Home POP Solutions Products Gallery Videos and Films Newsroom Testimonials FAQ Contact Us
Also in this section
Testimonials
Testimonials Say you have only 15 minutes in front of a client… with the LAMA you actually have time to sell, rather than taking 10 minutes setting up to demonstrate the piece.
Al Rand, General Manager,
Star Distributors
"
*Note: Random image rotation

View all

How to order ?
Contact us today to see how LAMAS can help increase sales for your business!

Contact Us

Ordering Process
Products
Helpful Advice
9 things to remember when making POP and POS material
  1. What is the objective of the overall campaign and this POP material in specific?
  2. Put down brand and design guidelines upfront.
  3. What is the shopping / purchasing environment and what is happening there?
  4. What is the stage the consumer or the customer is in?
  5. What is the message that will push the consumer to buy?
  6. What kind of PICTURES and what kind of materials should you use?
  7. Eye level and Mind level
  8. All this at what cost?
  9. Few thumb rules
  1. What is the objective of the overall campaign and this POP material in specific?
    Laying down where you want to go is the starting point of any journey, so it is not a surprise that we start with the objective. Is the campaign about awareness of a particular new product? Is it about a promotion or a special benefit that needs to be highlighted? Make that very clear in the POP brief and stick to it.

    Write the things you want the POP item to achieve in a simple meaningful manner - e.g. a) remind the consumer about the new promotion price. b) Increase taste appeal visually etc.

    These thoughts then form the core basis for the designer to create the item and give you some criteria to evaluate the idea when you see a layout or composite later.

    ›› top

  2. Put down brand and design guidelines upfront.
    If there are some clear expectations on brand sizing, color, language and do's and don'ts with logos etc - make it very clear upfront. Usually these are the areas that cause frustrating changes later and designers and creative people feel let down. If POP doesn't look good or if the idea is not working well, remember to go back to the objectives again. Don't just tweak or add elements to the design.

    ›› top

  3. What is the shopping / purchasing environment and what is happening there?
    When designing the POP pay attention to what happens in the environment. Are people walking around (window shopping) looking for stuff? Are they in a queue waiting for something, or are they busy walking the street and you want their attention?

    Also look around to see what you will be competing against- Other brands images, general environment distractions etc. This will give you a good feel for what is needed.

    Maybe you need a standee that is tall, dark and handsome instead of a poster. Maybe you need standard decorations that echo the positioning of the brand etc. Another example - consider this: A supermarket POP is different from the one that will work in the gas station counter.

    ›› top

  4. What is the stage the consumer or the customer is in?
    All what we do in marketing is to take the consumer along a path to close that sale. That means consumers are at different stages when it comes to dealing with your company or buying or service or making an investment in your brand.

    Getting to understand the stage the consumer is in very important to the overall brand communication. If you pump in a lot of information thinking that people need it at the last stage of the purchase - you may be confusing the consumer.

    Invariably this leads to distraction and slows down the decision making. Haven't you seen people walk out of the deal in the last minute just when you are expecting them to sign on the dotted line? What happened then is most likely a distraction or an overload.

    How is this related to POP design you wonder?
    Usually POP works by triggering some thought patterns and ideas in the consumers head and chances are they are in the last stage of choosing your brand.

    For example - If the consumer is already in the checkout line and perhaps has a last minute possibility of picking up a chocolate bar at the counter - what should the message be -? Obvious - Focus on the price / value and visual taste appeal...it would be futile if the POP were to be harping on about the cocoa beans and the production process. Right? All you want is a quick trigger to make the person salivate and pick your chocolate up.

    Once you have firmed up your objectives, you will see that the stage the consumer is in, the environment, the design and POP choices become more practical and you avoid the mistakes of just doing things because you have done them before. The best part is that whatever comes out of such an exercise will be on strategy and will work best for the brand.

