CROSSMARK

Protected: Mead Johnson and CROSSMARK Partner to Reach Southern California Independents

phil — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:21:32 +0000

Protected: A Word from our CEO

phil — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:24:20 +0000

CROSSMARK News Headlines

phil — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:51:55 +0000

CROSSMARK Recognizes Service Champions

Collaboration was the theme of This is My MARK Service Excellence meetings held company wide in April. With Service Excellence at the heart of what CROSSMARK provides to clients, the company regularly honors associates who best exemplify the company’s REACH values (Respect, Excellence, Appreciation, Collaboration and Honor), deliver exceptional results, and demonstrate unique and special efforts in support of the business.

Nominated by peers or supervisors, the following associates were recognized on as This is My MARK Service Excellence Champions; each was awarded a custom, handcrafted bronze medallion as well as other special gifts.

Kraft Foods Selects CROSSMARK for Convenience Channel Representation

CROSSMARK has been selected as the agency-of-choice to represent Kraft Foods in the convenience channel at both headquarters and retail. The CROSSMARK brand will now be associated with brands such as Planters, Oscar Mayer, Crystal Light, Mio and, of course, Kraft.

Kraft recently decided to separate into two companies. The North American grocery business will carry the name Kraft Foods Group, selling products such as Planters and Oscar Mayer meats. The global snacks business will take the Mondelez International name to sell Trident gum and Cadbury chocolates in fast-growing countries worldwide. It is the Kraft Foods Group that appointed CROSSMARK for the C-Store work.

“This appointment is a testament to the great work being done by our convenience team in the field,” said Jeff Neihart, Vice President/Managing Director. “The reputation they have built for the CROSSMARK brand in the convenience channel is what gives a client like Kraft the confidence to appoint us as their sales agency of choice,” he said.

Kennith Fries, Vice President – Convenience, said the C-Store team is looking forward to adding the Kraft grocery and foodservice brands to its portfolio. “We believe the combination of CROSSMARK’s C-Store expertise, the proven quality of the Kraft brands, and the combined category expertise of both companies will give us a winning combination that will ensure long-term growth for our retail and distributor customers,” Fries said.

CROSSMARK to Support Samsung Detailing Program

Samsung’s Consumer Business Division (CBD) has selected CROSSMARK to provide sales support, merchandising and installation for its new detailing program and its merchandising/installation business units.

The SamsungCBD offers a full range of award-winning digital products for the home and individual use including LED, LCD andplasma televisions, Blu-ray disc players, home theater systems, digital cameras, digital camcorders, tablets, computers and portable audio devices.

The detailing program — which is a newly created business unit within Samsung — will include monthly coverage with a new Samsung Dedicated Team calling on Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, Costco and BJ’s. This team will support retailers in merchandising compliance checks, delivery and set up of merchandising materials, communicating critical messages from Samsung to retail, and also building and enhancing store relationships.

CROSSMARK Manages Walmart Clip-Strip Program

CROSSMARK is working with Walmart to ensure that the retailer’s clip-strip program is fully stocked and available for customers. Clip strips hold high-profit, high-impulse purchased items and are placed through the store.

In the fair-share program that now serves all Walmart stores, CROSSMARK is working with 38 different clients in the program. CROSSMARK retail representatives call on all Walmart stores each week to pack out product, making sure that all authorized items are on the sales floor and tagged. Depending on the size of the stores, reps handle between 50 – 120 clip strips.

Five weeks into the program the Walmart buyer has reported that sales of clip-strip items are running 33% higher than those not positioned on clip strips.

CROSSMARK to Represent The Schwan Food Company

The Schwan Food Company has appointed CROSSMARK for headquarter sales representation for Safeway, Kroger, and several Midwest accounts including AWG, Meijer, Spartan and Marsh. CROSSMARK’s relationships with each of these accounts will help facilitate success in representing the great Schwan’s frozen and dry grocery pizza crust portfolio: Freschetta, Red Baron, Tony’s, Mrs. Smith’s, Edwards, Larry’s, Pagoda Express, Bon Appetit and Schwan’s.

CROSSMARK Leaders Honored for “Going Beyond”

CROSSMARK leaders from around the world attended a recent company leadership conference themed “Going Beyond.” CROSSMARK CEO John Thompson reinforced to the group that the company’s goal is to be the number one choice of sales and marketing services providers among all consumer goods manufacturers and retailers. And he said that will require exceeding expectations and going the extra mile to deliver outstanding results. At the same time, a number of those leaders also were honored for their success in doing just that.

At the conference, awards were given to associates who demonstrated exceptional leadership and achievement of annual performance objectives. Recipients were presented with awards for excellence, inspired by and showcasing “Excel” the longhorn bull, CROSSMARK’s mascot that represents excellence, strength, and leadership.

Dwayne Hamilton, Division Manager of the Johnson & Johnson Dedicated Team, received the top honor with the “Excellence in Leadership” award for demonstrating outstanding leadership.

