Trade
Promotion Outlook
Disney
Tries Magic in Kroger Markets
(Source:
Brandweek, July 24, 2006)
Disney
Consumer Products has inked a deal with supermarket retailer Kroger to
introduce more than 100 Walt Disney
The alliance is the first time Disney has licensed with a food retailer for its
own-store brand of products. Mickey Mouse. Products are hitting Kroger stores
now.
"There's no disconnect here. What you're seeing is major properties like
Disney recognizing the power of retailers' private-label brands and their
willingness to market their properties with them," said Ken Harris, an
analyst at Cannondale Associates,
The effort continues in 2007 with planned Magic Selections launches including
health and wellness aids such as bubble bath, soaps and shampoos; organic
goods; floral; and stationery.
And the stakes are heating up: Last week Nickelodeon said it will use its icons
to entice kids to eat more fruits and veggies with new products in September
that bear the likes of SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer.
Full Story: Click Here
Ricoh,
Computer Market Research Announce Partnership
(Source:
Channel Insider July, 25 2006)
Ricoh
is on the move, pushing aggressively to get its product through the channel,
and is looking to Computer Market Research to provide the initiative.
To
that end, the two are partnering, with CMR slated to provide Ricoh with
point-of-sale and inventory reporting solutions.
Based
in
The
software collects information from the channel, such as inventory, sales
compensation, special pricing and forecasting, and provides it to vendors in a
comprehensive and standardized form, Del Heles, president of CMR, told Channel
Insider.
The
software then can provide POS reports on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, and
it allows vendors to see how much inventory has moved through the channel.
The
software is able to provide vendors with audit reports to help in complying
with the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Heles said. Another feature allows a
vendor to calculate commissions and match sales representatives to territories,
accounts or products.
Heles
said that Ricoh has decided to make a more aggressive push to get its product
through the channel, and his company's POS solutions allow a large vendor to
better maneuver its way through the channel.
"It's
a good way to keep the sales force motivated," Heles said. "It gives
them an idea of what they sold and to whom did they sell it to." Full
Story: Click Here
Del Heles with Computer Market Research is attending the TPMA
Annual Conference in Chicago, September 25-27th 2006
Street
Sees Google as Undisputed Search Leader
(Source:
Ad Age.com July 20, 2006)
"We're very, very happy with having such a strong quarter in a seasonally
weak period for us," Google CEO Eric Schmidt told investors on a
conference call.
Google
recently launched a simplified checkout option for shoppers buying products
from participating stores online. Synched with Google's AdWords
search-advertising program, some analysts -- including those at Merrill -- saw
the move as part of a larger effort by Google to boost search-advertising
revenues.
"We believe Google will maintain its advantages in search innovation and
ability to sign affiliates," Merrill Lynch analyst Justin Post wrote in
the report.
Furthermore, Merrill said it expects Google to continue to gain search share
through next year, thanks in part to toolbar-distribution deals with computer
maker Dell and desktop-publishing-software company Adobe Systems.
Late last month, Google began testing a cost-per-click ad alternative that only
charges advertisers after their ads generate sales or qualified sales leads --
a move analysts see as catering to the lucrative affiliate-marketing space.
Full Story: Click Here
Google
is a Keynote presenter the TPMA Annual Conference in
Q&A: Chiquita's CEO on Business Forecasting (Source:
Baselinemag.com, July 2006)
Fernando
Aguirre explains the importance of accurate forecasting in a business with
perishable products and the banana producer's hopes for radio frequency ID.
It's
a tough time to be in the banana game.
Fernando
Aguirre, who spent 23 years as a manager at Procter & Gamble, knew he had a
challenge when he became chief executive officer of Chiquita Brands
International in January 2004. The fruit producer had emerged from Chapter 11
bankruptcy in 2002, but was facing steep tariff hikes on Latin American bananas
by the European Union—Chiquita's primary market.
