By NCS Marketing

As we enter our fourth month of the pandemic, it’s still unchartered waters for advertisers. Should you continue to advertise? How can you best reach your consumers as their purchase behaviors shift? How is measurement changing? 

To provide some guidance on these questions, we sat down [virtually] with Lance Brothers, NCS’ Chief Revenue Officer. For Lance, the pandemic has meant less time on the road, more time with family, and more cocktails and home-smoked ribs. While he misses time spent with clients in real life, Lance is working alongside some of CPG’s top advertisers to help them increase their share of voice and adapt for what’s next. He shares some advice for brands on how to reach the right buyers and measure those outcomes, to understand what’s happening now to prepare yourself for what might happen tomorrow.  Continue reading “At Home With Lance: Advertising for the Now and the Next” →

By Lance Brothers, Chief Revenue Officer, NCSolutions

A few weeks back, NCS presented in a webinar with Adweek, where we shared our research on brand loyalty. Bottom line: while it’s unsure what the future may hold, it’s clear that the brands that continue to efficiently reach and connect with consumers are the brands most likely to succeed during this crisis — and beyond. Continue reading “Brand Loyalty Encore: Seasonality, Pantry Loading, and How to Leverage Loyalty” →

By Peter Topol, VP, Advanced TV Partnerships

Significant reach, premium content, and quality storytelling with top talent make linear television a primary means for brands to speak to their customers. That’s why each upfront, advertisers are faced with the same critical decision:

Which programming should I buy to reach my intended audience?

Traditionally, advertisers have purchased linear TV based on the age and gender of the viewer watching. Given the high reach, surely this must be the most efficient way to reach target customers, right?

Continue reading “How‌ ‌to‌ ‌Reach‌ ‌Hairspray‌ ‌Buyers‌ ‌with‌ ‌Crime‌ ‌Shows‌ ‌on‌ ‌Linear‌ ‌TV‌” →

By Steve Tramposch, VP Client Consulting, NCSolutions

For years, Sunday has been the king of all grocery shopping days: the day when Americans prepared for the week ahead, made the highest number of trips to the store and spent the most. On a typical week, Saturday was the second choice for shopping days, while Friday was the third. The other days of the week were a mixed bag, but always lower than average.

Thursday and Friday, then, was always prime time for CPG advertisers. It was an opportunity to get in front of likely shoppers right before they were expected to make a purchase, especially consumers nearing the end of their purchase cycle.

Enter COVID-19.

Continue reading “Thanks to COVID-19, Sunday is No Longer the Number One Grocery Shopping Day” →

By NCS Marketing

As the world responds to lifestyle changes resulting from COVID-19, brand advertisers are operating without a playbook. There’s no precedent for advertising in today’s environment, and questions abound. Should I cut spending in the face of stock-outs and consumer uncertainty? Do I need completely different creative to be sensitive to the environment? How should I adjust my targeting strategy based on changed consumer behavior?

Continue reading “At Home With Carl: Why Target Today” →

By NCS Marketing

Our findings in a new study about consumer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic show that in times of crisis, consumers flock to brands they know and trust.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a period of unprecedented economic uncertainty — record unemployment, an overall decrease in consumer spending, and no answers about when things might get back to normal.

Things have been relatively fine for the CPG industry through this, as lockdown orders triggered a historic spending spree, with consumers rushing to grocery and drug stores to buy CPG items in enormous quantities.

Still, many marketers are understandably wary about what the future may hold for their businesses.

And our new research confirms that, even despite all the upheaval, two things remain true: Brands still matter, and consumers still respond to well-targeted, creatively compelling advertising. Continue reading “5 Trends on Consumer Behavior in the Quarantine Economy: Why Brands and Advertising Matter More Now Than Ever” →

By NCS Marketing

During week eight of home confinement, it’s no surprise that consumer behavior throughout the U.S. has radically changed. Especially at the grocery store – one of the few places that’s remained open, regardless of how strict state regulations have been. 

Not only are consumers spending more (time and money) at the grocery store and cooking more at home, they’re also trying new products that, perhaps, they haven’t purchased before. Whether because of supply chain issues or in search for variety, consumers are picking up new habits. 

NCS executives are no exception. 

This week, we talked to Chief Product Enrichment Officer Jeff Doherty and Chief Research Officer Leslie Wood about changed consumer behavior, including their own. Jeff and Leslie also dive into the retail supply chain, talk about how NCS is serving our customers and dig into what this means for brand advertisers. Continue reading “At Home with Jeff and Leslie” →

By Lance Brothers, Chief Revenue Officer, NCSolutions

Here at NCS, the New Year isn’t truly underway until we arrive at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It’s always a whirlwind of excitement, and this year was no exception.

For us, CES 2020 isn’t only about the chance to see the latest in innovative technologies or the quirky home robots (looking at you, Bot Chef). The show is always an important opportunity to meet with clients and learn more about their 2020 plans. We also use this time to cast a gimlet eye on the tech and trends destined to impact CPG advertising over the coming years. Continue reading “What We Heard at CES 2020: The Industry Raises the Bar on Ad Effectiveness” →