Point-of-sale material (POSM) displays are one of the most important aspects of retail marketing. Whether you’re trying to encourage impulse spending, promote your best deals or just get the customer’s attention to create brand awareness, POSM displays can be as versatile as our imaginations allow them to be.
But with so many displays in grocery stores and other retail spaces, how will you know which ones will work for your brand? One of the best ways is to incorporate humor. It’s not easy, but when done right it stands out and makes your brand memorable.
If you’re looking for ideas, that’s what we’re here for. We have some great ideas from examples of what other retailers have done in several different contexts that might just stir your creativity!
Playful in-store POSM display ideas
The first example comes from a marketing campaign by BIC that’s gotten people talking. Those who are familiar with who Snoop Dogg is (pictured below with long-time bestie Martha Stewart) and what he’s well-known for—they’ll get the joke. For those who aren’t clued into who this guy is, he’s essentially a rapper turned celebrity icon who’s synonymous with smoking weed a.k.a marijuana. This ad campaign is a subtle play on that.
Bic’s EZ Reach Lighter campaign features suggestive humor (Source: Imgur)
This is no coincidence. BIC’s marketing team knew what they were doing. The TV commercial that’s making the rounds on the Internet has people giggling from the marijuana innuendos. Shown in the right context, this POSM display is hilarious and attention-grabbing, only to a subset of people.
A cute and simple way to prevent waste (Source: Pinterest)
A more generally understood POSM display that’s rather cute and cheeky doesn’t require any eye-catching design. With some clever copywriting, singular loose pieces of bananas would not go to waste. This is useful for grocers given how quickly bananas ripen and rot.
Cheeky POSM display ideas outside of conventional retail space
Axe body spray guerilla advertising that works in every building (Source: Ads of the World)
Male teens and young adults are the main target market for Axe deodorants. The brand is known for its highly charged commercials that appeal to the fantasy of being irresistible to women.
Building upon that brand message, ad agency Lowe created an ingenious form of guerilla advertising in 2007 that worked with every emergency exit sign. This means that it could work in every retail setting that had an emergency exit, which made it a brilliant idea.
If there’s no space in-store, maybe consider the store’s bathroom (Source: Pinterest)
These floor stickers by Durex prove that you don’t have to compete for floor space in the supermarket, when you can just use the supermarket washrooms. Alongside the previous Axe emergency exit stickers, these floor stickers are a form of ambient advertising, which is basically the leverage of fixed objects in the public environment as a means to advertise.
Taking POSM displays outside the building
Window displays are a great opportunity to create POSM displays that catch the eye of passers-by on the street. Unlike in-store displays, which appeal to those who are there for the express purpose of shopping, window displays can reach a wider audience.
Window display for DelayNoMore (Source: Pinterest)
A great example of how to put on a show comes from apparel brand DelayNoMore, which found a way to spotlight its boxer briefs. It’s an effective use of colours too.
Who says you can’t have POSM displays for coffee shops? (Source: Pinterest)
If you’re wondering whether standalone coffee shops and bars can make use of POSM displays, you just have to look at how they make use of their chalkboards on the sidewalk. They can state their current promotions, encourage impulse spending, or create brand awareness by a display of brand personality.
Since what they have is pretty much a blank canvas, there are so many ways they can attract patrons. Humour happens to be a go-to method for such establishments.
Know thy audience: using humor that appeals to the target audience (Source: Pinterest)
POSM display for taxis? Brilliant out-of-the-box concept (Source: Pinterest)
Perhaps the most interesting of the lot is what can very loosely be called a POSM display for a taxi service. How do you have a point-of-sale material for a service that’s always on the move, rather than a product sitting statically on a shelf?
Unlike other places, taxis are ubiquitous in New York City, which is why this display works. At an intersection of a street or avenue you could literally raise a hand to traffic and get a yellow cab. Do these cabs have competitors? Yes they do. They’re competing against Uber drivers and taxis from private companies.
Getting the last laugh with POSM displays
Brands that use simple POSM displays to get genuine laughs, chuckles or even smiles from people end up being quite sticky. Even after many years, some of their campaigns are hard to forget. They prove that a strong message can be crafted with a bit of wit, play on context, and out-of-the-box thinking.
We hope these displays have given you some inspiration for your POSM messaging and design, besides a good chuckle. What are some of your favourite POSM displays that you can remember?
