POP Displays Launched PHD Program
September 3, 2007

POP Displays has introduced a POP Honorary Degree (PHD) program for marketers and retailers. Courses are held at client offices or at the POP Displays Yonkers facility. Curriculum includes courses such as "How to Get the Best Creative Design" and "Demystifying the Science of Materials and Processes." 

"Our goal is to help our clients be better educated so we can both produce better work. We've spent months developing the right content for each course and balancing the amount of lecture with hands-on activities to reinforce the learning. In fact, games are woven in each course so they move quickly and are fun to attend," commented Joe Berzok, Senior Vice President of Sales at POP Displays.

The design course provides an inside look at the creative process as the tables are turned and participants become the display provider. After a session full of real-world examples, attendees are challenged to write a brief that is simple, clear cut and provides the right information to drive the best creative. By the end of the course, participants are generating initial designs and evaluating each other with a set of criteria that can become a checklist for future presentations.

The materials course helps marketers and retailers make more informed decisions. Short modules deep dive into plastic materials and processes, as well as metal, wood and lighting. Short lectures are interspersed with videos and group activities, including lively competitions to identify materials and processes. The day culminates with a plant tour of the POP Displays facility which brings the training to life.

CVS completed both courses and Michael LePage, Director Retail Design and Planogram commented, "It was eye opening for us. We learned more than we expected about the role a strategic brief plays in the design process. And the materials course was full of useful information with simple leave-behinds that I hope our people use as reference guides."

POP Displays offers these courses to any marketers or retailers, even if they are not clients. Additional courses are in development and courses can be tailored to a company's needs.