Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/303783
C h a i n D ru g s to re D a i l y S a t u rd a y, A p ri l 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 6 COLLABORATION AND SEASONALITY: CREATING A BIGGER IN-STORE IMPACT By Joe Cavaliere, Chief Customer Officer, Newell Rubbermaid As competition for a consumer's dollar grows more complex and fierce, retailers and brands must leverage every opportu- nity to make themselves relevant to con- sumers' everyday lives. Seasonal market- ing provides a great opportunity to strate- gically highlight a brand and store's rele- vance – if done in a thoughtful and informed manner. At Newell Rubbermaid, our goal is be the partner of choice for growth with our retail customers. One of the ways we do this is leveraging key seasonal moments in time when consumers natu- rally rely on our products to help them get more out of life while providing a merchandising opportunity to retailers. This requires an intense under- standing of how our great brands like Rubbermaid ® , Sharpie ® , Paper Mate ® , Goody ® and Graco ® , among others, connect to and enhance the lives of our consumers. To gain this perspective, we are making significant new invest- ments in consumer insights so we can develop new innovations, as well as to work with our retail partners to better leverage our portfolio of brands in smarter merchandising programs. That means using insights to connect with consumers in-store at the right time with the message. Through our insights work, we've seen early success marrying key times of the year where consumers rely on our brands with a powerful in-store activa- tion to drive incremental sales. For our Rubbermaid brand, one exam- ple is the "Big Game" – the time in early February through March when consumers are preparing and storing food as they watch football or college basketball. Making our food containers available through in-store displays in the right place at the right time enables consumers to pick up something useful that they may not have been planning to purchase. To successfully turn insights into high-impact merchandising programs, we follow four steps: 1. Plan early. We need time to gath- er and analyze the necessary consumer insights and create a seasonal plan of action with our retailers, so we start planning for campaigns at least one year in advance. 2. Keep relevance top of mind. A cool in-store display or program doesn't matter if it doesn't engage consumers in a meaningful way with the product, brand and store. That's why we place such an emphasis on insights – insights lead to relevance. 3. Develop creative but sensible ideas. We start from a place of insights-based research and then brain- storm a diversity of ideas, always working towards unique, creative and exe- cutable solutions. 4. Play a long game. Consumers won't automatically associate a brand or store with a time of year just because they saw one in-store promo- tion once. Brands and retailers must maintain a long term commitment to proving their relevance. By leveraging insights in collabora- tion with our retail partners, we provide our brands with a strategic spotlight that highlights relevance and grows brand awareness and loyalty, while driving vol- ume and increasing the size of a shop- per's basket. For more information, visit www.NewellRubbermaid.com or stop by Canyon Building – Grand Canyon 2. CVS ANNOUNCES NEW SAVINGS FOR VETERANS CVS/pharmacy and Veterans Advantage Inc. announced an exclusive new 20 per- cent discount program both in-store and online for Veterans Advantage's VetRewards Card members. Valid at any of CVS/pharmacy's 7,600 stores nation- wide, or at CVS.com, U.S. Active Duty Military, Veterans, National Guard & Reserve and their families can save 20 percent off purchases and receive free shipping for online orders. "CVS/pharmacy is proud to honor military and veteran families with this new benefit for Veterans Advantage members, allowing them to access signif- icant savings whether they shop with us in our stores or on CVS.com," said Rob Price, Chief Marketing Officer of CVS/pharmacy. "This program demon- strates our continued commitment to those who have given so much in service to our country." To access these savings, Veterans Advantage members simply login to www.VeteransAdvantage.com with their VetRewards Card ID number and print the CVS savings coupon or link to the private CVS online store. At CVS/pharmacy, the 20 percent discount applies to all full price purchas- es and cannot be used in conjunction with another offer. There are no blackout dates or restrictions. On CVS.com, the 20 per- cent savings can be used in combination with other CVS promotions and mem- bers will enjoy free shipping automati- cally applied at checkout, allowing active duty personnel, vets and their families to achieve even greater savings. "We are delighted that CVS has significantly expanded their discount benefit with us as a way to thank serv- ice members, Veterans and their fami- lies," said Scott Higgins, Co-Founder & CEO of Veterans Advantage and a Vietnam War Veteran. "Leading compa- nies like CVS should be heralded for their steadfast commitment to making the lives of those who sacrifice, and put themselves in harm's way to protect our country, a little bit happier and easier with a financial break on their everyday purchases. On behalf of our Veterans, military personnel, and their families everywhere, we thank CVS for making this possible." As an advocate for those who served and continue to serve our nation and their families, Veterans Advantage is a leading partner to major corpora- tions that want to do their part to honor and thank all who serve our country. The organization was founded in 1999 by a group of decorated Military Veterans on the principle that service members deserve our thanks and grati- tude every single day not only during patriotic holidays. The members' VetRewards Card, used by Veterans Advantage partners to verify their dis- counts, is the first universal military ID built to safeguard Veterans' privacy. About CVS/pharmacy CVS/pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS), is America's leading retail phar- macy with more than 7,600 CVS/phar- macy and Longs Drug stores in the U.S. CVS/pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health by providing the most accessible and personalized expertise, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS/pharmacy and CVS Caremark is available at www.info.cvscaremark.com. For more information, visit www .veteransadvantage.com.