ADS HITTING FLOOR OF SUPERMARKETS

WILLIAM SMYTH

Supermarket chains across the country are beginning to use floor graphics to get the consumer's attention.

Floor ads are 6-square-foot, full-color advertisements that are placed on a retailer's floor. The ads are managed by Floorgraphics, Princeton, N.J. The company installs, verifies and maintains the ads, and will not place competing floor ads in the same aisle.

"A survey of our store managers indicated a very positive response to floor ads from both employees and customers. The graphics are eye-catching and draw attention to the product displayed on the shelf," said Ellen Evans, director of consumer marketing services for Montvale, N.J.-based A&P.

"The vast floor space is one of the few areas not cluttered with printed messages where merchandisers can make an impression. Floor ads' creative designs entice consumers to notice them as they walk down the aisle," Evans said. Currently more than 600 A&P stores are using the ads.

Some of the floor ads currently being used by Floorgraphics include the California Milk Board's "Got Milk" campaign and the RC Cola/Triarc Beverage campaign featuring Little League Baseball's 60th anniversary celebration, according to Richard Rebh, chief executive officer of Floorgraphics. The Triarc ads are in more than 1,000 grocery stores nationwide and RC is being promoted as the official soft drink of Little League Baseball.

"Our target audience is primarily parents, but by using these colorful floor graphics, we will be closer to a child's level and will naturally become more visible," said Scott Munz, media director at Triarc Beverages, White Plains, N.Y. Floorgraphics is currently managing floor advertising in more than 15,000 grocery, convenience, discount, pharmacy and auto-supply stores nationwide. Other supermarket chains using the ads include American Stores, Food Lion, Winn-Dixie, Red Apple, Big V Supermarkets, Eagle Food Centers, and Furr's Supermarkets, said Rebh.