The Success Story below was shared with us by Dannah Gibbons, the Director of Sales at WLOX-TV in Biloxi, MS.

In the digital advertising space, it can be hard to set yourself apart from competitors in the market, particularly with bigger clients. There is so much competition to win over large dollars that agencies/vendors must lean on more than just the products they offer. This fact rang true when it came to working with Client X. The client was well versed in the digital industry products but lacked clear direction on what products would best align with their business goals. That is where Marshall Marketing came in.

In Biloxi, WLOX has been proud to partner with Marshall Marketing for many years. Marshall Marketing never fails to deliver when it comes to providing customized research and consulting services to help drive the conversations that lead to advertising decisions. Prior to utilizing Marshall Marketing our team could only give general recommendations without much research or reason behind them. With Marshall Marketing, our sales team now has the insight and confidence when providing solutions for our clients.”

This research proved paramount when presenting to our Client. Using Marshall Marketing our team was able to show the client exactly who made up our market and how those individuals preferred to get their information. We were able to not only tell the client informational breakdowns such as: household income, age ranges, top occupations, and upcoming major purchase plans, but we also were able to give the client valuable information such as their industry ranking in every county.

The client, who is planning on extending into more counties across the MS Gulf Coast, found this most valuable as it laid the groundwork for where they needed to focus efforts as they begin construction in those lower ranking counties. They were also extremely grateful for the insight and guidance that our sales team was able to give them and stated multiple times that this was the missing piece they had been needing.

The Strategy

To tackle these hurdles, Marshall Marketing intervened. The Marshall Representative’s proficiency in market analysis and targeted advertising enabled them to identify the perfect audience for Matt Jones Auctions & Estates. This strategic approach provided the company with a clear path for their marketing endeavors. With the assistance of Marshall Marketing, Matt Jones is enthusiastic about this new chapter and anticipates enhancing his visibility and attracting fresh business prospects.

It turns out that Marshall Marketing has collaborated with auctioneers in various markets before. This prior experience was a significant advantage. The 2024 KHBS KHOG Marshall Marketing survey included essential information on both Major Business Decision Makers and Real Estate. By utilizing this data, we assisted the client in gaining a deeper understanding of the market and determining the most effective media for Matt Jones.

Marshall Marketing stressed the importance of the creative messaging for this client and provided valuable recommendations, such as a two-tiered strategy. This involved a focus on long-term branding, along with short and long-format advertisements showcasing Matt Jones’ narrative, including testimonial ads. Additionally, short-format ads highlighted upcoming auctions/events, complimented by digital strategies tailored to target specific decision-makers and buyers. As a result, Matt Jones launched his campaigns and has already received positive feedback!

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Customers shopping today may differ significantly from those who visited in the past. They could be younger with higher incomes or perhaps newcomers to the area. Therefore, it’s essential for retailers to consistently assess the profiles of their current buyers and the shoppers entering the market to ensure they are on the right track. This evaluation might reveal that the retailer is perfectly aligned with customer needs and should continue their current strategy. Conversely, it may indicate that adjustments are necessary to attract active customers.

The following example demonstrates how a furniture store can analyze its past performance and future direction using Marshall data. The key questions for this type of audit include:

• “Where will you shop FIRST for furniture?”
• “In the past two years, where did you make your last furniture purchase?”
• “In the next 12 months, do you plan to buy furniture?”

Store A is the leader in this market. It is a mid range furniture store that caters to several customer segments. It’s Last Purchase share of 23.5% nearly doubles that of its closest competitor. Also, it is the leader in Shop First share among customers planning to buy furniture. Finally, 79.4% of customers that made their last purchase at Store A would shop Store A First for their next purchase. This is all very impressive.

Peak Flow Plumbing is attempting to grow their brand in a very competitive category in Colorado Springs & Pueblo. Another challenge is the market has a very active advertising spend in HVAC/Plumbing. After initially spending approximately $1,000 with our station, we delved deeper into the client’s advertising budget. We discovered the client was allocating $3,000 to a competing station and about $1,500 to radio. Utilizing our Marshall Marketing Research, we conducted a comparative analysis of their reach across their three media spends – our schedule, our competing station’s schedule and radio. 

During this meeting with the client, in real-time, we shared the Marshall Marketing information using the Media Reach section of Marshall’s software (see below). We used the research to analyze the reach achieved by each media partner.

RESULT: Having a resource like Marshall Marketing equipped us with a tool to build the client a campaign that optimized the client’s marketing dollars to achieve the greatest possible share of voice without increasing their total advertising spend. Eventually, Peak Flow Plumbing decided to allocate the additional spend with FOX21 SOCO CW! We would not have seen an increase in this client’s spending from $1,000 to $4,000 per month without Marshall Marketing Research! Not only did Marshall Marketing help increase this client’s spending with our stations, but it also greatly improved our relationship and trust with Peak Flow.

Designing an Effective Marshall Survey

When considering a Marshall Survey, remember that crafting an effective and successful questionnaire is not a one-week task; it requires ongoing effort throughout the year. By sharing your clients’ inquiries, observing market changes, and identifying opportunities, you enable us to gain a deeper understanding of your market. This collaboration helps us create a survey tailored to your specific needs while developing a reliable resource for your clients.

