It’s the weekend. Your customers are at the grocery store, list in hand. They reach your aisle, where they’re confronted with what seems like an endless selection of options. Your packaging is attractive but so is your competitors'. And your product is priced on par with everyone else.
 
So how do you increase your odds of getting picked? How do you ensure your product is top-of-mind when potential customers turn the corner and stroll down your aisle?
 

 
It’s a challenge the Jordans & Ryvita Company faces every day.
 
“The cereal category is saturated, and there are some big players there,” says Carrie Williams, Senior Marketing & Brand Strategy Manager, North America for the Jordans & Ryvita Company. “We knew we had a great product and a great offer, but that’s rarely enough to stand out in the overpopulated cereal aisle. We had to think about our in-store promotions in a completely different way.”
 
The solution? Boldly go where the competition isn't. For Jordans, that meant getting the heck out of the jam-packed, ultra-competitive cereal aisle.
 
“The definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” says Roger Simmons, Sr. Account Director at Milestone Integrated Marketing, AOR for the Jordans & Ryvita Company and the agency behind the winning strategy. “So we took a left turn and upped the ante with placement out of aisle, in milk.”
 

 
Advertising cereal in the milk aisle? Now that makes a whole lot of strategic sense.
 
But don’t just stop there. To truly stand out, you have to combine your out-of-aisle thinking with a strong brand voice. To ensure the Jordans’ in-store campaign couldn’t be ignored, our placement strategy was complemented by cheeky messaging and bold creative.
 

 
“In-store messaging and promotions tend to be generic and flat…for example, ‘save x amount today’,” says Steve Wallace, Director of Copy/Content at Milestone. “We were very deliberate about empowering Jordans with a unique brand voice that demands to be heard.”
 

 
Plus, we incorporated an interesting offer beyond a coupon, with a taste guarantee that boldly proclaimed, “Love me or I’m FREE.”
 
The outcome? Jordans saw a 10.5% sales lift at stores where the promotion was featured.
 
Ryvita was facing a similar dilemma. “Placement in the cracker aisle is a challenge for Ryvita, because it’s a crispbread, not a cracker” says Williams. “And while it’s well-known and loved in other parts of the world, Canadians are still learning what Ryvita is and what they can do with it.”
 

 
“So we partnered with Sabra for an in-store demo campaign that attacked these challenges head-on by introducing a pairing that is simply made for each other – Ryvita and hummus. Not only are they delicious together, but both brands align with a health focus.”
 

 
“Our demos were placed out of aisle, in deli,” adds Simmons. “This was a strategic play, as deli is considered to be the perimeter of the grocery store, with higher traffic in general. It’s also where healthy eaters shop most frequently.”
 
And just like the Jordans campaign, a little out-of-aisle thinking proved to have a huge impact for Ryvita, with sales lifts that ranged from 77% to 2,200% across four products.
 
“We decided to take an unconventional approach for both Jordans’ and Ryvita’s in-store campaigns,” concludes Williams. “We took the road less traveled and it paid off in a really big way.”