Design of the Times, an official contest and event of the Path to Purchase Institute, celebrates in-store displays and digital activations, and recognizes their role in an enhanced shopper experience.
The Path to Purchase Institute is a network attending to the needs of retailers, brands, and the entire network of solution providers along various channels. The Design of the Times, or DOT, celebrates creative merchandisers and marketers across a variety of specialty retail categories.
Great Northern Instore won 12 awards at the 2019 event, including two Gold winners. View them all here:
In 2020, the Path to Purchase Institute adjusted the format, and Great Northern Instore placed three finalists. View their stories here:
GOLD: Pepsi® Generations Quad Case Stacker
Pepsi wanted to drive sales through a temporary, freestanding activation for the grocery channel that brought its “Generations” campaign to life. Shopper insights were applied which influenced the scale, use of bold brand colors, as well as iconic images and packaging to connect with shoppers. A larger than life can in the center of the display commands attention. Made of e flute corrugate, the can features quadrants, each representing a different era. The bold branding and nostalgic packaging was used to connect with the shopper.
GOLD: SANPELLEGRINO© Foodie Cart for Nestle Waters
Nestle Waters requested a breakthrough display solution that would achieve secondary placement for its SANPELLEGRINO© product line in the grocery and food channel. The display solution needed to work in new locations of the store, draw attention, and immediately differentiate San Pellegrino from other competitive products, as well as create other cross-selling opportunities. Using the growing consumer foodie trend as an inspiration, the Great Northern Instore team created a new shopping experience for San Pellegrino fans. From the butcher-block countertop to the silver wire shelving and metal frame, the cart evokes a wholesome, authentic feel for the food enthusiast. With adjustable shelving, and ample space on the top of the cart, there are many cross-selling opportunities for this brand.
SILVER: Pepsi® Generations Hispanic Soccer Merchandiser/Spanner
Pepsi wanted to drive sales with a temporary, freestanding activation for the grocery channel that brought its “Generations” promotion and partnership with soccer to relevant Hispanic markets. The large-scale activation commands shopper attention using a bold header featuring six famous soccer stars and life-size, die-cut soccer balls, and real netting to simulate a soccer goal. Bold Pepsi blue, red, and white colors and logos conveys to the shopper the product and inspirational flair of the display.
SILVER: 3M© Post-It® Sharpie End Cap for Office Depot®
Our goal was to show that Post-It® notes and Sharpies® go together! Our assignment was to promote both Post-It Notes and Sharpie pens on an endcap at Office Depot. To make product stand out, we shifted shelves to an angle, providing more front facing presentation of the notes. We also used outstanding visuals of strokes of color simulating sharpie color stripes. All of these creative elements and design met our goals for bold color presentation and connection to the Sharpie products with Notes. 3M and Office Depot achieved very successful returns on this program.
SILVER: Callaway® Rogue
Callaway® wanted a temporary display to promote its new hourglass shaped jailbreak bar technology, featuring club head structural reinforcement bars. Keying off the shape of the jailbreak bar, our team created an hourglass-shaped display to visually reinforce the technology used in its ROGUE line of drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids. The display design includes three physical clubs purposely located outside of the “live graphic area” creating focus on the oversized head imagery that comes to life via motion activation. Glowing backlit jailbreak bars were also added to visually underscore the headline “Distance comes from within.”
SILVER: Pepsi® Generations Merchandiser/Spanner
Our objective was to develop a temporary, freestanding display for Pepsi’s 2018 Generations/Drink Pepsi “Get Stuff” campaign for placement into the grocery channel. Pepsi requested a unique modular solution to remind people of Pepsi’s heritage while engaging the consumer to purchase various products. The display solution included a large scale merchandising system that commands attention through its impactful 1950’s era vending machine/main street general store thematic. This aesthetic connects with the older consumer who remembers the “good old days” and the younger generation that loves flea markets, barn wood, and everything retro.
SILVER: Starbucks® Cold Brew Cooler Display for Pepsi
To create awareness and launch Starbucks cold brew single-serve product, the merchandising solution needed to reinforce Starbucks’ own distinctive Instore brand identity while meeting the space and durability demands of a supermarket environment and a glass-bottled product. Our team designed and produced a merchandiser that draws attention, builds brand loyalty, and delivers maximum shoppability with a built in refrigerator unit to house a variety of sizes of grab & go items.
SILVER: Coleman Dark Room Tent Display
Newell Brands/Rubbermaid asked Great Northern Instore to create a display solution to promote and educate shoppers about the brand’s new Dark Room Technology that provides campers a better sleep. To engage shoppers Instore, we built an interactive unit with a “Try Me” button to invite customers to see the difference between the Coleman Dar Room Tent and the alternative. Two tents were represented on the unit, as well as material samples that allow shoppers to touch and feel the product. When activated, two LEDs powered by on-board batteries illuminate the display, backlighting two tents to simulate how sunlight will penetrate each. This solution made it easy for shoppers to see the difference and the benefits of the Dark Room Technology.
