Archive for 2010

Breaking a Brand Promise – Pharmacy

Posted at September 6, 2010 // Retail, Strategy / Tactics

Brand managers each day make decisions regarding their brands. Sometimes, the decision is about how to build a brand. Sometimes, the decision is about how to reinforce a brand. However, some of the most important decisions are how to not destroy a brand.

In order to make those hard decisions, you must first know what your brand stands for.

If I were to ask you to describe Wal-Mart, how would you answer? I suspect you’d say something along the line of big box store that sells everything on everyday low prices. Well, that’s Wal-Mart’s brand.

If I were to ask you to describe CVS, how would you answer? I suspect you’d answer something like it’s a pharmacy that also conveniently carries some general merchandise. Well, that’s CVS’s brand.

In fact, CVS is how it’s commonly called. It’s full name is CVS/pharmacy. In fact, it is the nation’s second largest chain of pharmacy.

Therefore, imagine my disappointment when CVS fails to fulfill its brand promise of being a pharmacy.

I am an allergy sufferer. So, when fall pollens start to fill the air, I started my hunt for allergy meds. Nowadays, the best OTC allergy meds are sold behind the counter of a pharmacy. I started with a nearby Wal-Mart. However, my mission failed, because the pharmacy was closed at the time. I was disappointed, but I couldn’t really hold that against Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart after all is a general merchandiser, and it’s sometimes hit or miss when you’re looking for something specific.

So, I decided to go to the specialty channel route, and went to a nearby CVS. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I also cannot get the meds because the pharmacy inside the CVS/pharmacy was closed. Now, if the store in general was close, it was just unfortunate timing. However, as long as the store was open, a store that’s called CVS/pharmacy, I would expect to be able to get pharmaceutical products from such store. That is CVS failing on its brand promise. If they could not keep the pharmacy open, they should just shorten the store hours accordingly. This is why Walgreens is still my pharmacy…

Photo credit: Sarah Spaulding

Food for thought: Groceries every corner

Posted at July 25, 2010 // Retail

Kwikshop, originally uploaded by jeannie_chan.

Recently, I took a trip to Australia. There, many gas stations were partnered with the local grocery stores, making gas stations great one-stop shops. Now, we don’t have to go all the way to the other side of the world to see this. We observe this right here in the States with the recent KwikShop renovations.

These KwikShops are not only gas stations. They are pharmacies. They are your convenient take-out kitchens. They are true convenient stores!

This is just another step in the store format revolution. The line between different retail environments are blurring.

Ooh Shiny…

Posted at May 10, 2010 // Web

If you haven’t started following Tom Fishburne, please start today! His latest post really got me thinking… How useless social media is if you don’t have strong fundamentals. Social media is just another latest new trick in a marketer’s bag. But, it’s not the only trick. And just because it’s new and shiny still doesn’t mean it’s the best trick.

His post all started with Mark Ritson’s column. In which, he asserts that “Most brands don’t have the newsworthiness, broad appeal or dynamism to have any chance of making Twitter work for them.” So, get the fundamentals right. Don’t expect your consumers to “fan” you because you have a facebook page. They will “fan” you if they have been a fan. They become a fan when you get every other piece of the marketing mix right (you know, those dang Ps, like having the right product, at the right price, at the right place, backed by the right promotion).

Photo credit: Intersection Consulting