BCI BluePrints NPD Launch Plans - Blue Chip Interactive Limited

NPD BluePrint

Our Best Practice Guide to maximising the success of your NPD activity.

Launch Plans

The launch plan for any NPD (as content is always tailored to product, category etc) consists of three key things:

1) Research

Researching and understanding the current landscape of where you are currently at.

2) Goal Setting

Setting out clear and measurable goals of where you want to be.

3) Launch Plan

Developing a launch plan that encompasses trade and consumer / shopper.

This section looks at one of three key learnings from our biggest FMCG test programme for NPD launches – the launch plan itself.

The Launch Plan: Making it happen

The focus here is to plan, develop and implement a well-defined launch strategy. This should be created against the backdrop of the current landscape (as per stage one of launching NPD).

A note on timings – as well as the current climate in the here and now, in the majority of sectors you will also need to consider the seasonal context at which the launch date actually goes live. For example, if you are launching a food / drink product into retail at key seasonal times like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, these impact both on consumers’ attitudes and behaviours and retailer priorities. In Grocery Retailing, you may also need to consider the timings of category range reviews as often NPD launches are timed to coincide with these.

Two-Pronged Approach

Your plan should include a launch for:

1) THE TRADE: encouraging key retail accounts to list and support the brand / product

2) THE CONSUMER/SHOPPER: raising awareness, driving trial and advocacy

Crunchy Nut Nut Butter Snack Bar Launch

We helped Kellogg’s secure distribution of a new snacking product through the Wholsaler channel with a simple yet effective mechanic.

The Trade

REFLECT KEY RETAILER PRIORITIES

More than ever, retailers are looking for brands and products that will support them delivering their strategic goals, including recruiting and retaining customers and maximising basket spend, as well as driving innovation and excitement in-store. Sustainability goals continue to be high on retailers’ agendas too.

We spend time understanding how current events are impacting each of your desired retail accounts, developing launch ideas that align to both your KPIs and also retailer needs.

TARGETING AND TIMINGS

You should consider who to target and when with creative execution that delivers your goals and is appropriate to your audience(s). For some NPD, this can include experiential launches at Head Offices and for others, it can include sampling kits and presentations to key individuals like buyers and corporate marketing teams.

Bodyform & TENA ASDA Launch

We helped Essity WOW Asda Head Office, securing 100% of its NPD listings across its Bodyform portfolio.

We support brands in determining the optimum time to launch to the trade, creating bespoke launch plans with effective, compelling creative including:

→ Developing Joint Business Plans (JBPs)

→ Buyer mailings

→ Field sales store visits

→ HQ Experiential Events

→ Blanket trade press coverage

→ Store Manager launch communications

→ Motivating staff incentive schemes

The Shopper / Consumer

Space in store is at a premium and retailers are fast-tracking rationalisation to streamline categories based on shopper needs and retailer strategic priorities.

The key to any NPD launch plan is ensuring that your shoppers / consumers:

→ Know your brand/product exists

→ Understand the key benefits

→ Understand the occasion usage (driving occasion moments at home is a key priority for retailers…)

→ Feel driven to try it

→ Incentivised to repeat purchase

Relevance goes a long way – marketing solutions using qualitative and quantitative data coupled with brilliant creative can effectively engage shoppers at multiple points from sofa to store.

We use a touchpoint planning method, undertaking rigorous granular analysis of relevant channels to help determine likely impact and ROI as part of a comprehensive path-to-purchase (P2P) plan.

In providing guidance for targeting your audience along the appropriate P2P, we look at a range of factors on your brand/product and those in the competitor mix including:

→ Where and how do shoppers spend time browsing?

→ Which brands / companies are they loyal to?

→ What and who influences their decisions?

→ Where, when and how are they shopping for products?

→ How often are they using yours / similar products?

Cussons Mum & Me Launch

We discovered the most effective and valuable touchpoints to build trust with new (and nervous) Mums, reaching 2.5m+

For an overview of content in successful NPD launch plans, you can click onto Launch Plan Content.