SILVER: Fabric® Brand Cycle Starter Floor Stand & Fabric Demo Saddle Display Combo
Our assignment was to create the easiest way to try, display, and sell the brands most popular, award-winning line of cycling products. The fixtures needed to be light, compact, and boldly branded, with the ability to house all specified products, and durable enough to ship pre-built and fully stocked. Our display solution made an impactful presentation of the family of products in the Fabric line. The display and promotion was a huge success with happy retailers who experienced double-digit sales over expectations.
SILVER: Square© Pallet Display for Sam’s Club©
Square needed a solution to merchandise its product line at Sam’s Club. They requested a semi-permanent pallet display solution that would showcase/promote the sale of Square products. The display graphics needed to reflect the call to action “Take payments at the counter or on the go.” To reinforce this concept, a background with a coffee shop aesthetic and ‘wood’ counter was created. White was specifically chosen for the corrugate structure, as it exuded the characteristic of cleanliness, simplicity, and ease, while brightly colored pocket cells highlighted packaging. Additional product information was placed on the front and side edges of the counter structure. Brand messaging was clear and impactful, and the pallet executed in minutes due to its pre-assembled/pre-loaded nature.
BRONZE: Pepsi® Generations Music Speaker Merchandiser
To promote Pepsi’s “Generations” through a music promotion and wanted to bring it to life in the grocery channel. The goal was to connect with a broad range of shoppers across generations that have loved Pepsi’s historic use of musicians in their campaigns. This display solution uses a differentiated shape to command shopper attention. A cylinder makes the product accessible from all sides while providing the shape of today’s popular blue-tooth portable speakers. The giant speaker connects the shopper to the promotion. Bold branding with Pepsi’s iconic logo strengthens the connection of the brand with music and fun.
BRONZE: Callaway® MD4 Wedge Display
Callaway was looking for a standout, temporary display solution for the 2018 spring launch of its MD4 wedges. To commanded shopper attention, our team created a display that features a bold color palette, oversized club imagery and a dramatic, tapered shape. Actual wedges were also included on the display to create a “hands-on” interactivity for golfers wanting to touch and feel actual clubs.
What Are the DOT Awards?
DOT celebrates the most innovative and effective marketing campaigns, as well as in-store retail displays throughout the year. For over 25 years, the Design of the Times competition has recognized hundreds of leading agencies, retailers, brand marketers, POP producers, digital marketing practitioners, and packaging design firms for their prominent in-store retail displays and merchandising campaigns.
Leading retail executives and consumer product marketers judge retail presentations based on how well they achieve their primary objectives. Design awards are given to those displays that best execute the 4C’s of Effective In-Store and Digital Activation criteria:
- Close the sale
- Connect with the shopper
- Convey information
- Command attention
Why Have Great Northern Instore Design Your In-Store Display?
Great Northern Instore’s team of over 80 designers is continually striving to help customers solve problems using a full breadth of resources and industry expertise.
When you choose us to design your custom in-store display, you’ll enjoy many benefits:
- We provide complete turnkey solutions, innovative designs, and exceptional service.
- Whether you want temporary, semi-permanent, permanent, or interactive displays, Great Northern Instore has solutions. Our permanent exhibits are constructed from wood, plastic, metal, and electronic components.
- Our corrugated displays are designed for shorter promotions and seasonal activations. They are easy to swap out when campaigns change and allow for a range of different branding and printing options.
- You can rest assured that your display is as friendly to the environment as it is to your campaign. Our corrugated cardboard designs are 100% recyclable and made from 60 to 90% post-consumer waste.
- We apply a collaborative process that works to bolster shopper engagement and build your brand.
- Our skilled engineers are committed to meeting your marketing objectives and working within your budget parameters.
- Since 2014, we have won over 100 design awards, offering first-rate display designs and retail insights.
- With a focus on building long-term relationships, our structural design team is well-versed in the retail requirements of companies like Target, Walmart, Walgreens and, others.
- You can trust Great Northern Instore to help you create custom point-of-purchase displays that turn shoppers into buyers. We have six decades of experience designing and researching what makes shoppers want to buy your product.
Increase Brand Awareness With Custom Retail Displays
Great Northern Instore understands how market research informs exceptional design creations that trigger successful activations at the point of purchase. We’re excited to collaborate with you and design an award-winning representation of your brand.
Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help you win at retail. Or, feel free to explore some of the display examples we have used to help customers create an undeniable retail presence.