LG Wins POP Advertising Award

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 10/13/2011

Chicago - LG Electronics has been selected as the recipient of the 2011 Brand Chief Award for Retail Marketing Excellence by Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI), the CE manufacturer announced Thursday.

The consumer electronics and major appliance brand was "recognized for its innovation, smart technology, stylish design and reliability," according to the organization that tracks in-store advertising and promotions.

 The award will be presented during the POPAI's 2011 Night of Honors ceremony Dec. 8 at the Park-Hyatt in Chicago.

"LG Electronics has always been committed to delivering products that improve the lives of their customers," said Richard Winter, POPAI president said in a statement. "The company's prowess and confidence about the power of in-store marketing has helped to propel them to be one of the leading brands in home entertainment, appliances and mobile communications in the U.S. and around the world."

"LG's marketing matrix is truly an integrated model that leverages images and assets from measured media to ensure both brand recognition and trial within the retail environment influencing consumers where it matters most -- the point of purchase," said Peter Reiner, LG Electronics USA marketing senior VP.

Contributing to the achievement, LG created a dedicated in-store marketing "Center of Excellence" team whose primary purpose is to uncover shopper insights and activate them in the retail environment, the company said.

Dave VanderWaal, LG in-store marketing team director, said that LG's shopper marketing efforts "continue to evolve based on the dynamics of what really takes place at the moment of truth on the sales floor, especially as related to a relatively infrequent durable purchase like ours. LG has been at the forefront at bringing our retail partners holistic shopping solutions that help create sell-through for LG and also drive business for entire product categories."

Also factoring into the achievements was LG's use in recent years of sophisticated electronics to enhance the retail experience with programs that provide total education for shoppers in a range of product categories, from 3DTVs and smart TVs to refrigerators and clothes washers, LG said. In-store merchandising vehicles were said to be "the core of LG's go-to-market strategy in the United States."

The company was also said to make use of shopper insights and direct research to target specific goals for its merchandising efforts, and looks for true measurement on the back side of store placement.

"The company is extremely conscious of the need for maintaining high levels of product knowledge in a transient sales associate environment, and work diligently to assure that merchandising vehicles provide product benefits usable in-store to spur trial and close sales," LG said.

The POPAI Chief Award recognizes companies for "demonstrating an effective and innovative use of marketing at retail in the overall marketing strategy, demonstrating a deep understanding of shopper behavior, and adhering to the highest business standards," according to a statement announcing the award.

Past POPAI Brand Chief Award winners have included Gillette, 7-Eleven, Safeway, BMW North America, Hershey's and Walgreens, among others.

The Chief Award for Retail Marketing Excellence is awarded to one brand marketer and one retailer each year that demonstrate effective and innovative use of marketing at retail in their overall marketing strategy and adhere to the highest business standards, POPAI said.

Members of POPAI make these nominations, and POPAI's Nominating Committee reviews the nominations and supporting documentation to select the company that will be presented the award during the Night of Honors.