Chains create programs to increase ethnic sales

Drug Store News, May 20, 1991

Perry program rewards and reaches out

When Perry Drug created Doo-It-Up two years ago, it became the first drug chain to create a consistent African-American advertising campaign themed to community service.

Perry itself sees it as a milestone because it marked the beginning of its outreach to the African-American community, said assistant vp-merchandising Scott Gorley.

For Doo-It-Up, Perry stages an annual art procurement contest among Detroit high school students. Twelve winners each get a $1,000 prize. The contest kicks off in August with a back-to-school promotion and ends in December, when award presentations are made.

Name brand products and manufacturers like Revlon, Posner and Carson are part of the program, sometimes as co-sponsors and sometimes through regular co-op advertising only. Brand name products at special sale prices are featured during the course of the program, but the primary emphasis of Doo-It-Up is on Perry's efforts to reward the accomplishments of talented black students.

Doo-It-Up also gives Perry continuity with the black community because it never really ends. The company uses the drawings and biographies of the award-winning students to enliven advertising for every promotion over the coming year.

The community reaction to the program has been so positive that the Detroit city council, the Michigan state senate and several other community agencies and leaders have developed awards of their own to honor Perry executives, as well as the honored students.

Gorley notes that for 1992, Perry has dozens of civic organizations that want to get involved in Doo-It-Up and make it bigger. For last year's Doo-It-Up, three times as many schools were involved as in the previous year.

One source described community service campaigns like Doo-It-Up as "the next level beyond price/value advertising." It includes price/value, he said, because black customers want to see brand name products advertised at good sale prices, but it makes price/value a secondary benefit. The primary benefactor is the campaign sponsor, who earns goodwill by putting something back into the community.