barriers to the overall Hispanic shopper experience. The ViVA team, headed by Gonzalez and Roxy De Leonardis, a pioneer in Shopper Marketing, develop solutions that affect the Hispanic shopper and the brand. “Importantly, ViVA solutions do not cannibalize the non-Hispanic shopper experience,” says De Leonardis. “Rather, we are sensitive to brand concerns and communicate with U.S. Hispanics in a way that resonates but does not dilute a brand’s messaging to the brand‚s core general market customers.”

“Our programs succeed because we‚ve been doing this long enough and thoroughly enough to know that Shopper Marketing must be based on solid strategy and that Shopper Marketing insights must be actionable and strategically integrated with all other marketing components,” says Gonzalez.

According to Gonzalez, there are many “moments of truth” along the path to purchase. While individuals may select 41 per¬cent of the brands they plan to buy before entering the retail venue, they select 59 percent while in the store, giving marketers many opportunities to influence the “buy” and build repeat purchase loyalties.

“Our methodologies, our ability to be an eye-witness along the path to purchase, identifies and removes/address the barriers for the brand or product category,” she says. “Our knowledge, tactically gained while the consumer is in the shopping mode helps brands engage that shopper in a culturally relevant way across cultures.”

“While we approach Shopper Marketing as an integral part of a 360-degree marketing and branding effort, and we have the capabilities to create and execute all components, we also provide our expertise to retailers, manufacturers and firms who may choose to execute other elements of the marketing through their agencies of record,” says Gonzalez.

In certain cases, ViVA works directly with other agencies that may not have Shopper Marketing expertise, or may not have this expertise within U.S. Hispanic or Latin American markets.

“Shopper Marketing for multicultural segments is filled with potential,” says Gonzalez. “The multicultural market is huge and currently makes up over 30 percent of the U.S. population— and it is growing. Imagine having the ability to capture this market at the point where 59 percent of purchase decisions are made.”

CASE STUDIES

Fortune 1000 firm that through ViVA‚s Shopper Marketing insights discovered that their brand had little meaning to the demographic they were targeting. By making a few simple changes to their signage, the corporation increased retail sales by over 20 percent in the first pilot program:

Challenge: Sales registered a downward for five years despite the brand‚s effort to reach out to store locations‚ key demographics: U.S. Hispanics.

The first round of consumer market research initiated by ViVA evaluated the relevancy of the brand‚s U.S. Hispanic-focused product to determine why sales had fallen consistently over a five year period. ViVA teams found that the product that had been developed specifically to target the U.S. Hispanic market was not relevant to the Hispanic consumer/shopper. The first step was to make sweeping changes to the product line based on ViVA insights. Next, ViVA engaged in a series of tests to ensure the improved products resonated with the target. They did. ViVA‚s next step was to understand how the brand communicated the product‚s attributes and where to buy the products. ViVA found that what the brand was doing was ineffective. Through a series of solutions, ViVA broke down the barriers preventing the brand from connecting with the target audience. Once those solutions were implemented—one being a simple change in signage and its placement within the retail environment—sales went up over 20 percent in test markets. An increase this substantial, with no advertising, is a phenomenal testament to the successes that can be garnered through Hispanic Shopper Marketing programs.

Another client, an automotive aftermarket retailer, experienced a substantial lift in sales after changing their spokesperson based on ViVA‚s Shopper Marketing intelligence.

Challenge: Brand was losing market share within target markets.

ViVA‚s Hispanic Shopper Marketing program discovered that the brand and the entire category faced a number of barriers ˆ and the method by which the brand was communicating the brand‚s attributes, was overly aggressive. This made the Hispanic shopper skeptical. In order to overcome this barrier, ViVA teams implemented research methodology to drill down to the heart of the problem. Delving into the Hispanic shopper‚s mind, ViVA found that the shoppers wanted to be able to trust the mechanics and service specialists before they would commit to buy. Past negative experiences, however, made it difficult to trust. Based on these shopper insights, ViVA developed solutions that initiated the process of building a relationship of trust with the Hispanic consumer. This was accomplished with new communications tactics, new mass media campaigns and retailer programs, that, within a few months, resulted in double digit increases in the test markets.