Neon Marcomms presented their capabilities for tactical retail selling across independent retail and HORECA channels. They discussed staffing resources and best practices, as well as case studies from their previous experience in alcohol, soft drinks, and food promotion. Neon believes their channel expertise and execution skills could benefit JTI, and they are eager to work in the tobacco sector.

1. 1
Tactical Retail Selling
Chemistry, Expertise, Resource and Process
Planning The Path to Purchase
7th February 2013

2. 2
Today
• Intro to Neon
• Why are we here?
• Scoping the agency role
• Key Issues
• Staffing Resources / Best Practice / Procedures
• Previous Experience
• Relevant Case Studies:
• Tobacco experience
• Our case studies
• What can Neon do for JTI?
• Dedicated Team
• Travel retail
Planning The Path to Purchase

3. 3
Neon Marcomms was born from top 10 BTL agency Dynamo
(now Wax Communications).
We specialise in big promotional campaigns or programmes
for big brands, often implemented across many disciplines:
Experiential, sampling, and tactical events have always been
a large part of our offering.
The team started working with Coca-Cola 20 years ago,
learning how to build business in every type of trade
channel. Our broad knowledge grew, and attracted other
clients who wanted to work with an agency that understood
what customers in different channels require to from
supplier brands to help them to build their business.
We love the detail – the nuts and bolts, that are unique to
each channel or trade customer, and that’s what makes us
different.
Intro to Neon Planning The Path to Purchase

4. Nick Cunningham
Managing Director
Phil Pawsey
Creative Director
Alistair Kato
Senior Account Manager
Zoja Micunovic
Account Executive
Damon Webb
Creative Head
The agency
10 staff and shared admin and
finance team
Roster of creative suppliers
matched to client needs
Turnover £1M, part of £6M group
of companies
Based in Marylebone
Previously MD at Dynamo
and MAA Board Director.
14 years working on CCE
across all trade channels.
Also worked on Budweiser,
Unilever, Bacardi-Martini,
S&N, GSK, Cadbury's, Wolf Blass,
Pernod Ricard, Sanyo, Sainsbury's,
HJHeinz and HPBulmer.
Previously Creative Director of Wax
Communications. Winner of many industry
awards including Best Integrated Campaign
and Grand Prix at the MAA Awards.
A wealth of experience in FMCG, retail,
electronics and finance across all marketing
disciplines.
5 years integrated experience working across a
broad range disciplines including shopper,
experiential and sales promotion for Stella
Artois, Walkers Crisps, Budweiser, Tesco and
Sainsbury’s. Spent all of 2012 putting 250,000
people in Hyde Park to celebrate the Jubilee for
Sainsbury’s Jubilee Family Festival.
Damon has extensive experience in developing
and delivering integrated marketing solutions for
a range of high profile tobacco brands, and blue
chip FMCG clients. He was CD on the JTI account
before joining G2 Joshua as Executive CD on the
Lucky Strike brand. A Creative & strategic thinker,
he has experience in translating marketing
strategies into award winning campaigns that
deliver against commercial objectives.
MSc Marketing graduate with 2
years of international experience
working on a variety of integrated
disciplines including experiential,
digital and live event management.
Worked on Bacardi-Martini, First
Drinks Brands and Pernod Ricard
accounts.
9 years experience in the field made
Gori into the Guru that he is. He acts
as our link between the office and
staff. His experience includes an on /
off trade activation for Philip Morris,
and managing a team of 120 for
Samsung at the Olympic Park.
Gori Yahya
Head of Event Management
Fiona Gaiger
Planning Director
Over 20 years of Strategic Planning
experience. Fiona worked with the
team at Dynamo, and now provides
planning on a consultancy basis. Her
expertise covers all disciplines, and
trade channels.
PLANNING & MANAGEMENT CREATIVE
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Planning The Path to Purchase

5. 5
Why we’re here
Planning The Path to Purchase
We attended the Imbibe Trade Fair in 2012, to visit some of
our drinks clients.
Spoke to people from BAT and Philip Morris, and saw that the
type of activity that is done by tobacco manufacturers in
Retail and HORECA channels has much in common with what
we do for other clients.
Looking at the agencies in our competitive set that work with
JTI, we believe that we can provide the same (or better)
services to you.
We love a challenge, to be able to think laterally around
obstacles or restrictions, and hope that we can add value
with fresh energy and a new perspective.
We are keen to acquire a client in the sector, and put our
channel knowledge and execution skills to work.