In addition, eight other associates were honored with “Commitment to Excellence” awards for their outstanding performance and leadership over the past year, and 28 recipients were awarded the “Circle of Excellence” for achieving their business objectives.

Protected: Retail Space Allocation Trends Study Identifies Wide Growth in Consumables at the Expense of Hardlines

phil — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:06:27 +0000

Protected: Data Collection Experts Provide Valuable Insights

cross — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:49:15 +0000

CROSSMARK Forms New Drug and Value Business Unit

phil — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:46:45 +0000

January 31, 2012 – Plano, TX – With the continued growth and importance of the drug and value channels, CROSSMARK –- a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry — has announced the formation of CROSSMARK Drug and Value, a new business unit that is part of CROSSMARK’s Sales Agency. The new unit — consisting of CROSSMARK MPG Drug and CROSSMARK Value — is dedicated to providing growth solutions for manufacturer and retailer clients in these two strategic channels.

Alex Yakulis, with more than 30 years of industry experience and with significant experience in the drug and value channels, has been named to head the group as Vice President, General Manager. Yakulis previously worked with clients in these channels as CROSSMARK’s Vice President of Business Development.

According to Yakulis, the drug and value channels are very strategic for CPG marketers as they seek to attract shoppers who prefer shopping in small formats located in convenient locations.

“CROSSMARK will provide strategic headquarter and analytical support to assist clients in achieving their desired outcomes,” he explained. “This will be complemented by retail merchandising support at more than 40,000 retail locations in these two channels.”

Yakulis is active on a number of industry boards, including the NACDS Retail Advisory Board, the GMDC Board of Directors, and the CHPA Business Development Committee. He also serves as chairman of the NACDS Industry Issues and Projects Committee and the GMDC Membership Advisory Board.

CROSSMARK (www.crossmark.com) is a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, providing growth solutions with exceptional service to manufacturers and retailers. For over 100 years, CROSSMARK has helped the most powerful brands in the world achieve their business objectives across a wide range of retail channels. Expertise encompasses the areas of Headquarter Sales, Retail Merchandising, Retailer Solutions, Event Marketing, In-Store Data Collection, Retail Analytics, and Retail Technology Solutions. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, CROSSMARK employs more than 30,000 associates worldwide with 40 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

CROSSMARK To Acquire NCiM, Creating Largest In-Store Marketing Services Company in North America

phil — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:12:17 +0000

December 1, 2011 – Plano, TX – CROSSMARK, a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, is acquiring New Concepts in Marketing Inc. (NCiM). The acquisition adds to CROSSMARK’s robust events and shopper marketing capabilities, creating the largest in-store marketing services company in North America.

NCiM is a leader in product demonstrations in the U.S. It is the agency-of-record for BI-LO, Giant, Ingles, Raley’s, Roundy’s and WinCo, as well as 12 Kroger divisions. In addition, NCiM provides turnkey services as the event agency-of-record for several top CPG firms in the grocery channel. NCiM is well known in the grocery-trade class for its operational excellence, innovation and outstanding customer service.

CROSSMARK Events already is one of the largest and most experienced providers of in-store event services in North America. With more than 13,000 event specialists, CROSSMARK Events delivers more than seven million product demonstration and sampling hours each year.

“This acquisition will create value, strengthened relationships, and operational knowledge for our retailer and supplier partners,” said Joe Crafton, CROSSMARK President.

Michael Stern, NCiM President, said he is excited about becoming part of the CROSSMARK team. “This acquisition combines two of the best in-store marketing companies in the country,” Stern said. “With CROSSMARK’s strong retailer relationships and portfolio of in-store marketing services, we look forward to solving the business challenges of brand managers, marketing executives and customer business teams.”

CROSSMARK (www.crossmark.com) is a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, providing growth solutions with exceptional service to manufacturers and retailers. For more than 100 years, CROSSMARK has helped the most powerful brands in the world achieve their business objectives across a wide range of retail channels. Expertise encompasses the areas of Headquarter Sales, Retail Merchandising, Retailer Solutions, Event Marketing, In-Store Data Collection, Retail Analytics, and Retail Technology Solutions. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, CROSSMARK employs more than 30,000 associates worldwide with 40 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

Founded in 1986 as a tactical execution company, NCiM has grown into a national marketing agency offering full-line services to all 50 states. NCiM is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and offers complete and comprehensive management of all aspects of in-store campaigns.

An Open Letter to Our Industry

cross — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:09:26 +0000

CROSSMARK and FLW Outdoors Announce Retailtainment Joint Venture

phil — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:03:05 +0000

PLANO, Texas – October 19, 2011 – CROSSMARK and FLW Outdoors have formed a joint venture, Out Front Marketing, to provide innovative retailtainment and experiential marketing solutions for brands to reach consumers directly on the path to purchase. The service will focus exclusively on high-volume Walmart parking lots and store exteriors.

