The focus of field marketing activity in the channel is primarily on improving the customer experience in-store, ensuring consumers recognise and ultimately commit to a particular brand, and to act as the proverbial "hand to hold" from the moment a customer enters a store to them completing a transaction at the till.
Historically, there has been no real relationship between the two industries, although the Field Marketing Council is part of the DMA. But why is there such a distance between these areas of the marketing mix, especially when so many marketing directors claim to be carrying out "totally integrated marketing campaigns"?
Wouldn't a direct marketing campaign benefit from a closer relationship with field marketing in order to maximise the "one to one" personalised relationship that it can achieve?
The rationale behind using effective field marketing is the close proximity it enables between a brand and its consumers. This can be in one of many forms: a field marketing agent operating in-store to ensure all displays and point of sale are in place; or actual personal contact between the agent and a customer on the shop floor.
For any in-store activity, a field marketing team will be trained in interpersonal skills and customer service, as well as in the brand they are representing. The agent will be well informed of the product, so will be able to explain its uses and benefits to the customer and assist them in their purchase.
The value of one-to-one communication in field marketing can not be underestimated, as it can not be acquired through traditional DM channels alone.
While DM might drive the consumer to the store, once there they may choose a rival brand over the one they have originally been informed about. Additionally, approximately 75% of purchasing decisions are made in-store, so although a DM campaign can raise awareness of a brand or specific products and services, it doesn't always inspire the customer to actually make a purchase when they arrive in the shop.
Field marketing is essential as it complements DM campaigns, allowing for the team to put in new branding and point-of-sale material to draw in consumers' attention to the product. Additionally, it also ensures that all staff on the shop floor are aware of the offer and the campaign, so they are better able to deal with customer enquires.
Regardless of whether it is actually driving footfall to the shop floor or merely raising awareness of a brand, a DM campaign is about broadcasting a message, and hence a greater level of consideration should be given to the role field marketing can play in this, because of the close contact that it achieves with consumers.
A true DM campaign should not only be focused on combining the creative and data skills to achieve an integrated campaign. Instead, this integration needs to occur across all marketing disciplines, so the DM team and the field marketing team need to work closely together ensuring all marketing activity aims to achieve the same goal.
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