6. 6
• This meeting is with the Activation team and relates to
Tactical Retail Selling across Independent Retail, and the
HORECA channel (specifically Hotels, Restaurants, Clubs, and
cafes).
• We are here to convey the agencies capabilities across:
• - Channel understanding: Needs, Consumers,
Opportunities, Constraints
• - Concept creation: Right solutions for each environment /
brand
• - Technical build: Design and supply of quality hardware.
We work with top suppliers of stands and retail furniture
• - Staffing: Providing the best, training and managing them
successfully
• - Database / Journey planning:
• - Logistics: Integrating with your preferred suppliers to
adhere to current systems, ensure all stock is accounted for
and merchandise returned in the condition that it went out
• - Client servicing, project management, delivery and
evaluation
• - Legality: Operate within UK restrictions on selling tobacco
products
Scoping the agency role
Planning The Path to Purchase

7. 7
Key Issues
•
Planning The Path to Purchase
Staffing:
- Quality and suitability, matching the right ambassadors to the
brands
- Client approval at each stage of the recruitment and briefing
process
- Swift replacement of any that are deemed not to be 100%
correct
- How do we test staff? Written examination & Role playing, post
briefing to ensure that key information has been retained /
understood
- Keeping their knowledge fresh: regular team meetings to review
and update
- Integrity: is paramount, and staff are accountable for everything
in their care
Insurance cover:
- For public liability and loss / damage to any
equipment
Legality:
- Staff must understand that they must abide by the laws
governing the promotion of cigarettes at all times, and
understand the legal consequences

8. 8
• AIM: To deliver excellence through staffing
• - Robust recruitment system, delivering the best
staff
• - Inspire and motivate our staff so that they are
committed to us, and our client partners
• - Build in quality control mechanisms to monitor
performance, reward excellence, flag issues and
manage issues out of the database
• - Use technology to innovate management
systems
• - Maintain open dialogue with staff and use
feedback to add value
Staffing - Our Approach
Planning The Path to Purchase

9. 9
AIM - Excellence through project
management & account
management
• Align project management closely to the booking of staff
• Build a partnership mentality with our clients, enabling more efficient
communication and account handling
• Constantly strive to improve internal systems, infrastructure and management
tools
• Inspire energy and ambition in our team to be the best that you can be
• Critical Time Paths, Contact Reports and Status Reports
• Social media can also be used to create private forums for reporting from the
field
9

10. 10
• Step 1: New applicants submit application form hosted on
line, including a personal statement, including eligibility
to work in the UK, recent experience, personal
information, areas available to work, skills and areas of
expertise and a range of photos
• Video profiles are requested when shortlisted for some
projects, answering three personality based questions as
part of the profiling process. These can be shared with
clients.
• Step 2: Shortlisted candidates invited to attend a group
interview where systems, standards and communication
are explained
• Step 3: Interview performance appraised, and if high
calibre, accepted to database
• MONITORING: Each job staff are scored out of 10 by
Manager for Initiative & enthusiasm, teamwork,
Punctuality, Appearance and Product knowledge. If
scores slip below 7/10, staff are contacted and action
taken
• Highest rankers get priority for each job
• Good staff can work for up to 3 staffing agencies, so we
work hard to keep them motivated and engaged
Recruitment, Retention
and Motivation

11. 11
Independent Retail:
In this channel our work has included the following
types of campaign:
- Our work in this channel has encompassed most
promotional and visibility mechanics.
- Biggest campaigns have been for Wall’s Ice Cream,
working with the auxiliary sales team to visit 13,000
stores to site a promotion, and keep freezers in use
over the cold Winter months
- We also ran an on-going programme for CCE,
managing a CTN database containing photos of each
retailer’s shop front, so that new Coca-Cola graphics
could be supplied
- Our team developed the first permanent MDF
merchandising stand for PET bottles, promotional
staff went in to change the header card each time a
new campaign started
Planning The Path to Purchase

