The power of brands

Drug Store News, Dec 9, 1996

It's a hot summer day. A mom and her two children are on their way back from the playground. The littlest one, who's about four, says "Mommy, I'm thirsty. Can we get a Coke?"

Nothing seems extraordinary about that request, does it? Little boys ask for Cokes all the time. But there is something extraordinary about that request. He didn't say, "Can I have a pop or a soft drink?" He named a brand.

When his Mom goes to the drug store to buy a lipstick or a nail polish, she tends to head for the Revlon rack. When she wants mascara, she thinks Great Lash. His teenage sister, always buys Cover Girl makeup and when it comes to hair gels, that teenager always has at least one Studio Line styling aid in her medicine cabinet.

Mom makes sure the family only brushes with Crest and they all rinse with Listerine. Dad only shaves with Gillette and he wears Stetson every day and Preferred Stock on special occasions.

It would be hard to imagine an American who did not buy products because of their trust in the brands name. It would be hard to imagine a store that did not offer its customers a wide selection of the leading brand products.

A brand to our age is what honor and respect were to the Elizabethan. Remember the adage "He who steals my purse steals nothing, but he who steals my good name steals all."

A brand is like that adage. It tells people they can proceed with confidence. A brand is a handshake, and its strength, prosperity and future lies in the durability of its good name.

In recognition of the power and integrity of brands, Drug Store News, in conjunction with Nielsen Marketing Research, presents the 1996 Power Brand Report. The following pages list, by dollar sales, the top 20 brands in select categories in the drug store and mass market trade classes. These are among the brands that truly drive the industry's growth.