Wrap-Up from FMI Loss Prevention Conference

Well, my first Loss Prevention Conference is under my belt.  I was initiated at the Food Marketing Institute’s LP show.  It was the perfect show for me.  Small and intimate, the loss prevention folks are very friendly and inviting. 

In fact, I was very impressed by how these folks openly share information.  They are family.  Together, they are fighting shrink.  With any other group, they would be friendly but guarded because the others in the room are competitors.  Not in this room.  The more they can share and learn from each other, the more they can benefit their own organization.

And, I was not treated like the bad guy either.  Typically, the vendors are shunned and avoided like the plague, especially us marketing folks.  But, that was not the case.  John Geunther, VP of Loss Prevention at Heinen’s is one of the committee members for FMI LP.  I met him on the first day of the event.  Even though we only chatted a few times, we shook hands and departed like old friends.  Ok, so I exaggerate a bit, but not by much.

So, thank you to everyone I met at the show.

It probably didn’t hurt that, during the opening keynote, Michael Sansolo started talking about social media and I was the only one Twittering during the event.

Thanks to Michael for opening up their eyes to social media.  It will make my job easier in the long run if these folks start to pay attention.

But, later in the day I attended a presentation by Mark Gaudette, Director of Loss Prevention from Big Y on social media and I realized a few things.  First, these folks are afraid of the technology.  I was approached by a few of them after the event to discuss how thieves use social media to commit fraud and what they can possibly do to mitigate it.  And rightly so.  There are videos everywhere on how to steal from retailers. 

YouTube, take note.  You ought to think about some sort of moderation.  You do it today.  No nudity allowed. Why not extend that to include no criminal acts?

Second thing I learned from these folks is that they have a pessimistic view of social media.  And, that is not their fault.  That is how it was pitched to them.  Use it to investigate and catch the bad guy. 

But, social media can be positive.  Look at how I am using it.  Look at the YouTube videos from Heinen’s that are all about making the perfect dinner.  Use social media to market your brand or your department.

The Big Y commercial spoof shown in the session was pure genius.  Hopefully, Big Y takes advantage of it.  Some kids made a parody of the Big Y commercials.  It was tasteful, funny, and portrayed Big Y in a positive light.  If I were Big Y, I would take advantage of this. 

Sponsor a contest for customers to create a 30 second spot and the best one wins $500 in free groceries.  But, remember, its about the internet, so cell phone created commercials are fine.  The smaller the video the easier it is for it to be spread all around the world!

See you all at RILA’s Loss Prevention Conference May 3-6, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.  In the meantime, I will be blogging religiously.  Welcome aboard.  I hope you enjoy the ride!

Derek