Pukka Pies: power of permanent point-of-sale (PPOS)

A client of mine is off to work for a company called Pukka Pies (ppurveyors of meat pies, normally sold in fish and chip shops or at football grounds). And a comment he made about his new employer got me thinking about the power of "permanent POS" (point-of-sale) material. This is marketing collateral that is somehow fixed into the place where the brand is sold. 

In the case of Pukka Pies, the brand has a range of different POS used in fish and chip shops: branded menu boards, ovens for heating pies, signs outside the shop etc.

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This permanent POS, or PPOS, has several benefits:

– It "activates" your brand at the moment of truth when people are choosing what to buy

– As the name suggests, the branded material is permanent, unlike a lot of POS material that is only in store for a few weeks

– There is a financial reporting benefit, in that PPOS may be counted as capital expenditure, so the cost to your marketing budget is spread over several years as depreciation

Here are a few thoughts on how to learn from Pukka Pies.

1. Create distinctive brand properties: Pukka Pies don't advertise much, but they do have some nice visual assets in the colours (orange, black, white) and the "lozenge" shaped logo

2. Connect at the moment of truth: installing PPOS is a big commitment, so it forces you to really understand purchase occasions and channels. In the case of Pukka pies, the fish and chip shop is a key channel and usage occasion. This means the marketing investment is really focused on driving sales at the moment of truth

3. Amplify the PPOS: once you have your presence in the channel, it helps to amplify your brand further. For example, Pukka Pies run a "Chip Shop of the Month" competition. This reinforces the brand's support for this channel and creates commitment from the chip shop owners. And a nice bonus is one more bit of PPOS: the framed certificate to go on the wall!

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In conclusion, Pukka Pies show how a perhaps neglected form of marketing can help build your brand and business.