Hostess promotions are an important element of the in-store communication media mix. We asked three experts Ágnes Csiby (managing director – In-store Team Kft.), Róbert Kufár (managing director – KRQ Communications) and Edit Szabó (account director – WONDERDUCK AGENCY ZRT.) about the ins and outs of the trade. According to Edit Szabó, a promotion is successful if the partner and the agency do a campaign that positively influences the target group. Campaigns have to be special and characteristic of the product or the manufacturer, making them easily identifiable.

Ágnes Csiby opines that good preparation is of key importance for both the agency and the partner. In an ideal case the profit from sales growth covers the cost of the campaign. The most important task of a promoter or a hostess is to know and like the product they represent. Therefore probably the most important stage of organising a promotion is selecting and training hostesses. Edit Szabó told us that when it comes to the clothes promoters wear, very often ‘economical’ solutions are used. She is convinced that exciting clothes that match the promoted product call attention to the hostess before she says hello to the shopper. Róbert Kufár is highly experienced in non-food products’ in-store promotion and according to him hostesses have to have good communication skills, be smart, polite and know a lot about the product. Besides being well-prepared and knowledgeable, it also helps if the hostess is good-looking and knows the venue of the promotion very well. It is logistics’ task to transport the promoted goods and other equipment to the venue and to store them there. It is crucial to define the volume of products precisely, so that there will be enough of it at the in-store tasting session. Arrangements have to be made to have spare products or equipment in case something goes wrong. Promotional reports do not only inform about the success of the action but can also serve as small market surveys if the promoter questionnaires are compiled well. Making these reports is just as important as the promotions themselves, because in light of the data and opinions it can be decided which solutions worked and need to be kept and which are the ones that have to be changed in order to increase sales. Those agencies work well which analyse the reports and make recommendations to partners – they do not only participate in implementation but also in making the long-term marketing mix of the product. Good cooperation with an agency is impossible without providing it with all the necessary information about the product, its history and market. The ‘brief’ has to be worded precisely and it has to contain the goals to be achieved. Many companies cut the budget of in-store promotions because of the current economic recession, despite the fact that these are the times when it is especially important to convince shoppers in-store about buying a certain products – practically putting it into their baskets