Mars Wrigley Aisle Reinventions for Target and Walgreens
Role: Creative Direction
Shopper Marketing Aisle Reinventions
Industry: Consumer Packaged Goods
Mars Wrigley, Chicago, IL
Mars was looking for solutions to boost sales outside of major holiday timeframes (like Halloween). As a category leader in candy, they were in a unique position with their buyers to present creative thinking to drive sales. The following work shows how shopper insights and data can help redefine shopping experiences to bring fresh perspectives to an overlooked category.
Candy Aisle at Target
Working with specific insights and shopper behaviors, we understood that candy is a mostly unplanned purchase at Target. Besides, those who purchased candy did so only after seeing the product. Leveraging this impulsive shopper insight, we helped Mars re-envision a candy experience for the Target Guest.
We used brightly colored header cards to interrupt sightlines and help with category wayfinding. Then, we drew the Target Guest to the middle of the aisle through the use of a Sweet Feature section. This movie-themed section connected the idea of an at-home family movie night to the experience of movie theater candy. Shelf blades were implemented for brand-blocking and sub-category wayfinding to make for easy navigation in an otherwise visually dense section.
Candy Aisle Concepts for Walgreens
At Walgreens, health is a high motivator for shoppers, which poses a more significant challenge for candy sales than in other retail environments like grocery. Many Walgreens shoppers are there to pick up prescriptions, speak to a pharmacist, or purchase health-related items. Considering the shopper, the brands, and the retailer, we understood we had to walk a fine line between happy and healthy.
Most drug store shopping is a planned trip, with a defined list. Yet, over half of drug store shoppers enjoy browsing the store, perusing other departments while waiting for prescriptions, and ultimately make impulse purchases. If candy wasn’t on the list — or the minds of Walgreens shoppers, our conceptual territory helped them celebrate the impulse.
