Develop a Robust CPG Brand Marketing Strategy With PDI

How many times a day do you see an ad? Social media, websites, magazines, radio, billboards, signage at stores—the list of exposure opportunities is virtually endless. Research firm Yankelovich estimates that the average person sees up to 5,000 or more ads each day. This has led to consumers disregarding ads more than ever before, making it harder for marketers to get in front of, and actually recognized by, their target markets.

That’s especially the case with c-store shoppers, who represent a true melting pot of consumers. They range from commuting office workers picking up their morning coffee to parents and their kids grabbing an after-school snack, along with third-shift employees making a late-night run and every walk of life between. With such a diverse audience, how do consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands optimize their marketing efforts to reach the right people?

Loyalty Programs as a Catalyst

Loyalty programs have evolved beyond the historical practice of completing a punch card to earn a free purchase. Today’s programs are deeply involved, strategized, and activated through digital channels with loyalty apps, texts, emails, and other avenues of engagement. Better yet, more and more consumers are becoming members of fuel and/or convenience retail loyalty programs, like the PDI Fuel Rewards® program.

The biggest value that comes from loyalty programs for marketers is the captive audience. Consumers who download an app, register for a program, and provide their information have already shown an invested interest in a specific retailer or network of retailers. Apps like GasBuddy allow consumers to shop by price while other programs focus on a specific fuel or retail brand. Either way, the audience has raised their digital hand and said, “Yes. I’d like to stay up to date with this.” For marketers searching for their target audience, these consumers are saying, “I’m right here.”

Reaching the Masses

Fuel and convenience retail loyalty programs are the sweet spot for reaching this melting pot of c-store shoppers. But with hundreds of chains and tens of thousands of independent operators in the US market, how do you get the most reach for your effort? Start with PDI Offer Network.

PDI has long been a partner to the convenience retail industry, working with everyone from large chains and fuel brands down to independent and single-store operators. We’re in a unique position to partner with tens of thousands of retailers and millions of consumers, helping you target c-store shoppers and drive your marketing goals forward.

But what if your product isn’t for everyone? One struggle that some brands face is legal restrictions to marketing their product. For instance, tobacco and alcohol products are subject to laws that limit your ability to promote offers without first ensuring that the audience is age-appropriate. PDI helps you confirm that age-restricted products are marketed only after age verification has occurred, allowing you to confidently promote products without the concern of overstepping a regulatory boundary.

Measuring Your Efforts

The other major struggle that brands face these days is measuring and understanding the effectiveness of their efforts. Data lives in disparate systems and a holistic view requires manual effort with spreadsheets and calculations. As a result, someone on your team ultimately has to understand the meaning behind the numbers to extract tangible insights from the data.

ROMI is today’s go-to measurement for understanding the value of your efforts and the impact they have. But, in order to effectively measure ROMI, you have to start with a goal. Are you trying to reach new consumers? Test a new flavor or product? Increase distribution? The end goal is really the start of your marketing optimization process and the key to making sure that once you find the right audience, your efforts will deliver the right results.

An Extension of Your Marketing Team

With over 35 years of experience in the convenience retail and petroleum market, PDI has been a trusted partner of many retailers where your target consumers are already shopping. PDI Offer Network has partnered with retailers across the nation to help CPG brands like yours get the most out of their marketing efforts.

You get the simplicity of having a single point of contact to reach millions of consumers with offers that expand your reach, engagement, and lift. You also get access to industry experts who not only help you design strategic offers, but also measure the impact of those offers.

PDI Offer Network is essentially an extension of your marketing team’s efforts all the way from strategic planning to evaluating your results. National, regional, and retailer-specific offer campaigns each have different strategies behind them, as well as the type of offer. By utilizing the multitude of loyalty programs inside PDI Offer Network, your brand gains exposure to millions of consumers.

Beyond traditional in-store signage (which we also do), which requires the consumer to already be onsite, these offers are pushed directly through mobile apps, emails, and text messages. Enticing consumers before they even make a trip, or while they’re outside filling up the gas tank, helps cut through the clutter of distraction and creates a more dedicated focus to their trip.

When your offer campaign is complete, measuring ROMI is more than just understanding the results. It’s also about comparing against pre-campaign numbers, as well as seeing how the offer made an impact post-campaign. Issuance reporting includes how many times an offer is issued to a consumer, how many sites are issuing that particular offer, and how effective the overall campaign has been in accomplishing your marketing initiatives—from lifts in sales to increased distribution both during and after the campaign.

CPG and PDI Relationship

CPGs no longer need to operate in a silo and fight for exposure to c-store consumers. With PDI Offer Network, you can partner with solution providers and retailers to drive greater value to consumers. You can not only reach your target audience but directly engage with them in a much more impactful manner that can transform your marketing efforts and results.

Learn more about PDI Offer Network at https://www.pditechnologies.com/offer-network/.