By Dave Wendland “What is your SKU priority?” This simple question can make or break your brand when presenting to a retail or wholesale buyer. What happens next is up to you – and it takes courage. It wasn’t that long ago that this question was not part of the dialogue between manufacturers and buyers. … Read More
retail
Product Packaging Involves More Than Meets the Eye
by Dave Wendland for Chain Drug Review April 18, 2014 In a multipart series during 2014 our team will examine key product attributes and marketing tactics from two different perspectives — the consumer/shopper and the retail buyer. Our hope is that retail and wholesale buyers and product manufacturers will benefit from an objective picture of … Read More
What Are You Doing?
by Dave Wendland for Drug Store News UpMarketing Blog April 21, 2014- Harkening back to managing an improvisational comedy troupe in San Diego and prior to that participating with a Milwaukee-based group, one of my favorite improv games was “What are you doing?” In this shtick, two performers stand together on stage. One begins performing a … Read More
Turning Heads
by Dave Wendland for Drug Store News March 20, 2014 – Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a fan of NBC’s “The Voice.” It’s not because of the variety of talent that graces the stage and tries to wow the judges and the general public, but rather because of the blind auditions. For those unfamiliar with this … Read More
The value of your brand — part two
by Megan Moyer In my previous post I talked about the importance of explicitly defining your brand from the outset and offered some things to think about when identifying the attributes you want your product to be known for. Today, I’m going to focus on how a well-established brand saves time by guiding marketing and sales … Read More
Out in the Cold
by Dave Wendland for Drug Store News February 6, 2014 – For those of us living in the Midwest — and perhaps throughout the country — we have become familiar with a weather term “polar vortex.” No doubt you’ve heard the phrase pinging around the news media in recent weeks. One of the coldest Arctic outbreaks … Read More
Collaborate with supply chain to maximize marketing budget
Posted by Megan Moyer Making the most of your marketing budget is a feat everyone tries to pull off each year. One way to maximize your marketing dollars is to collaborate with your supply chain partners. Suppliers are sometimes unaware that they can do this, or just haven’t reached out to their distributor partners to join … Read More
We learned a lot in 2013; let’s use it in 2014
Posted by Jenny KosekThe Pew Internet and American Life Project recently released results of a Social Media Update survey conducted in 2013. Some interesting findings: 73% of online adults use social networking sites 45% of Internet users over age 65 use Facebook Women favor Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest; men favor Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn LinkedIn is … Read More
Looking back: top posts of 2013
Behind the Shelf is looking back on our most-viewed posts of 2013. Revisit your favorites, or discover our insights and observations for the first time. The Dollars and the Indies: Pt. 1 Mandatory mail order — indie pharmacy’s biggest front-end competitor Finding the local pharmacy Empty chairs and empty tables Connecting the dots Interview with health coach and … Read More
Leave early if you plan to take the wrong train
Posted by Dave Wendland “I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early.” This statement is from the beloved Yogi Berra. But it is also true about launching new products or programs. If the prep work isn’t complete and the idea is simply not ready to go to market, then delay … Read More