    ›› top

  5. What is the message that will push the consumer to buy?
    This question might require a bit of observation research and talking to people to see how they decide. Some people may have already decided what they want to buy and require very little stimulation. Some allow themselves to be marketed and played with. They are aware of brands etc but still browse and may even try new brands based on an attractive display or POP alone. In these cases what moves the consumer along the purchase cycle is different from brand to brand and varies a lot across categories.

    As a marketer you may need to do some retail observation and in - store purchase research to find those values that move consumers and put them in the POP. You will be amazed at the difference such things make. A wine brand kept their POP so simple with a challenging idea their sales went up every time the POP was visible.

    ›› top

  6. What kind of PICTURES and what kind of materials should you use?
    This is always a challenge, but if you keep your objectives clear you can easily overcome it. Take the case of the digital printed rolling banners that are all over the place. They are expensive but they look tacky and it somehow communicates that the brand is cheap. Many brands use it without thinking about how much it affects the image of the brand. Your neighborhood massage parlor uses the same kind of plastic banners; your choice is quite clear, isn't it?

    Pictures to put in the POP
    Think about the consumer and the trigger to purchase... taking the consumer one step further in the buying path rather than round and round in circles.
    Refrain from simply adding pictures because it is there in your TV ad...sometimes it doesn't work the same way in a POP. This is a common mistake made by many large FMCG companies - stick in the picture from the TVC and hope that the consumer will recall it. It rarely works like that.

    Don't put cheap, tacky pictures and expect the market to react in a premium way. Cheap and tacky POP means cheap and tacky brand.

    Often you will find brand managers agonizing over trivial things, adding this and adding that and finally the POP looks a mish mash of ideas. Avoid falling in the trap and thinking that lots of images are better. Stay focused and stick to delivering one idea - taking the consumer one step further rather than round and round in circles.

    ›› top

  7. Eye level and Mind level
    A few weeks ago we did a small survey outside a famous pharmacy outlet in Singapore and asked consumers to recall the POP they saw in the shop. In spite of the shop being decked up with yet another famous skin care brand all over the place - less than 10% recalled the brand. What went wrong?

    The answer is quite simple - not eye level and not mind level. The decking up of the shop was in the ceiling - hanging mobiles as they are called. Yes it looks really good for the team who puts it up and knows it is there. Consumers don't look up at the ceiling when they are in the store. They look at the floor, the shelves and the merchandise.

    In our opinion, that was a waste of POP and did nothing except to boost the egos of the trade marketing managers and the retail chains.

    POP works when one can see it and best if one can interact with it.

    So think Eye level means Eye level and it should be clear and uncluttered from at least 10 feet away and mind level means - focus on few messages and touch the consumer.

    ›› top

  8. All this at what cost?
    You are the best judge of your marketing plan and the budget you have. So you have to decide. People follow several strategies and approaches it is often said "whatever works for you is the right way".

    As to how important POP is in the overall marketing mix - again there is no magic number or formula. You have to look at the overall strategy, the market, the environment, and the options and then take a calculated decision. Some brands rely very heavily on POP and some rely on broad scale media awareness - so it depends what category you are in and what is the best way to hook the customer in.

    You can do so many things with POP (size, ideas, and materials) and that makes it all the more difficult to put the right dollar amount to it.

    Best is to start thinking in terms of number of outlets and the impact you would like to create in each of these and whether the POP is expected to work on its own or will it have other media covered etc.

    Some brands have built a significant share just by POP alone while some have spent a lot and not been able to crack the market.

    ›› top

  9. Few thumb rules
    A few thumb rules however, shall be helpful in creating the best value - give the design team plenty of time and a clear brief. Don't leave POP to the last minute and expect miracle ideas. Be on the lookout all the time and ask your managers to send you pictures of what other brands and companies are doing.and yes, lamas and panamas always provide you very good long term value compared to wooden and acrylic POP items.

    And if you need to discuss this - just call or email ReVivePoP, we will always be glad to help.

    ›› top

›› FAQ
Copyright © 2004 Revive Pop. All rights reserved.