Coupons Surge in 4th Quarter
rs reversed a declining trend in cents-off coupon activity by posting a 14% increase in the fourth quarter of 1993 vs. the same period a year earlier, said a report from Promotion Information Management here.
An estimated 90.6 billion coupons were distributed during the 1993 quarter through newspapers, magazines and direct mail, PIM said. That compares with 88.8 billion in the second quarter and 85.8 billion in the third quarter.
Comparing the full years, total coupon volume rose 3% in 1993 vs. 1992.
That full-year increase was led by surges in three supermarket categories -- household products (up 23.8%), prepared foods (up 23.5%) and cereals (up 15.6%). It was partly offset by declines in candy-snacks-chips of 20.3% and dairy of 13.7%.
Greenfield Plans In-Store Blitz
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Greenfield Healthy Foods, marketer of low-fat and fat-free snack foods, said it has committed to a "multimillion-dollar" in-store advertising and promotion program using various vehicles offered by Actmedia. Slated for a March launch, the campaign will employ shopping cart and aisle signs, in-store radio, Shelftake One flyers and Instant Coupon Machines in supermarkets across the country. Greenfield decided to focus solely on in-store advertising, said Peter Pastor, president, because of its modest budget and a desire to "support those retailers that support our company and our products."
Report Details Snacking Behavior
ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Consumers' snack food preferences skew significantly with age, according to a new report from the Snack Food Association here.
The Snack Food Association "Consumer Snacking Behavior Report," released last week, details how consumers' lifestyle and age play a part in influencing snack consumption. It is based on 10 years of consumer diary panel data, as compiled by MRCA Information Services.
The report indicates that among young adults ages 18 to 24, snack consumption has "dropped dramatically" over the last decade, while snacking has increased among older Americans.
IRI, Spectra Form Alliance
CHICAGO -- Information Resources Inc. and Spectra Marketing Systems have formed an alliance under which IRI will sell Spectra's Retailer Advantage micromarketing software to retailers.
"The agreement provides IRI with the ability to resell that product bundled with their other products," said Monika Torrence, Spectra vice president of product management. No equity investment is involved, she added.
Spectra, an integrated micromarketing company based in Chicago, retains exclusive rights to sell its software products to brand marketers. It also will continue sales and support for all its current retail clients.
IRI can sell the system to any other retailers, Torrence said. She expects that IRI will help to expand micromarketing among retailers far faster than Spectra has been able to in the eight months since the system was introduced.
Nabisco, PPI Push Exercise Video
HANOVER, N.J. -- Nabisco here is teaming with PPI Entertainment Group on a multimillion dollar promotion of an exercise video by television personality Regis Philbin that relies heavily on on-pack, in-pack and in-store techniques.
Philbin, co-host of the Live with Regis & Kathie Lee daytime talk show, is also the spokesman for Nabisco's Harvest Crisps cracker line. His video is called "Regis Philbin: My Personal Workout."
Elements of the promotion include a $5 mail-in rebate for the video on Harvest Crisps packages, point-of-purchase tear pads promoting the mail-in rebate on the shelves in front of Harvest Crisps packages, an ad campaign on shopping carts in 13,000 supermarkets and a Harvest Crisps commercial on the video.
