Branding the way to success
With more than 470 locations in California, Hawaii, Washington, Nevada, Colorado and Oregon, Longs (www.longs.com) is one of the largest retail drug store chains on the West Coast. Facing increasing competition from national retailers Walgreens and CVS, Longs recognized the need to address some serious marketing shortcomings – its branding and positioning – and turned to Proteus for help.
Proteus helped Longs strengthen its position as a wellness brand by gaining control over more than a thousand SKUs in categories ranging from vitamins to liquor to snacks that all carried the Longs name. Proteus introduced a new brand architecture and private label brand strategy that collects non-health products under a portfolio of new brand names that don't dilute the Longs position. The result: Longs saw profit margins expand on more than 1,500 SKUs and saved millions of dollars by taking advantage of efficient processes driven by Proteus.