This document discusses visual merchandising and point-of-purchase displays. It outlines the process of designing a point-of-purchase display for Parker pens, including choosing the brand, understanding the target audience, developing design concepts, and creating a wall-hanging display featuring imagery and text appealing to the "Geek God" persona associated with Parker pens. The final display is intended to be eye-catching, convey the Parker brand image, and boost sales by displaying the pens prominently at the point of purchase.

1. Visual Merchandising
Point-Of-Purchase Display
DishaKaushal I FC V I M/CD/06/07 I NIFT

2. Visual Merchandising is the art of combining product,
environment and space into a stimulating and engaging
display with a view to selling the merchandised product or
service.
Many elements can be used by the Visual Merchandising artist
in creating their displays; color, lighting, space, product
information, sensorial inputs such as smell, touch and sound
as well as technologies such as digital displays and interactive
installations.
Point of Sale / Point of Purchase - POP Design
A high quality Point of Purchase Display will get products right
in front of potential customers and help boost your retail
sales. A professionally designed Point of Purchase Display can
make all the difference between a potential customer
purchasing the product or the product of competition.

3. Stage 1:Understanding what a Point-Of-Purchase Unit is?
Point of Purchase or point of sale (POS or PoS) can mean a
retail shop, a checkout counter in a shop, or the location
where a transaction occurs. More specifically, the point of sale
often refers to the hardware and software used for checkouts
-- the equivalent of an electronic cash register. Point of sale
systems are used in supermarkets, restaurants, hotels,
stadiums, and casinos, as well as almost any type of retail
establishment.
A Point Of Purchase is a place where sales are made on a
macro level. A PoP may be a mall, market or a city. On a micro
level, retailers consider a PoP to be the area surrounding the
cash counter where customers pay.
In recent years, the point of purchase for products/services
has become an important focus for marketers, because the
consumers tend to make purchase decisions on very high
margin.
PoPs may be real as in the case of the brick and mortar store,
or virtual as in the case of any electronic retailer that sells
goods on the internet.

4. Stage 2: Choosing a brand
The moment this assignment was introduced I was clear that I
wanted to make a PoP for a stationery shop, because I felt this
was one domain which needed to be worked upon.
So the brands that flashed in my head were;
•Faber Castel
•Camlin
•Parker
•Reynolds
Faber Castel and Camlin already had containers to carry their
merchandise and more over the brand image itself could not
hold my attention.
Reynolds catered to a mass market and working on an elaborate
PoP design would only add to the cost and probably would not
fetch such returns.
Parker, on the other hand, was an extremely cult brand and had
built up a huge market due to its credibility.
So I zeroed down on Parker.

5. Stage 3: Brand Profile
THE PARKER SPIRIT
When he started making pens George Parker had a simple yet
ambitious aim - to make a better pen. And that single, simple
vision has powered the Parker Pen Company ever since.
From the first patented 'Lucky Curve' system, which
dramatically reduced the leakage that was a hazard of early
fountain pens, right up to the latest Duofold Esparto collection,
Parker’s ongoing dynamic is one of quality without
compromise. We’ve built a brand dedicated to passion for
perfection, and driven by bold innovation. Our philosophy is to
put customers and craftsmanship first - and it’s made Parker
the most recognized Fine Writing pen brand in the world.
Even today, every Parker pen is carefully checked at every stage
of its manufacture. That’s a clear signal of our commitment to
quality – and of our continuing belief in the vision George
Parker held all those years ago.

6. Stage 4: Knowing The Clientele
Owing to the image that the brand has built for itself Parker
pens are considered a sign of Reliability, Durability, Subtle
Style and Perfection.
Thus the target audience also comprises of mostly working
men and women in the 20-60 age bracket.
It is a stable pen which is believed to be passed on to different
generations.
It not only adds class to the beholder but also reflects stability
of character.

7. Stage 5: Selection of KEY WORDS
Successful
Pocket size luxury
Urban
Classy
Geeky
Stable
Durable
Stylish
Perfect
Tradition
Panache
Corporate
Graduation
Teacher
Classroom
Poise
Intellectual
Legendary
Black

8. Stage 6: Choosing a Theme
The theme for this assignment will be the GEEK GOD, because I
feel that the contemporary youth as well as office –goers will
be able to relate to it and will either find a part of them in the
image projected or will aspire to live up to the image of the
brand.

9. Stage 7: Sketches for the Point Of Purchase Display
The display would be a counter top display with space to
accommodate a maximum of 5 pens as the look will be geeky
and minimalistic.
We were to come up with 10 ideas for the display…
1.Making a rotating PoP with cutouts of people in 4 different
professions, viz a lawyer, a graduate, a professor and a
businessman all with parker pens in their pockets.

10. 2.To make a 3-level pen-stand with the Parker arrow jutting at
the top, placing 4-5 pens on the stand and placing props like a
graduation cap, a degree, a tie, a pair of geeky glasses.

11. 3. Choosing a backdrop with equations written on it, in front of
it placed a cut-out of Buddha’s silhouette under the banyan
tree and a single parker pen showing only the clip of the pen.
Tagline: Will you be the next Geek God?
Possible Backdrop

12. 4. Making a cutout of caricature of a geek and making him
hold a degree in one hand a parker pen in the other, and
placing a Graduation cap on his head.
5.Making a setup of a blackboard with equations written in
black, the other half is a green board with a duster and a
parker pen attached to it.
Tagline: Who will be the next Geek God?

13. 6. A print on a sunboard showing an image of geek with the face
cutout empty, background of a table in a library with loads of
books.
Tagline: The next geek god??
7. A setup of a table with a backdrop of the image shown below a
the following things placed in front of it along with a parker pen.

14. 8. A collage showing pockets of people in different professions
with a parker pen in each pocket, and a tray jutting out with pens
on display.
Tagline: Parker … a Geek Essential
9. A mannequin wearing a similar looking t-shirt as shown
below and a parker pen in the Pocket.

15. 10. A graphic with text like ‘10 things that make you a Geek
God’ and instead of the 10th
point the image of a parker pen.
I finalized with a modified version of the 10th
concept and
reframed it as ‘when do you know that you are a geek god?’
When you see yourself sitting in the library for hours
When you start wearing boring formal clothes
When you are studying hard, burning the mid-night lamp
When you have clean oiled hair with a side parting
When mouse to you means only a user interface
When binary language makes more sense to you than anything else.
When your style statement comprises of your neckties and your geeky glasses
When you prefer gadgets to gals/guys
When the ratio between your EQ and IQ is 1:∞
When you start penning your thoughts with…

16. Stage 8: Making the PoP
I decided to make the PoP display out of sunboard as it was
convenient medium to work with and moreover such a PoP
could be easily replicated in a retail environment . The PoP is
wall hanging.
9”
9”
16”
16”
Made out of 4mm sunboard
Fixed through a cut and through copper
colored chains at an angle of 140°

17. Wall hanging
Wall support
Fixed through a cut
Chains at 140°
Hook to hang pens
Sketch of the final display with stick-
notes and the mini manual

19. PICTURES OF THE DISPLAY

20. The effective cost of the display is about Rs. 600 including the
merchandise, thus it can be easily replicated in a multi-brand
outlet.
Such a display can be easily placed in a
•Stationary shop
•Book store
•Gift shops, eg. Archies
•Supermarkets like Odyssey
•Hypermarket
•Discount stores
•Specialty store selling only pens
•Exclusive Brand Outlet
The exercise was interesting as we dealt with the actual
materials used in the industry and also had a hands on
experience with product designing.