Visual Ice:
a new form of marketing magic
"Tall, dark and immortal," reads more like a personals ad than an in-store advertisement. This is just a taste of the promotional opportunities available with Visual Ice Marketing, an in-store advertising technology that's creative, clutter-free and cool.
Made possible through nanotechnology, Visual Ice is applied on the inside of freezer and refrigerator doors. When a customer opens the door, Visual Ice responds to the temperature change and produces a promotional design or logo on the door. This eye-catching way to sign the freezer aisle also caught the attention of CBS television network, which led to a national, four-week run of Visual Ice ads for Moonlight, a new drama on CBS' Friday night fall line-up.
From moonlight to limelight. CBS obviously saw the magical power of Visual Ice Marketing. In September, the ads appeared in 50 stores in Los Angeles and 51 stores in New York City, with high-profile locations near CBS.
At Ralphs in Century City, Calif., Visual Ice ads appeared on the doors of high-volume freezer cases stocked with Dreyer's Ice Cream, Eggo® waffles, DiGiorno pizza, Ralphs frozen vegetables, Stouffer's® and Lean Cuisine®. At the Food Emporium on Broadway and 68th Street in New York, the ads were found on cases housing Stouffer's®, Haagen-Dazs® pints, Edy's® Ice Cream and Ore-Ida® potatoes.
Visual Ice Marketing's Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Tom Whitby says they are pleased to have CBS as one their newest clients. "CBS' advertising campaign is a perfect example of the versatility and creativity of what Visual Ice can do," he says. "The advertising opportunities are wide open, whether it's for a TV show or for the actual product inside the case."
Visual Ice Marketing hit the ground running in March of this year. To some, the company may seem like the new kid on the block, but it's managed by grocery executives that have more than 75 years' combined experience in the industry. The company's successes for 2007 attest that the Visual Ice Marketing team has the right stuff.
Its clientele include a number of regional and national retailers, manufacturers and third parties that want to promote new and seasonal products, special events and promotional deals, as well as cross merchandize (think tooth brush ads appearing on freezer doors in the ice cream section.)
At the time of this printing, Visual Ice Marketing had completed contracts with General Mills and Albertsons, and was in negotiations with several leading regional supermarket chains, national food and beverage companies, media companies, and entities representing leading name brand products.
The science behind the magic. One of the big buzz words for Visual Ice Marketing's team is "magic." When seen in action, Visual Ice is pretty darn magical. It grabs customers' attention at the point of sale, children and adults, alike.
Visual Ice Marketing uses patented nanotechnology to create a thin, temperature-sensitive coating for the inside of refrigerator or freezer doors. The image itself is cut from vinyl sign material that is used as a stencil. Then, a thin coating, which is scratch and tamper resistant, is applied to the door.
This coating is invisible until a customer opens the door. Then, a thin layer of ice appears in the form of the promotional image. The image remains visible for up to two minutes after the door is closed.
The science behind this is nanotechnology, a field of applied science and technology that allows the control of matter on a scale smaller than one micrometer, normally between one and 100 nanometers, and the fabrication of devices on this same length scale.
"Nanotechnology is capable of transforming medicine, industry, and the way we liveŅand in the case of Visual Ice, the way we advertise," says Whitby.
Making marketing magic. In the midst of ad noise and clutter, what will capture customer attention? Visual Ice Marketing says they have the answer.
"Doors are unused real estate in the store, or if used as advertising space, it's not done effectively," says Whitby.
With customers visiting a store an average of two to three times a week, they are increasingly desensitized to cling-on ads and other advertising clutter. The challenge of creating signage that will increase product visibility and strengthen brand image in the freezer aisle makes Visual Ice an attractive alternative.
"It's a clutter-free solution that eliminates aisle cleanup and keeps products visible," explains Whitby. "And a advertising contract with us doesn't interfere with other existing in-store advertising contracts. Plus, we have a pool of retailers on board to partner with manufacturers interested in a Visual Ice ad campaign."
Visual Ice Marketing's retailer network is a backbone for the company. This network is a group of retailers who've agreed to implement Visual Ice programs in their stores. Visual Ice then pairs retailers with product manufacturers and other interested parties. "We're making it simpler for manufacturers to market their products by matching them with an advertising partner. This saves time and money for all parties involved," says Whitby.
A program with Visual Ice Marketing includes ad installation, removal, and the application of new ads. Clients also have 24-7 access to an online account where they can verify that installations and removals were completed as scheduled. "It's a true value-add to our customers," adds Whitby.
Best practices and next steps. Earlier this year, Visual Ice Marketing's Pictsweet account led to improved installation best practices. Pictsweet's new product launch for Steamers vegetable packets included a Visual Ice ad campaign in 75 Albertsons stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Not only was the campaign a success that led to new contracts, the ad program itself resulted in key data for fine-tuning best practices, including the use of higher quality vinyl and the implementation of new cleaning methods.
Food Emporium, the leading supermarket in New York City and King's in New Jersey also recently joined Visual Ice Marketing's retailer network. "We're pleased to have them on board as our first partners in New York and New Jersey," says Whitby. "We are able to execute programs today in the top 10 U.S. markets with key retail partners."
Whitby also reports that Visual Ice Marketing is conducting a test with Wal-Mart stores in Arkansas in partnership with General Mills in the frozen pizza category.
What's in store for 2008? According to Whitby, "We are focused on scheduling programs for the important holiday selling season. Programs run in 4 week increments with only a limited number of advertisers accepted each month. We are pleased with our progress to date and look forward to an exciting 2008!"
