Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> May 1, 1998
MICHAEL WAHL, Chairman of the Board and CEO of The Howard Marlboro Group
(HMG) built HMG and its predecessor companies from a singular idea into
one of the world's most influential and successful in-store marketing
companies. His idea took root while he was working as a salesclerk
during high school. He studied how shoppers reacted to different
displays. He became convinced that the behavior of shoppers in
supermarkets and other self-service settings, if studied and analyzed
scientifically, would lead to a new generation of displays which
incorporate the shapes, colors and psychological appeals to which most
consumers respond favorably and which could deliver predictably better
sales results. He began proving his theories on his first job after
college at a small retail shoe chain where he was given special
responsibility for point-of-purchase materials, window displays and the
architectural design of the stores. By the time he became President of
the chain at age 25, it had grown to 130 units. In 1966, he sold his
interest to form Wahl Associates, a design firm which specialized in the
manufacture of self-service displays. The displays produced by the new
firm worked so well that its client list soon included major companies
such as P&G, Pillsbury, L'eggs, Miller Brewing, Bali, Hanes and British
Airways. In 1975, Mr. Wahl established Marlboro Marketing with the
specific purpose of providing its clients with disciplined marketing
solutions. This finally gave him the opportunity to put his theories
about shopper behavior to the full test and to exercise the complete
range of his marketing skills. He constantly analyzed the way shoppers
reacted to the displays and merchandising systems he and his group
created. He invented the in-store photo audit to get more accurate
information about how consumers actually respond to changes in hardware
designs and promotional materials. His most impressive roster of clients
includes Cover Girl, Procter & Gamble, L'eggs, Sara Lee and Marks &
Spencer. Again and again, HMG displaysthe Pillsbury Dairy Case
Organizer, the James River Tabletop program, the now-classic L'eggs
merchandiser and dozens morehave been astonishing successes. Again and
again, they have demonstrated that the Michael Wahl idea works in the
marketplace. He is a graduate of Long Island University and has taught
Promotions and In-Store Marketing at many universities around the world. Profile
challenges and opportunities that face your company today?
Mr. Wahl: HMG is a full service in-store marketing company. We