“Recent industry studies indicate that shopper marketing programs are the top marketing investment for consumer goods companies,” said CROSSMARK President Joe Crafton. “The most effective, proven tactics for influencing the shopper on the path to purchase involve word-of-mouth and free samples. Our clients tell us that with today’s on-the-go consumer spending less time watching TV commercials, reaching consumers in a meaningful way has never been more challenging. Out Front Marketing is a highly effective way to reach and connect with consumers when they are in shopping mode, and is not funded from the same budget as retail pricing. Therefore, marketers are better able to support Walmart’s commitment to everyday low prices.”

Out Front Marketing brings excitement to the shopping experience before shoppers enter the store by establishing a dynamic presence in the parking lot. The company places brands out front through the use of experiential marketing centers called Mobile Brand Boxes^TM. These customized units feature full graphics and are a brand experience on wheels that include a tow vehicle with matching graphics. Mobile Brand Boxes^TM can also be equipped with interactive simulators and games as well as other loyalty and brand-building tactics. Each unit will be staffed by highly trained Brand Ambassadors that will travel with the units year-round.

Walmart has commissioned its own Mobile Brand Boxes^TMthis year featuring the company’s new USDA Premium Beef products by offering free samples of its new beef products freshly barbecued with Kingsford^® Charcoal Briquettes in the store parking lots. “Product demos are a great way to make shopping at Walmart more exciting”, said Jack Sinclair, Executive Vice President of Food for Walmart US. “Brands can effectively communicate with Walmart shoppers directly through initiatives like these.”

“Out Front Marketing will be taking proven marketing practices that have been implemented successfully with FLW Outdoors and will showcase products in a new way to create excitement, increase brand engagement and drive greater sales,” said FLW Outdoors Chairman and CEO Irwin Jacobs. “We proactively find the shopper instead of waiting for the shopper to find the brand alongside other competitive brands on the shelf.”

“The excitement in the parking lot will be complemented with in-store merchandising to complete the sale at the point of purchase,” added Jacobs. “This integration is a benefit of the combined capabilities of CROSSMARK and FLW Outdoors with both companies sharing a common vision of activating brands and helping them win in the marketplace.”

Out Front Marketing will use its expertise in working with Walmart and individual brands to create a customized schedule of locations and dates that will result in innovative excitement 300 days a year.

For more information on Out Front Marketing, visit www.outfront.com or call Randy Douglas at (312) 953-6781 or Trisha Blake at (612) 337-1899.

CROSSMARK Named A Top Technology Innovator

phil — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:55:17 +0000

PLANO, TX, September 26, 2011 – CROSSMARK, a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, has been named to InformationWeek’s list of top 250 innovators, part of the InformationWeek500.

CROSSMARK was lauded for its work on an innovative intranet site that provides news, operational tools, and success stories for both associates and clients. Called CROSSMARKConnect, the site allows clients to monitor results in real time by viewing projects from implementation through execution. With this increased visibility throughout all stages of the process, CROSSMARK and its clients can more easily collaborate and make better decisions faster instead of waiting until after the process is complete.

The InformationWeek 500 annually lists the nation’s most innovative users of business technology. This is the second year in a row that CROSSMARK has been included on the list.

“CROSSMARK is an innovative company that has a history of developing and using leading-edge technology as an enabler to provide better service to its clients,” said Jim Norred, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “This particular application facilitates even better collaboration between CROSSMARK and the companies we serve,” he said.

“In this day and age, however, being innovative isn’t enough. Companies and their IT organizations need to innovate faster than ever before to stay a step or two ahead of their competitors,” said InformationWeek Editor In Chief Rob Preston. “This year’s ranking placed special emphasis on those high-octane business technology innovators.”

InformationWeek identifies and honors the nation’s most innovative users of information technology with its annual 500 listing and also tracks the technology, strategies, investments and administrative practices of America’s best-known companies. Top winners have included: The Vanguard Group, CME Group, Conway, National Semiconductor, Kimberly-Clark, Hilton Hotels and Unum. The InformationWeek 500 rankings are unique among corporate rankings as it spotlights the power of innovation in information technology, rather than simply identifying the biggest IT spenders.

Additional details on the InformationWeek 500 can be found online at www.informationweek.com/iw500/.

About CROSSMARK: CROSSMARK is a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, providing growth solutions with exceptional service to manufacturers and retailers. For over 100 years, CROSSMARK has helped the most powerful brands in the world achieve their business objectives across a wide range of retail channels. Expertise encompasses the areas of Headquarter Sales, Retail Merchandising, Retailer Solutions, Event Marketing, In-Store Data Collection, Retail Analytics, and Retail Technology Solutions. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, CROSSMARK employs more than 30,000 associates worldwide with 40 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. http://www.crossmark.com

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