... London and the Windy City. In the latter Gwen Morrison will oversee the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and neighboring Pacific islands, while in London David Roth is responsible for business in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Not a new discipline, shopper marketing reached its apogee back in the 1960s-70, since when it gradually coasted downhill. Today's tough econoimic climate, however, has give the practice a new leaf of life.
Shopper marketing encompasses a wide variety of different capabilities and consumer touchpoints, including shopper research and insights, store design, customer relationship management, instore communications, packaging and e-commerce.
As client demand has grown, agencies are paying more attention to retail and shopper marketing disciplines. A recent study by America's Grocery Manufacturers Association estimates that shopper marketing across the retail sector is now a $50 billion to $60 billion category, up from an estimated $35 billion in 2009.
The new WPP service brings together the resources of fifteen of its agencies worldwide, each a specialist in the sector and accessible via a single dedicated website fronted by no lesser personage than Sir Martin Sorrell himself. The service also offers an online dashboard that clients can use to create customized solutions tailored to their own specific needs.
Among the plethora of WPP companies collaborating in the new venture are The Brand Union, Fitch, The Futures Company, G2, JWT Retail, Kantar Retail, Landor, Lunchbox, OgilvyAction, Rockfish, Shopper2Buyer, The Smollan Group, TNS, Wunderman and Y&R Retail.