The Wall Street Journal

It’s an interesting question because while the WSJ article focused on how these measures play in the boardroom, they are equally important in the retail environment. Additionally, whichever the CEO chooses to adopt as the mission will trickle down to operations.

“Strategy is worth nothing if you can’t execute it,” said Fred Tomczyk, CEO of TD Ameritrade. Tomczyk’s perspective speaks to a major weakness in the life cycle of quality shopper marketing programs. Powerful design strategies meant to motivate shoppers to connect with brands and spend more in a particular category often fall victim to weak execution.  Consider that only 30-40% of selling messages are actually being installed at retail.  This happens for a variety of reasons from poor management, to inadequate staffing.  If it’s a $50,000 program, that means a loss of $30,000 – $35,000 right off the top. Now multiply that by 10.

It’s a meaningful consideration for manufacturers and retailers, especially those with top notch strategies that could really make an impact in the retail environment but often get left on the dock.