R.I.P. Retailer Dominance, 1970-2006

Joe Mandese, in his regular column from the US, looks behind the scenes of Wal-Mart's recent appointment of Draft FCB (a newly fused agency combining direct response and brand advertising expertise) and Carat (for media and marketing mix modelling).

R.I.P. Retailer Dominance, 1970–2006

Joe Mandese

Some recent moves by the world's largest retailer appear to signal an important shift in control of consumer marketing intelligence. And if I am right, it means we have officially exited an era dominated by big retailers ever since the rise of the universal product code back in the 1970s and 1980s. The era we are entering is one dominated by consumers themselves.

But first the forensics. Here is what I have observed. Arkansas-based Wal-Mart, the big retailer known as Asda in the UK, recently wrapped up a closely watched review of its advertising...

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