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Great article in Talking Shop this week by Jeremy Garlick of Insight Traction.

However, I would like to fly the flag for field marketing, and remind the audience that brands can enhance visibility by employing tactical field teams to ensure compliance. As much as compliance has been improved over the last few years, store staff are busier than ever and have even more demands placed on them, which is why field marketing is an invaluable service, to both brands and retailers, and for a fraction of the advertising budget.

Whilst my mum still thinks I work in the glamorous world of ‘marketing’ I know that field marketing is usually the last, un-glamorous step in a very complex chain, and as far from high profile ad campaigns as it gets. However, ensuring that the product is on the shelf, correcting book stop errors and printing shelf edge labels to ensure compliance, is arguably the most important final paragraph in any NPD story (sorry mum). This is particularly relevant for new products who need to ensure that their rate of sale meets expectations and avoid de-listing. So whilst Jeremy extolls the virtues of going for it without marketing, don’t forget the last 5 yards and find time and budget for the additional hands in store who can make a measurable difference. Go on try it, it’s not as expensive as you may think and peace will continue to reign with your finance team.