Acknowledgments

Our book is based on the unique perspectives we gained from experience in the nonprofit world, where you can see firsthand how an entire industry functions and how various companies approach their business differently, and from the for-profit world, with direct experience in multiple shareholder settings—retail, brand, and supply side.

We are indebted to the work with our colleagues at POPAI—The Global Association for Marketing at Retail, whose preliminary studies of our industry informed some of our judgments and, at the same time, made clear the need for this book. We especially acknowledge the POPAI Board of Directors who recognized and acted upon the need for much more research for the medium over a decade ago.

It has been our good fortune to have met and worked with many of the most thoughtful and creative leaders in our industry—brilliant advertising executives, academics, and industry consultants, whose collective work has shaped the thinking of our industry. We cite them throughout this book to give them full credit for their hard work and innovative thinking.

We add a word of thanks to our friend Jim Spaeth of Sequent Partners, who through the years has always been available to provide insight into industry research and solid strategic guidance. And also a word of thanks to Ralph Oman, former head of the U.S. Copyright Office and now at George Washington University School of Law, for his review and guidance on the appropriate citing of the many sources of information shared in the book.

We would also like to recognize the contributions of the primary researchers for much of the field work, including Doug Adams of Prime Consulting, Inc., Martin Kingdon of Sheridan Global Consulting, and the team at Nielsen In Store.

Lastly, we are both indebted to our wives, Sharon and Sue, who have patiently tolerated our world travels as we built a wealth of experience in, knowledge of, and insight into the marketing at retail industry. We endeavor to share that knowledge with you here and hope you find it useful.

Rick DeHerder
Dick Blatt