APPLETON, Wis., October 30, 2014 – Great Northern Instore, an industry leader in retail and point-of-purchase displays, won five awards, including one of only four Platinum awards, in the Design of the Times competition announced Oct. 22 at the 2014 Shopper Marketing Expo in Minneapolis.
Great Northern earned the Platinum award for its Purina Tidy Cats Lift Test PetSmart Half Pallet display for client Nestle-Purina Petcare Co. The display also won a Gold award in the Specialty Stores category. Platinum awards are selected as the best in their category.
“We’re really proud of our success, but even more committed to helping our partners succeed at retail,” said Patrick Graf, vice president of sales development at Great Northern Instore. “This interactive display clearly communicated the Tidy Cats message and engaged the shopper.”
The other Great Northern entries recognized with awards were:
| Award | Title of Entry | Client | Category |
| Silver | Best Buy Quarter Pallet & Photo-Op Standee | Nintendo of America | Consumer Electronics |
| Bronze | Nintendo GameStop Counter Display | Nintendo of America | Consumer Electronics |
| Bronze | Mountain Dew LED Arrow Sign | PepsiCo | Convenience |
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The Design of the Times contest recognizes the retail industry’s most inspiring and creative in-store activation tactics and campaigns. Hundreds of entries were evaluated on how well they met the four “C”s of effective in-store activation: Command attention, Connect with the shopper, Convey information and Close the sale, as well as how well each entry met its stated objectives. This was the 19th annual competition.
Shopper Marketing Expo is the world’s largest gathering of shopper marketing professionals, who use the occasion to network, learn and view the latest creative work of more than 100 exhibitors.