To
cut Chiquita's dependence on a single commodity, Aguirre led the acquisition
last year of Fresh Express for $855 million. The company, a leading producer of
packaged salad greens, helped Cincinnati-based Chiquita boost its 2005 net
income by 137% over the previous year, on total sales of $3.9 billion.
The
Fresh Express acquisition was "critical," Aguirre says, because
otherwise "we would be very, very dependent on selling bananas to
"We
recognized that this year was going to be a transition year," Aguirre
says.
Aguirre,
48, recently spoke with news editor Todd Spangler about the importance of
accurate forecasting in a business with perishable products, the Fresh Express
deal and the company's plans for radio frequency ID. Full Story and
Interview: Click Here
Chiquita Fresh Express is presenting at the TPMA Annual Conference
in Chicago, September 25-27th 2006
Several retailers in the
Locally-based supercenter operator, Bigg's, is offering $5 off a minimum
purchase of $25 in groceries for shoppers who have a receipt for at least 8
gallons of gas bought at a United Dairy Farmers (UDF) station within the past
two weeks.
The paper reports that Kroger and Meijer are offering money off gas at their
own pumps for shoppers who buy a certain amount of groceries or merchandise
from them, while Bigg's and UDF have teamed up in a "Fuel Your
Family" promotion that will last through August.
The promos vary, but all offer consumers savings when they buy gasoline or, in
some cases, buy groceries and then gasoline. Kroger said the cost of the
program is being funded from its normal promotional budget.
Bigg's and UDF are reaping the benefits of their program, according to the
report. The volume of gasoline sold has risen each week since the program
began, Frank Cogliano, senior vice president for Retail Stores Inc., parent of
United Dairy Farmers, told the Enquirer. Full Story: Click Here
Upcoming Events:
VCF
Executive Management Series - Strategies in Growing Vendor Margins
August 24th –
The
Vendor Compliance Federation (VCF) is hosting an executive tailored program on
August 24, 2006 at the Union
League Club in New York City. Our well-versed presenters will provide profit generating
insight in a half day program that is designed to fit the busy schedules of
executives who attend. Hosting our event at the historical Union Club is
the prefect venue for discussing best practices that can lead to greater
margins and allows executives to be back at their desks by noon.
VCF
members are encouraged to attend for $199. Non-members can register at
$299. To register, click here: Click Here
We
look forward to seeing you on August 24th. For more information, please
call Anthony Miano at 646-442-3701.
RETAIL/
VENDOR SYNCHRONIZATION:
Tactical
Deduction Strategies for Key Customers
Co-sponsored by
The
American Apparel & Footwear Association
and
The Vendor Compliance Federation
Glenpointe
Marriott Hotel,
TPMA
Annual Conference: Proving the Value of Trade Promotion Management –
September
24-27, 2006,
At
this year’s TPMA’s Annual Conference, attendees will share advanced
strategies and ready solutions for your greatest performance measurement
challenges. This conference will highlight case studies and implementation
strategies from manufacturers and retailers, including those that have
integrated TPM with their Supply Chain. It will also provide the perspective of
both CPG and Dealer Channel based programs.
Don’t
miss this opportunity to learn from:
Pinnacle
Foods and MEI on finding success in trade promotion management
ABA
Consulting on how to enhance brand impact with effective field force marketing
Hand
Promotion Management regarding the integrated value proposition of TPM
4R
Systems on supercharging promotions and optimizing in-store inventory for
profits
The
first 100 people to register for the TPMA Annual Conference in September
receive a complimentary copy of Bob Houk’s new book, “Trade Promotion
Marketing”. Click Here to Register.
Write
to Bob Houk at bhouk@tpcww.com for more information.
Career
Opportunities:
VP of Finance
Fortune
500 consumer products manufacturer has partnered with OutHire, an executive
search firm, to recruit a VP of Finance. The position is based in the
Name: OutHire
Website: http://www.goOutHire.com
Location:
