A major component of success at retail is merchandising and promotional activity designed to draw in the consumer. For the independent retailer, those opportunities can be limited without support and scale. Enter the “advertising group.” An ad group is a collection of stores joined together to leverage scale in negotiating and promotional planning with manufacturers.
There are a number of benefits to being in an ad group, but here are some of the key benefits we think stand out:
A Dedicated Team – Trained advertising and marketing specialists whose sole purpose is to develop the base advertising and promotional planning process from end to end. These dedicated resources are oftentimes a retailer’s first point of contact for support.
More Negotiating Power – The strength of the ad group lies in its members. Each member retailer in the group adds to the ability of leveraging scale to get the most support at the lowest cost of goods.
Integrated Digital and Marketing offers – Industry insights point to the need now, more than ever, for retailers to connect with their consumers digitally. Ad groups give you multiple options to gain digital presence while tying into what you’re already doing today.
Robust Merchandising Programs – EDLC’s, sweepstakes, mix & match offers and digital coupons are all negotiated and planned through the ad group for turnkey execution.
David Muncy, owner of Muncy Markets, believes that as a small retailer, he needs every advantage he can to compete.” “The deals [that] the Ad Group provides give smaller retailers a chance to compete with the larger chain stores.” Muncy said, “As a small retailer, it helps knowing the Ad Group puts the retailers first. Being [a] part of an in-house AWG group helps us in so many ways.”
Some member retailers prefer to manage their own advertising and marketing, but for those in need of support, AWG’s Advertising and Innovative Marketing (AIM) offers an in-house ad group option. Currently more than 1,300 stores strong, AIM is staffed by experienced individuals devoted to meeting members’ needs. AIM provides a cohesive and strategic ad planning process to meet local needs, while also integrating the co-op scale. A large part of the group’s success is joint planning between vendors and the AIM team to develop exciting events across all departments.
“I feel AIM has the owner\retailer at the forefront of every promotion as they are an employee of our cooperative,” Gary Carlson, owner of Maynard’s group and AIM member, said. “AIM provides great daily TPR promotions, strong and relevant weekly ads, as well as special incremental deals and promos. They are always available for any clarification or instruction you may need to implement a strong marketing program for your store.”
Lesha Muncy also sings the praises of the AIM ad group.
In addition to valuing that AIM provides marketing materials and weekly ads Lesha shared, “They want us to be successful and their work saves us time so we can focus our attention on other aspects of the business. The ad group has also opened doors to a network of other grocery retailers across the Midwest with whom we can exchange best practices, business successes, and swap marketing ideas that we can put to use in our business.”
In the end, AWG retailers have the mindset of working together for the greater good, and that’s the same mindset for retailers joining in any type of ad group. The AIM team has worked hard to create clear advantages for AWG retailers. However, no matter which group you’re in, maximizing your participation in any ad group will provide you with the resources and deals to drive sales for your business.
To learn more about advertising group options and capabilities, contact the AIM team at [email protected].
