What's In Store: Hired-gun reps spread the word about new products

By Ken Spencer Brown

If you want something done right, the old saying goes, do it yourself.

That's why tech manufacturers, competing with a sea of rivals on retail shelves, often send their own representatives to stores to push their wares.

These on-site ambassadors answer customer questions, give demos and train the store staff on how to better sell the product. The aim is to persuade sales clerks to steer customers away from rival products and toward their own.

Fuji Photo Film USA Inc., better know as Fujifilm, wanted to do the same thing this winter to promote its new line of digital cameras for the holiday shopping season.

But Tony Sorice, who's in charge of the firm's hardware sales, knew he didn't have the budget to hire and train a brand new field sales team. So he put a new twist on the do-it-yourself approach: He outsourced it.

Sorice turned to sales and marketing company Campaigners Inc.

Campaigners saves clients money by quickly training a sales force to represent the manufacturer. Sometimes it trains retailers or pushes for better shelf placement. Other times, its workers stay in the stores during business hours, showing off the goods to customers directly.

"We were looking for an extension of our sales force as we became more involved in the digital imaging business," Sorice said. "There are tons of digital cameras out there, and it's important that we stay top of mind of the people on the (retail) sales force."

Such outsourced in-store marketing, long used by consumer products firms in grocery stores and at special events, is growing in popularity as a way of promoting tech products. Manufacturers can boost new product exposure in big chains such as Best Buy without having to hire a bigger sales staff year-round.

Hard To Explain

The effort doesn't replace the usual marketing work, which can include everything from ads to product reviews. But it does add a crucial step at that very point when customers make their final decision.

Redondo Beach, Calif.-based Campaigners isn't the only firm selling that type of marketing service. Its rivals include Acosta Sales and Marketing, Best Service Co. and Creative Channel Strategies Inc.

Samsung Electronics America uses Creative Channel for programs at Best Buy and other stores.

Erin Burns, Samsung's retail channel marketing manager, says it's not enough to just aim marketing at consumers. Keeping retailers abreast of current products is just as important.

For Fujifilm, the challenge was how to convey the benefits of its new digital camera. With just a product box sitting on a shelf, it wouldn't be easy to explain that the camera uses a new technology that doubles the resolution suggested by the 3.2 megapixel rating. With rivals offering higher megapixel models, Fuji knew it needed a way to stand out.

Campaigners tackled this by explaining the product better to retail clerks, who in turn did a better job explaining it to shoppers. That can be an improvement over a commercial or a Web site, since the message reaches the casual shopper at the very point of decision.

To do this, Campaigners needs to know the product nearly as well as the manufacturer. So the firm asks the clients lots of questions over a period of days to get familiar with the product and the company's style.
From there, the firm works with the client to craft a marketing message and approach.

One of the toughest parts is getting the right people. Campaigners culls a database of thousands of on-call workers to match skills, availability and other measures. Some work on a contract basis, and others are full-time employees.

Keeping up the pool of workers is key. To make sure Campaigners has enough workers ready for the next campaign, it often holds "casting calls" around the country to find people it can use.

The skills needed can vary from project to project.
"When you're on stage (representing) Microsoft, you need someone more technically competent than for Sierra Mist," said Campaigners CEO Melissa Orr.

Too Much Information?

Gathering attention on a college campus might be important in one setting. In others, it might be vital to keep loudmouth propeller heads in the crowd happy.

When auditioning, Campaigners puts wannabe reps through real-life scenarios to see how they react. After all, hecklers, product glitches and stolid crowds are routine in the field.

After selecting those who will work in the upcoming project, Campaigners brings them together for a two- to four-day training camp. Typically, the client directs the teaching, highlighting the intricacies of their goods.

"You would not believe how much there is to know about washing machines and dryers," Orr said, referring to client LG Electronics Co.

The final step of training is a day of rehearsed presentations. Campaigners puts workers through their paces, throwing all sorts of curves as they hone their performance.

Finally, the new reps are sent out into the field.

To retailers and shoppers, the Campaigners crew may as well be the manufacturer itself. Reps are decked out in outfits provided by the manufacturers and act as direct ambassadors.

One of their most valued functions is gathering field data: How familiar is the retail sales staff with the product? What do they think of rival products?

For Fujifilm, the bottom line metric was sales. The company saw a noticeable spike in stores that got visits from the Campaigners staff. The work also keeps Fujifilm products on the minds of sales clerks.

If Sorice ever doubted that Campaigners was working closely enough with retailers, he got the proof he needed when one of his in-house sales staff visited a store with a Campaigners rep. The store's staff recognized the Campaigners rep and greeted her by name. Familiarity won't guarantee the clerk promotes the product, but it's a crucial first step.

"The retailers know these people," he said. "And they pass that on to the end customer."

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