Large retail stores dominate our lives, most goods that we buy come from these stores because they have the widest selection and best prices. One of the main tactics these retail chains use to convince us to come into their stores is Free Standing Inserts (FSIs) which publicize their promotions and coupons.
Free Standing Insert
The Free Standing Insert (FSI) is a publication, typically several pages long, that is distributed by inserting it into a newspaper. The free standing insert is printed on its own paper and is frequently sized differently than the newspaper. Free standing inserts have become a tradition in the Sunday paper, and many people wait until they get the weekend paper in order to check prices. Using the Free Standing Inserts, they can compare the promotions of several stores at once without having to leave home.
Marketing Synergy
Retailers love to use Free Standing Inserts (FSIs) but face a serious problem when it comes to their planning and production process. Each weekly Free Standing Insert takes several weeks to produce using a very cumbersome process.
First, the merchandising department would create a promotional plan, targeting certain items to be promoted in the Free Standing Insert at specific prices. Once the plan was approved the information would be passed on to the marketing department which is in charge of specific ad content and placement. Only then is there enough information for the graphic designers in the advertising department to create the Free Standing Insert. The process is then repeated several times until everyone involved in the planning, management and production of these Free Standing Inserts was satisfied with the results, at which point it would be printed and distributed through the newspaper.
Universal Ad’s software enables retailers to streamline their promotions-related advertising, marketing and merchandising processes, leading to a reduction in the time needed to create promotional ads of at least 50%. By using the automatic ad creation software, free standing inserts can be completed in a matter of days using a single system. All of the necessary elements, including graphics, product information and copy, are stored in a central hub, which can be easily accessed from anywhere in the network. This allows retailers to target their free standing inserts by geography and other market demographics, so that each region, or even each store, can offer specific promotions.
This automatic ad creation software not only opens promotional bottlenecks but also works with all kinds of marketing channels, including free standing inserts, catalogs, in-store signage, and web promotions.
For more information about using software to streamline promotional processes please visit www.universal-ad.com