For Great Marketing Advice, Don’t Ask Our Editor-In-Chief

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, before I started working at INSTORE, I worked in marketing. I wrote radio, TV and print ads, and after six years of doing it, I thought I was pretty good at it. I also did media buying and marketing strategy consultations. Heck, I even wrote scripts for on-hold phone messages.

Today, much of what I learned is obsolete.

Sure, the bedrock principles of marketing are still the same (find a way to pique the consumer’s interest), but the methods of delivery are radically different. As a result, the messaging has changed as well. A radio or TV script just doesn’t work when you post it on Facebook.

Moreover, the techniques that worked back then don’t resonate as strongly with today’s consumer. That’s because people love to be surprised. And, they love an experience.

The good news is, many of you are innovating in ways that appeal to your customer base. We’ve collected 12 such ideas in this issue’s lead story (plus a few more online at instoremag.com) that will inspire you to create your own enticing approach. From unusual promotions, to modern takes on old concepts (like the catalog), to high-tech targeting, these strategies are the type of above-and-beyond concepts that cause people to stop and take notice.

So I hope you’ll find an idea in this issue that works for you. Just don’t ask me for advice: Those “guaranteed to work” Yellow Pages templates aren’t so guaranteed anymore!

Trace Shelton

Editor-in-Chief, INSTORE
trace@smartworkmedia.com