Green Room poses some thoughts on the opportunities for retail success as 2012 approaches.

As we head (what now feels alarmingly quickly) towards the start of 2012, it’s hard to believe the date is almost upon us.  For so long it has been in the strategic planning, and now it’s just around the corner; so shouldn’t your campaign and brand retail activation plans be well underway by now?

“12% growth during Olympics will be like 2 Christmases in 2012”

Obviously sport in 2012 offers a fantastic platform of opportunity for brands to grow; not only sporting companies but also other brands that are adept in grabbing their share of the market.  There’s the Olympic Games of course, but also the European Championships on top of all the other exciting regular sports fixtures, with experts confirming that sports, fashion and gifts businesses looking to benefit the most from this key year – which is also the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Of course 2012 offers so much more to all retailers, brands and businesses who take up the gauntlet.  It’s easy to be cynical, but the figures are compelling: who wouldn’t want to seize the opportunity of an estimated overall retail spend prediction of £3bn? (Source: Retail Knowledge)That’s a £100 million uplift in London alone.  In real terms the visitor level next summer is equivalent to the population growing 12%-1 million additional visitors between July and September in the UK, mainly in London – and that’s consumer traffic any brand at retail will welcome.  Seb Coe reckons 2012 is going to be like having “two Christmases” for stores. Let’s hope so.

At the very least, a large part of your customer base is going to be energised and in receptive mood, searching for excitement, engagement and experience in the downtime between events, as well as the opportunity to make powerful introductions between your brand and an extensive new audience.

Obviously a shift in population, if only for a few months, is going to have its challenges too.  Additional strain on resources will mean that businesses could be disrupted for around 100 days of 2012, with supply chain, crime and security being of prime concern.  Delivery schedules particularly in Central London will be massively disrupted and response so much slower at key times so brands will need to be mindful of this.  And let us not forget the stress on services – for example, there is a very real threat that mobile and internet communications could slow right down under the weight of additional usage – something to bear in mind when it comes to ensuring all parts of your multichannel campaigns reach your audience at the right time, in a ‘seamless’ approach..

On the flip side, many businesses will need to secure staff or make extensive arrangements to cover high levels of leave, as many people will want to either visit or volunteer at the Games, or just take time out during this unique time to experience the Olympics in the UK.

“Physical retail space is paramount for 2012”

Whichever way you look at it, physical retail space whether it be permanent, or temporary will be of paramount importance for brands in 2012 and we can make sure that what you do have, meets your commercial objectives in terms of awareness, sales, loyalty and product launches.  LOCOG restrictions will mean limited exposure for brands and sponsors during the Games, but space at retail is the real window to your brand, a chance to tell your stories, and have consumers experience your brand first hand.   Brand success in retail will ultimately be driven by the physical connection points with customers, within a multichannel journey before and after the Games. Is your marketing and backroom infrastructure ready to exploit this opportunity, to support the front of house during this time? And are they both on track for super-effective implementation?  Green Room have offices in Birmingham and also in the heart of London’s West End and we are well positioned to get on board very quickly and help you lay the foundations for a profitable and momentous 2012.

“There are streets paved with gold outside London”

Although retail space in Olympic-connected London will be at a premium, the whole country will embrace the fever of all the 2012 events, and opportunities don’t have to be limited to London. While the capital is a priority with 10 venues, there are 27 in total around the country. Whilst so much of our UK retail fascia is sadly empty on our high streets (and with Arcadia’s recent announcements of store closures, it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better anytime soon) – this could actually offer the perfect chance to trial unique retail concepts in pop-up form to expand the reach of your brand and tell deeper stories? Landlords are also very receptive to graphics being placed over empty retail store windows for example which creates an inexpensive large scale billboard in a prime mall or high st location.

With so much opportunity there will inevitably be noise in the marketplace when it comes to 2012; however, Green Room can enable you to outperform the competition, ensuring the cut-through you will need for this unique opportunity next year.  Our strategic and targeted approach will help avoid the potential pitfalls of flooding the market at high cost, at a time when so many campaigns will be live, without getting lost and getting poor recall.

For instance, thinking laterally about your creative – this might be more than just linking sport to your campaign – the emotion is what will drive the fever across the UK.  Creatively it needs to be relevant to the lives of your customers – glory, inspiration, teamwork, endeavour, challenge, and against-all-odds-spirit are all elements to consider – also an excellent time to push national pride, a must for British brands and brands wanting to put their feet onto British soil at this exciting time.