MANILA, OCTOBER 17, 2012 – Advertisers have spent a huge amount of time executing the perfect campaign that will, hopefully, bring sales up. However, no one is trying to reach the consumers in the mall a moment before they make a purchase.
This is the primary observation made by OgilvyAction president John Goodman and regional executive creative director for Asia-Pacific Daniel Comar on the brand activation culture in the Philippines. With the aim to reach the shopper, Ogilvy & Mather has launched new activations arm, OgilvyAction. The shop is a joint venture with one of the country’s leading below-the-line companies, A+B Expedio.
“The Philippines [has long been] prime for the taking,” Mae Dichupa, OgilvyAction Philippines general manager said. “Advertisers, for a long time, haven’t addressed the shopper.”
“When you’re in a store, you’re in a different mindset because you’re thinking what you’re going to buy, if you’re going to buy anything at all. And advertisers haven’t taken advantage of that moment,” Goodman added. “You have to capture the shopper when least expected.”
Shopper marketing, according to the OgilvyAction executives, goes beyond product and price.
"Retail, from an advertising point of view, used to be boring….Retail is actually what you make of it. Retail stores could be [ground] for interactive projects. Or it can be an art gallery where you can get people to do things. Or it can be a stage,” Comar explained. “To put it another way, if advertising is a blockbuster movie, activation is the theme park where consumers and shoppers can actually live the brand story, not just consume the brand."
“The process of shopping does not start at the mall. Think of it as inception,” Comar added. This inception, in turn, should create a change in consumers’ behaviour.
OgilvyAction, which is currently one of the largest activation agencies in the world, with presence in 61 countries, brings this next level to activation to consumer goods, telcos, and even airlines.
OgilvyAction employs a STEP principle when it comes to brand activations – Shopper Marketing goes beyond product and price, Trade Marketing builds customer relationships, Experiential Marketing that emotionally connects brands with consumers, and Promotional Marketing that drives brand equity alongside sales.
