Connecting the links of the ‘Chain of Influence’

Here it is once again, NACDS Marketplace time. Hundreds of buyers representing more than 145,000 retail doors with total buying power topping a half-trillion dollars; more than 700 vendors. By the time the show floor actually opens for business late Sunday morning, June 29, NACDS expects to have completed approximately 10,000 face-to-face meetings as part of its Meet The Market program.

And that’s before the show officially begins.

As sure as you are reading this, you are going to see an awful lot of brands over the next few days. That’s really what it’s all about, isn’t it? How does your brand fit with my brand, and how will it help my brand get chosen by the consumer?

The Drug Store News Group is really not much different from that standpoint—aside from the fact that we are probably the only company that comes to Marketplace and actually produces new products on-site, that is our Drug Store News Daily Edition.

But aside from that one difference, every member of The Drug Store News Group team you will meet at NACDS Marketplace is an ambassador for the brand; not unlike you are for your brand. As an ambassador for your brand it is critical that you understand what your brand is and the role or function it serves so you can explain that to those you would want to utilize your brand.

Assuming I will not get the chance to talk to each of you, this seems like as good a time as any to make sure you fully understand the role The Drug Store News Group serves for this industry.

Drug Store News, the mothership, which has been covering the business of retail pharmacy since 1925, reaches the headquarters-level executive, and is an oasis for deeper meaning and critical understanding of the top stories shaping the retail pharmacy business today.

Simply, the mission of Drug Store News is not just to tell you that something happened, but to tell you what it means: what it means for you and your business.

If you want today’s news about retail pharmacy—today—then you are probably among the more than 35,000 unique visitors who log onto www.drugstorenews.com, every day for the latest, breaking reports on every critical aspect of the business. Our reporters are updating the Web site with new stories 30 or more times a day, and our growing stable of electronic newsletters is up to 10 category-specific editions. It is no wonder the Web site ranks among the fastest growing business-to-business media sites in the publishing industry.

The Drug Store News Group also is Pharmacy Practice, our continuing education compendium and patient care guide for the store-level pharmacist. It’s also PharmacyTech News, the only magazine that specifically targets the retail-based pharmacy technician, and Retail Clinician, the only magazine for nurse practitioners, physicians and physician assistants working in a retail-based convenient care clinic environment.

At The Drug Store News Group, we believe that behind every buying decision, there is a chain of influence. From the corner office to the corner drug store, and every corner within, only The Drug Store News Group connects you to every key decision maker across retail pharmacy’s total chain of influence.

So, enjoy the show, and good luck influencing the influencers. If you need help, we’re easy to find.