If you’re like most of us, you read less than half of what shows up in your inbox, and only decide to open an email after considering (1) the sender and (2) the subject line. In their book Successful Email Marketing Strategies, Hughes and Sweetser deem subject lines “the single most important element in a promotional email.”

Several of our customers have used posters, shelf signage, ad “drop-ins”, bag stuffer-style information sheets and web content to communicate to shoppers that they offer a wide variety of gluten-free items in their stores. For shoppers living a gluten-free lifestyle, all of these efforts are helpful and appreciated. If you attended our 2009 GPS (Green Positioning Summit) workshop in Phoenix, you heard Melissa McLean Jory, a well respected and nationally known expert in celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, speak on her mission to “increase awareness of celiac disease and help people navigate the gluten-free lifestyle.” If you’re interested in learning more about gluten-free living, view Melissa’s latest blog post. As Melissa explained during GPS III (click here to view Melissa’s presentation) there are thousands of individuals seeking places to shop that offer gluten-free products merchandised with gluten-free shelf signage. One of our customers, Sprouts Farmers Markets, is currently running a month long promotion featuring gluten-free items. From April 25th to June 2nd the Sprouts stores are featuring their “Gluten-Free Jubilee” event offering a 25% discount on gluten-free products sold in their stores. In addition, Sprouts is promoting on their website their Gluten-Free Guide, which provides information and shopping tips for [...]

Whether it’s a brand new offering or a long-time customer favorite, chances are there is a story behind it to tell. Product storytelling is one of the easiest and most effective ways to enhance the customer experience and build brand equity. Consider exploring the following inquiries as a way to uncover the stories behind products in your stores:

Last October I attended The Heart of Leadership workshop in the Seattle area with Ryan Joy, VP of Creative Services, and Erica Hutchinson, Director of Communications. The three of us attended a second workshop, The Heart of Making a Difference, in February of this year. Both workshops were incredible experiences. Among the many things we learned, improving our listening and communication skills were huge, on both a personal and professional level.

I’m not much for acronyms. I find them difficult to remember and confusing. Weird, since my first name is acronym-like! Anyway, this IOW isn’t about acronyms but about OOH, which stands for “out-of-home” advertising. Out-of-home advertising (also referred to as outdoor advertising) is any form of advertising that reaches the consumer while he or she is outside of the home. It includes formats like billboards (I love billboards!); transit advertising for airports, bus depots and train stations; street furniture including bus benches, bus shelters and news racks; and commercial locations like shopping malls, movie theatres, ball parks, concert halls, etc. What about advertising in elevators? Or the new age sandwich board? Human directional signage, sign spinners and sign twirlers are very effective!

No matter how busy you are it’s critical to take the time to understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Make it a part of your process to clarify the purpose of each marketing activity, using the five steps below.

Each year at DW Green Company, we host a positioning workshop on a topic that we believe will benefit our clients the most. This year, we’ll work together with attendees to bring the power of purpose to their marketing and to their brand.

Recently, we worked with a client to develop their 2011 promotional plan. We began with the holiday weeks, as they are obviously much easier to plan than the non-holiday weeks. When we got to the Memorial Day ad, we started off by talking about promoting the usual summer suspects: ground beef, poultry, ribs, melons, sweet corn, soda and the like. Then I recalled a Memorial Day cover page ad we created several years ago to commemorate what this holiday is actually about. The ad honored America’s brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of their country.

Clipping coupons is no longer the only way for price-conscious shoppers to get a good deal. Coupon usage is on the rise, and companies are responding by providing customers with convenient multi-media coupon offers that can benefit the consumer—and the retailer. By offering multi-media coupons, retailers are able to un-clutter their print ads by dispersing weekly items to other platforms while still collecting co-op money. Email and text message programs also enable businesses to continuously build their customer databases, laying the foundation for stronger and more enduring customer relationships.

Arriving home from work a few weeks ago, my wife greeted me at the door excitedly. “I saved $172.25 on groceries today with coupons!” she exclaimed.

“Wow, how much did she spend?” I wondered. In twenty-eight years of marriage, I can’t recall a conversation about coupons, excitedly or otherwise.