Retail
Breaking a Brand Promise – Pharmacy
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: Â Sarah Spaulding
Food for thought: Groceries every corner
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.
More from the Food For Thought series.
(Editor’s Note: I have taken a hiatus from this blog because other parts of my life took over. However, these parts have given me great inspirations for blog topics. Stay tuned!)
Food for thought: SuperTarget
Sometimes, people are confused when I use the term SuperTarget. This is because SuperTargets, unlike WalMart SuperCenters, are not yet commonplace across the nation. There are only a little over 200 SuperTargets across the nation. (Incidentally, one of the first ones were built right here in the little town I live in back in 1995.)
Target operates four store formats (exclude one-off urban stores). They are Targets, Target Greatlands, PFresh Stores, and SuperTargets. These are listed in order of their grocery offerings. Targets have very limited grocery offerings, and are generally the smallest in size. Greatlands have more offerings than the basic Targets. PFresh Store format is Target’s newest, currently being rolled out. These stores would focus on Target’s private label brands. SuperTargets offer Target shoppers the widest variety of grocery items. As you can see in the video above, they basically fit a grocery store inside a Target store. These stores are very large, and is the epitome of one stop shop for the savvy Target shoppers.
The threat from Target, unlike Walmart, is not generated through scale. As mentioned above, SuperTargets are not commonplace, and there is unlikely one right around the corner from your everyday grocery stores. However, Target is very good at attracting a specific segment of shoppers via their product offering. Their private label commands a following that warrants a new store format! These shoppers may not go buy meat and fresh vegetable every week. But they pick up cookies, ready-to-be-microwaved meals, etc. that are widely available at many Targets across different store formats. And they are picking up their favorite brand – Archer Farm, the private label brand available only at Target.
More from the Food For Thought series.
Jeannie Chan is a Brand Manager for a Fortune 500 consumer goods company. She considers herself a marketer, a traveler, and a foodie. Jeannie lives in NYC. 
