“Cascade research is a great marketing investment. This
proprietary method gives keener insights into customers' thoughts. But it goes
beyond better-honed customer knowledge. It provides approaches you can really
implement to create the best message — even the best language to use —
for highly effective, target audience positioning and communications.
I prefer Cascade over other research approaches because it gives you a
holistic perspective — marketing, human resources and service combined, telling you
where you are in the market, where you need to be, and the best approach for getting to
that point for best results.
Highest marks!”
- Rob Easley, Senior Vice President, HEB Pharmacy
HEB's pharmacy unit wanted to understand how to best meet the long-term pharmacy needs of their customers in the face of a changing dynamics in pharmacy services. The company also wanted to know how to increase customer reliance on HEB pharmacies and identify the most powerful messages that would: create and sustain customer allegiance to both the pharmacy and corporate brand; uncover differentiation opportunities against competition for HEB pharmacies; and define how HEB can improve the financial contribution of its pharmacy business.
Eleven HEB professionals
participated in initial interviews to identify what questions and ideas
warranted study. Insights from this phase served as the basis for design
of a Cascade® research method
survey to discern the services, products, information, communications
avenues and methods that would best support the health needs of HEB
customers. More than 250 HEB pharmacy customers, age 20-87, were
interviewed in two cities about their needs, values and opinions.
Results from these interviews provided the key themes necessary to prepare
a second survey tool, designed to test what optimal message strategy could
serve as the foundation for a communication program. Eighty-eight additional
customers from the same two cities participated in this message testing survey.
- HEB created a new pharmacy "look and feel" with a suite of new offerings and services
- It increased customer use of pharmacies as registered customers in its new customer loyalty program
- Grew overall pharmacy business by 25% within 6 months
- Increased prescription orders 7% within 6 months
- It improved internal operations to support a new brand positioning related to total customer care
- Added 24% new pharmacists and a improved employee morale within 5 months
- Reduced costs of goods by $5 million in 9 months
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