12. HORECA Channel
• Our team looked after Foodservice, Hotels, On trade
and Leisure (including Nightclubs). We have a strong
knowledge of the structure of each of these channels,
and how to work within them to achieve results for our
clients.
• This understanding will give us a head start when it
comes to creating Tactical Retail Selling pieces to work
in each environment.
• Enabling us to package up the right design for
footprint, visibility, functionality, ease of assembly and
transportation and manned by the appropriate
number of staff. The activation with a hotel is very
different to a nightclub, perhaps some units can be
modular so that they can be combined for bigger
venues?
• We also understand how important it is to take a lead
from the management and staff on site, and work with
them at all times.
• Disciplined and well trained staff are essential in
environments where alcohol is consumed. Covering off
all potential situations in training is critical. Planning The Path to Purchase

13. 13
Tobacco experience
Planning The Path to Purchase

14. Winston XS Profiler Activation
Winston Freedom Tour Global Promotion
Planning The Path to Purchase
Damon Webb
Creative Head

15. Silk Cut UK Launch Activation B&H Virginia Global Brand Re-launch
Planning The Path to Purchase
Damon Webb
Creative Head

16. Peter Stuyvesant Space Promotion Lucky Strike 1-2-1 / Direct Activation
Planning The Path to Purchase
Damon Webb
Creative Head

17. Our staff’s experience
Planning The Path to Purchase

18. recent work snapshots
Planning The Path to Purchase

19. Planning The Path to Purchase
• Trial / adoption by 25 – 35 yr
olds
• 40,000 samples delivered per
year
• Text & Win + SMS repeat
purchase voucher
Case studies

20. Staffing Excellence• Only Irish staff with the sense of
humour to represent Jameson
• Rigorous briefing days and tests to
ensure execution adhered to
• Most staff retained from year to
year
• Mystery visits to monitor
performance
• Quality serves with FeverTree
mixers
• 80% of those sampled would
consider ordering again
• 18% uplift in on trade

21. Planning The Path to Purchase
• UK Activation of the Global Casting
Promotion
• Media partner ES Magazine
• Trial voucher traffic builder into on trade
(tablet redemption)
• Office sampling
Case studies

22. Staffing Excellence
• 40 brand ambassadors recruited and trained to work
on the campaign
• Had to have the ‘continental’ look and attitude
• Our non-commercial ‘With Compliments’ mechanic
required detailed
briefing, role playing and monitoring
• Activity mainly in on trade: premium bars in 5 London
areas
• Plus large scale events in Clubs: Jalouse, Maddox and
Boujis
• Clubs events required up to 20 staff, as well as stylists

23. Planning The Path to Purchase
Case studies
• UK Activation of Rafa Nadal led
campaign
• On trade activation
• FB adaptation – Wake Up to Life

24. Planning The Path to Purchase
• Launch of New Xacti Waterproof in 7 countries
• Online Promotion using Key Influencers
• Over 5M youtube views
Case studies

25. Planning The Path to Purchase
• The campaign focused on the existing
sponsorship of the 6 Nations, and
introduced the Ryder Cup
• Bespoke activity was created to target
shoppers across all key channels and
accounts and delivered across 2,500
stores
• Amplified and supported by store media,
experiential, on line and media
partnerships
• Sales data is not available, but
awareness of the brand sponsorships
increased by 970% when measured,
estimated reach 24M consumers
• Wolf Blass have signed a new 2 year
deal with the Six Nations
Case studies

26. Logistics & Execution
Phil Pawsey
Creative Director

27. Travel Retail
Phil Pawsey
Creative Director

28. Phil Pawsey
Creative Director

29. Planning The Path to Purchase
• Creative, competent team
• Keen to apply skillset to the tobacco sector
• Broad working knowledge of trade channels
• Used to working in markets with legal
restrictions and self-policing:
• - Alcohol, Soft drinks, Food
• Some tobacco experience within team
• Enthusiasm and love of the work that we do
with our client partners
In Summary

30. Planning The Path to Purchase
Contact details:
Neon Marcomms Ltd
12 Melcombe Place
Marylebone
London NW1 6JJ
Tel 0203 4273232
email nick@neonmarcomms.com