What's growing faster than Internet ad spend (and way faster than tv, print and radio)? AdvertisingAge reports that Shopper Marketing has doubled since 2004 and is on pace foran annual growth rate of 21% through 2010, making it faster than even theInternet juggernaut (which is rising 15% annually). As usual,P&G is leading the pack among consumer brand powerhouses, spending at least $500million annually on shopper marketing.

From decals on the aisle floor to ads on the shopping cart, brands arescrambling to get closer to the point of purchase, increasing the chances ofinfluencing the purchase decision. "Shopper marketing is a new medium asimportant as the internet, mobile or gaming," Starcom MediaVest Group NorthAmerica CEO Renetta McCann told AdAge. MassoGroup estimates 80% of all purchase decisions are made in a retailenvironment.

Shopper Marketing considers shopper identity rather than brand identityaccording to HubMagazine. In the calculated labyrinth of the local grocery store, marketersconsider where products are located and what route customers take to get tothere. For example, by the time customers arrive at the detergent aisle theyhave a full cart, and it is much more convenient to pick up ALL Small &Mighty.

Nielsen isgetting in on the action, having recently announced a new system for measuringthe effects of marketing to an in-store audience. Dubbed PRISM (PioneeringResearch for an In-Store Metric), the  project was unveiled September 27 at the In-StoreMarketing Expo in Chicago.  According to In-StoreMarketer, "the measurement model predicts consumer reach by category or area of the store, by retail format, and by day of the week, delivering unprecedentedinsight into the store as a marketing channel."