You also benefit from two significant advantages with Marshall: Customization and Market Exclusivity. The customization of your survey lays the groundwork for the success you can achieve through our research. This process begins with choosing the categories you’d like to include and, with input from local clients,
determining the questions to ask. With market exclusivity, you can provide local businesses with insights and sales strategies that are unavailable to your competitors!

To simplify the questionnaire design process, consider the following points for your upcoming survey:

Questions & Categories:

Reflecting on your last study:

• Which business categories yielded the most success, such as your top revenue generators? Remember, we can track many categories year-over-year. These trends can help you identify which clients are experiencing growth or decline in awareness and consideration within your market.
• Which clients have increased or decreased their spending? Are their awareness and consideration trends rising or falling? Are you receiving requests from clients for more information in their business category? Do we need to expand on that category?

For example, in health care, instead of merely asking, “Which hospital would you choose?” , we can delve deeper into specific health services or specialties gaining popularity in your market that deserve measurement: Cancer, Heart Care, Maternity, etc. The health care category is just one example; we can broaden any category that serves your needs!

Ideas to Explore:

• Market Changes: What shifts are happening in your market? Have any new businesses or industries moved in or out of your area? Are there questions we can pose to help navigate these changes and identify potential opportunities?
• Underutilized Categories: Were there any categories from the previous survey that didn’t receive full attention or didn’t generate revenue? If so, let’s consider either reducing those questions or replacing them with inquiries about other promising business categories!
• Alignment with Corporate Promotions: Are your questions aligned with what your corporate team is currently promoting?
• Future Purchases and Plans: Which upcoming purchases or plans would be advantageous to explore? Consider local travel destinations, events, fairs, or sports teams that could create revenue streams for your station.

Media Considerations:

• Streaming Questions: Are you including questions about Streaming Television (CTV), local D2 channels, or Streaming News?
• Local News Comparison: How does your local news stack up against competitors?
  Think about metrics like “Watched Most Often”, “First Choice for Severe Weather”, or “Favorite Local News Personalities”.

Remember, our aim is to equip you with valuable data that remains relevant throughout the year, not just for a few weeks after you receive your database! We are here year-round to discuss challenges and strategies that support your success and that of your clients.

The dental industry is generally experiencing growth. Factors that contribute to this positive outlook include an increasing awareness of oral health, an aging population, and advancements in dental technology.

The U.S. dental market is projected to experience significant growth, with spending expected to reach $216.33 billion by 2030, according to Fortune Business Insights.

With that in mind, there are two ways to determine consumer activity within the dental category:

1. Questions concerning what a consumer has done in the past year or 2 years. What have they purchased? Where have they made a purchase? Where have they shopped?

2. What do they plan to do? What will they consider?

For a dental client, asking a question concerning an office visit, a cleaning, or an x-ray will provide a broad clientele since these are routine procedures.

In numerous cases, it is often more beneficial to ask about future intentions regarding these procedures rather than past activities. The most profitable dental procedures include smile enhancements, implants, and Invisalign braces.

The “consider” question produces a better picture of what consumers are thinking about their dental needs. It captures consumers at the top of the funnel and provides valuable data for a dental client.

The “consider” question serves as a valuable tool for Marketing Consultants/Account Executives to categorize consumers by Lifestyle Group. This detailed profile provides your dental clients with an insightful snapshot of their potential customers, thereby paving the way for innovative and impactful commercial ideas.

With the data revealing what dental patients desire, what matters to them, and their demographics, it’s now essential to investigate where your clients should position their media to maximize their chances of success.

For these segments, Television and Internet emerged as the two “most influential” media types. Armed with this information, an Account Executive can effectively showcase strategies to engage key consumers through both TV and digital platforms.

In conclusion, incorporating questions that reveal consumer intent enables you to create profiles based on lucrative population segments, which can subsequently be cross-referenced with media. These inquiries, combined with awareness of top-of-mind, advertising, and brand image, will assist you in developing a robust strategy for your dental clients.

In a Northwest market, Mattress Store A and Mattress Store B are two fiercely competitive retailers. The Account Executive from our client station shared top-of-mind awareness data with Store A to reinforce and secure their 2024 purchase of $22K for TV and digital advertising. Upon reviewing the same data and noticing that Store A had a higher ranking AND knowing that Mattress Firm was a significant spender on Linear TV, Store B boosted their investment by adding an additional $5K for YouTube advertising, $5K for digital and another $15K for Linear TV.

In addition to the success with Store A and Store B, this awareness data was instrumental in securing a meeting with another local retailer. This highlights the competitive nature of the mattress industry.

Top-of-Mind awareness is crucial in the mattress market, given the long purchase cycle of 7-10 years.
Key considerations include:

• Infrequent Purchases: Brands must stay memorable over time to be the preferred choice when consumers decide to buy.
• Competitive Landscape: The highly competitive environment leads to price sensitivity; familiarity with brands helps customers trust and select recognized brand names.
• Digital Influence: A consistent presence on social media and digital platforms enhances brand familiarity during consumers’ sales processes.
• Health Trends: With increasing awareness of sleep benefits, brands that emphasize wellness features can attract health-conscious consumers.

In summary, sustaining top-of-mind awareness encourages long-term customer relationships, ultimately boosting sales and loyalty in this seldom-purchased category. Furthermore, if competition is intense and opportunities exist in your market, consider expanding the mattress category in your next Marshall survey!