Everyone’s heard the old saw that consumers make at least two-thirds of their purchase decisions in-store. But beyond that, little is known about the value and effectiveness of point-of-purchase advertising.

Which may help to explain why a proposal to measure in-store advertising by the Washington, D.C.-based Point-of-Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) received a warm reception from advertisers, agencies and suppliers alike at a breakfast presentation held April 11 in Toronto.

"It would certainly be easier for us to sell to our clients, because a lot of them are looking for actual data [as opposed to anecdotal evidence]," says Aileen Grant, vice-president, group media director at Toronto-based OMD Canada. "It would be great to [be able to] back up what we’ve been saying."

Measurement will help lend credence to what P-O-P suppliers have been telling their clients for years, says Scott Weston, director of marketing at News Canada Marketing, a point-of-purchase supplier based in Mississauga, Ont.

"It means there will be additional awareness of the value of in-store," he says.

POPAI, in concert with the Advertising Research Foundation, is planning a multi-year, multi-channel study that will measure in-store advertising execution, audience delivery and effectiveness across a range of brands, categories and types of store.

As well, the study will allow clients and advertisers to compare the effectiveness of P-O-P advertising – which includes signage, floor graphics, instant-off coupons, shelf danglers and the like – with that of other mass media, such as television, radio and out-of-home.

The study is a follow-up to a pilot done last year that revealed several preliminary findings, including the fact that placement of in-store advertising varies widely by retail chain – as few as one-third and as many as three-quarters of stores within the retail chains studied displayed P-O-P advertising.

"Everybody understands the value of P-O-P advertising," said researcher Paula Payton in an interview following her presentation. "We want to furnish [media buyers] with a number so they can make the best media decisions possible."

The Garden promotes two creative directors

ACDs Lindsay Eady and Francheska Galloway-Davis have taken over responsibility for day-to-day creative leadership at The Garden after being promoted to creative director roles.

The pair will also help develop the agency’s creative talent, formalizing mentorship and leadership activities they have been doing since joining the agency four and three years ago, respectively. In addition to creating the agency’s internship program, the pair have worked on campaigns for Coinsquare, FitTrack and “The Coke Challenge” campaign for DanceSafe.

Eady and Galloway-Davis will continue to report to The Garden’s co-founder and chief creative officer Shane Ogilvie, who is stepping back from daily creative duties to a more high-level strategic role, allowing him to focus on client relationships and business growth.

Naked Creative Consultancy names new creative and strategy leadership

Toronto’s Naked Creative Consultancy has hired Yasmin Sahni as its new creative director. She is taking over creative leadership from David Kenyon, who has been in the role for 10 years and is moving into a new role as director of strategy, leading the discipline at the agency.

Sahni is coming off of three years as VP and ECD at GTB’s Toronto office, where she managed all the retail, social and service creative for Ford Canada. She previously managed both Vice Media and Vice’s in-house ad agency Virtue.

Peter Shier, president of Naked, says Sahni’s hiring adds to its creative bench and capabilities, as well as a track record of mentorship, a priority for the company. Meanwhile, Kenyon’s move to the strategy side, he says, makes sense because of his deep knowledge of its clients, which have included Ancestry and The Globe and Mail.

Digital Ethos opens a Toronto office

U.K. digital agency Digital Ethos is pursuing new growth opportunities in North America by opening a new office in Toronto.

Though it didn’t disclose them, the agency has begun serving a number of North American clients, and CEO/founder Luke Tobin says the “time was right to invest in a more formal and actual presence in the area.” whose services include design, SEO, pay-per-click, social media, influencer and PR,

This year, the agency’s growth has also allowed it to open an office in Hamburg, Germany, though it also has remote staff working in countries around the world.

Moray Hickes was the company’s first North American hire as VP of sales, tasked with business development in the region.