Draftfcb Launches Shopper Marketing Unit

Draftfcb has opened a shopper marketing division under retail marketing veteran Jim Lucas.

Lucas takes the new title of executive vice president and director of the division, which will be based in Draftfcb’s Chicago headquarters.

He has worked at Draftfcb for nearly five years, most recently as director of strategic planning and research. Earlier, Lucas held that same post at Chicago shop Frankel (now part of Arc Worldwide).

The shopper marketing unit opens with a staff of four, working with current Draftfcb clients Kellogg, U.S. Postal Service and the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Board.

The division is designed to set consumer-based retail marketing strategy for retailers, manufacturers and service providers, according to Draftfcb.

“There are nearly one million active UPCs in the U. S. today, with the average household purchasing about 800 UPCs in a year,“ Lucas said in a statement. “As the number of product choices has increased, the choice processes among consumers have changed. Aligning the objectives of retailers and shoppers and effectively activating shoppers through value-added experiences is not only the mission and goal of our shopper marketing division, it is a core success factor in any marketing program today.”

Draftfcb ranked No. 17 in the 2006 PROMO 100 (as Draft, before its merger with Foote, Cone & Belding) with estimated 2005 net revenues of $387 million, up an estimated 15% from 2003.