The power of brand

This article first appeared July 19, 2011.

There is an old adage in retail marketing. It revolves around the importance of the power of the retail store staff to change our minds when we come pre-prepared to buy a specific brand. The adage is that: “if it goes on the body, in the body or costs over $50, we shoppers always ask store staff for advice.” 

This week, in one of the top pharmacies in the country, I saw and heard this firsthand – and the incredible power that brands still hold in the minds of shoppers. In a pharmacist/drug store this particular store staff member is called the Pharmacy Assistant, affectionately known in the trade as the “PA”. They are usually aged between 20 and 60, 95% are female and they are one of the most trusted advisors a shopper interacts with in any month of shopping.  

The pharmacy layout is quite innovative, with the pharmacist and PAs at desks in the store, rather than hidden behind a huge wall, or worse still, two metres above my head behind a special podium. In fairness, there are very valid product security reasons as to why prescription products need to be up high. However, this innovative approach to store layout has meant that the pharmacist doesn’t have to be (literally) above you, and can sit and talk to shoppers all day long, dispensing advice as well as cures. My guess is that this pharmacist has a very loyal shopper base.

This particular pharmacy outlet has been recognised by the Pharmacy Guild as an award-winning store, with a focus on proactively offering lower priced generic brands instead of higher priced manufacturer brands from the major drug companies. This is a stated objective of many pharmacy bodies around the world. In this store I had just been proactively offered, and accepted, a lower price generic antibiotic for a sore throat.

While paying for my script I overheard a female shopper in her late 20s ask the PA for a “Ventolin Inhaler” using the brand’s name. Ventolin is the branded little blue-grey unit that dominates the inhaler market worldwide, and a favourite among asthmatics and sports people alike. Shoppers no longer need to buy it on prescription, but it has to be asked for and supplied by the pharmacist.

The PA immediately asked the shopper: “would you prefer ‘X brand’, it’s a generic equivalent at a lower price.” I heard a pause and the shopper say: “No, I’ll take the Ventolin as he does like his brands.” The PA then, very professionally, explained: “The generic brand has the same properties, and works just as well, but it’s cheaper”. And again the shopper said: “No, no he does like his brands”.

There aren’t many places where the retail store staff have such a trusted position in the shopper’s mind as the pharmacy PA. If they advise us to buy product “A” instead of product “B” we tend to agree with them.

I found it quite telling that somebody would hold their ground, in the face of advice by a specialist in this store and stay with their preferred brand, even if it cost them more. It just goes to show the power of brands.

In his role as CEO of CROSSMARK, Kevin Moore looks at the world of retailing from grocery to pharmacy, bottle shops to car dealers, corner store to department stores. In this insightful blog, Kevin covers retail news, ideas, companies and emerging opportunities in Australia, NZ, the US and Europe. His international career in sales and marketing has seen him responsible for business in over 40 countries, which has earned him grey hair and a wealth of expertise in international retailers and brands. CROSSMARK Asia Pacific is Australasia’s largest provider of retail marketing services, consulting to and servicing some of Australasia’s biggest retailers and manufacturers.