Well, actually a word from me, but I guess I’m the sponsor.

A bit of self-promotion: my new book has just been published. Many thanks to the good folks at the Association of National Advertisers, the publishers. Thanks specifically to Will Waugh, Kaitlin Villanova and Tanya Lim, who were a pleasure to work with in getting it done.

Very cleverly titled Trade Promotion Marketing (we worked on that title for days), it is intended as an overview of, well, trade promotion marketing, as well as a step-by-step guide to program design/redesign. I hope it will be helpful to program managers and other channel marketers and am sure it will sell millions of copies.

So, be the first in your cubicle row to read it – go to the ANA Bookstore and order your copy today.

News Flash!: Selling to department stores is getting tougher

Despite my snarky headline, this USA Today article is interesting.

Some of the best-known clothing and accessories companies, such as Jones Apparel and Liz Claiborne, are dealing with fewer outlets to sell in, thanks to department store consolidation. Federated Department Stores bought May Department Stores last year, and on Sept. 9 former May stores across the country will become Macy's. Meanwhile, Saks has sold several of its non-Saks department stores to Belk and Bon-Ton.

The mergers leave clothing brands looking for new outlets, opening their own retail stores and trying to quickly make friends with new buyers for the remaining department-store names.

The article lists some anticipated winners and losers from the coming shake-out:

Winners:

• Polo Ralph Lauren
• Liz Claiborne
• Philips-Van Heusen

Losers:

• Jones Apparel
• Kellwood
• Tommy Hilfiger

And they offer some thoughts on how to adapt to the new market:

... smart brands also will form partnerships with the strongest retailers and customize their offerings the way some already have with Macy's. Along with heavily promoting its private labels, Macy's will have exclusive merchandise from Elie Tahari and Martha Stewart in fall 2007. Vera Wang announced a deal last week to create an apparel line for Kohl's, just as Isaac Mizrahi did for Target.

… shoppers will benefit from some of the likely improvements made in a downsized retail environment. Among them: Apparel companies will need to shorten their lead times to help get the trends and fashions consumers want into stores.

Is in-store TV effective?

Yes, says this study by Nielsen. It appears from the write-up that it might be sponsored by an in-store TV company, so take it with a grain of salt.

Consumers for the most part enjoy watching ad-supported media while grocery shopping and their buying decisions are often influenced by such messages.

So says a Nielsen Media Research study that examined in-store media provided by Fairfield, Conn.-based SignStorey. Albertsons and Pathmark are among the grocers that carry the SignStorey video network, which is now in 1,300 stores.

According to the study, 68 percent of those surveyed said in-store messages would sway their product purchasing decisions. Another 44 percent said they would swap a product they had intended to buy for one advertised on SignStorey.

The study, Nielsen's first customized analysis of supermarket data, gauged overall SignStorey viewership at close to 40 percent. (That figure—which represents approximately 22 million shoppers—included consumers who briefly glanced at the screens, listened to messages or watched intently for extended periods.)

Frankly, the first sentence makes me question the whole thing. I really doubt anybody enjoys it, but I'm willing to believe it might be effective. It's in line with my long-held belief that the store is the most effective marketing medium.

According to research house PQ Media, in-store TV ads tallied nearly $100 million in 2005 revenue, a 45 percent increase from the previous year.

Impressive numbers.

For more news and comment, visit our blog, TPMtoday. Among recent topics:

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