Walgreens taps key blog influencers to promote mobile app functionality

DEERFIELD, Ill.  — Walgreens recently unveiled a three-pronged strategy to better engage its customers and patients through digital, including the marketing of user-generated content through hyper-local news outlets (both print and digital) and amplifying that original content through additional VIPs and social boosting.



And the results have been promising, Walgreens shared with Drug Store News.



"We activated existing Walgreens 'VIP' Ambassadors – top tier influencers that are proven digital storytellers, producers of high-quality content and have a history as a Walgreens advocate," Calvin Peters, PR and digital communications manager for Walgreens, told Drug Store News. "These influencers have been repeatedly vetted via Walgreens corporate and vendor-activated influencer marketing campaigns," he said, noting that the VIPs are vetted both by relevancy and an audience reach of at least 10,000 and upward of 100,000.



"For this program, we partnered with some of our top VIP influencers to brainstorm content angles which would support the brand narratives while ensuring the influencers could each stay true to their own personal stories," Peters said. For example, Danielle Gray, a New York City-based freelance writer and fashion and beauty expert with degrees from Hofstra University and the Fashion Institute of Technology recently blogged about the convenience of printing photos directly from her phone on her return from a Stockholm trip this summer.



Janise Burrafato of Mama in Heels recently shared her experience on how to save money using the Walgreens app in getting her sons ready for the new school year. And Katie Manwaring included the Walgreens mobile app in a round-up of "Life Hacks to Save Time and Money."



Highlighting their personal experiences via #MyWalgreensApp, these Walgreens VIP influencers set out to create a series of timely, audience-relevant narratives illustrating the power and convenience of the Walgreens mobile app across key focus areas, in this case, photo, couponing and mobile pay, Peters said.



"Our omni-channel strategy reflects our company’s commitment to our customers," Peters said. "We make feeling good easier with a focus on simplicity, providing customers choice and continuously redefining convenience."