Survey says middle-aged women talk about Walgreens more than other drug stores

NEW YORK Walgreens ranked as the top retail brand among baby-boomer women, according to a word-of-mouth survey issued by Prevention Magazine on Monday. The Chicago-based chain ranked No. 4 overall. CVS ranked No. 9.

The study, sponsored by Prevention along with Keller Fay Group, involved an analysis of the conversations of more than 14,000 women over the course of a year, found that baby boomer women between the ages of 43 and 62 have higher quality word-of-mouth than their younger counterparts (ages 18-39), suggesting that what boomer women say is more credible, that what they is more likely to be passed on to others. Further, baby boomer women are more likely to seek additional information and more likely to purchase.

“Drawing on greater experience and sophistication, the social networks of boomer women are very powerful, whether it is face to face or Facebook,” stated Cary Silvers, director of consumer insights for Prevention, who led the study.

“In this era of less trust in our institutions, marketers would be wise to pay attention to the power and influence of boomer women talk,” commented Bob Ziltz, vice president and publisher of Prevention. “The credibility factor will be the key issue for any marketers looking to connect with boomer women.”

According to the report, 68 percent of boomer women rate what they hear in their conversations as being very credible, a full 10 points higher than younger women 18-39 (58 percent). More than half of them (56 percent) are likely to pass along what they hear to others, versus 51 percent of younger women. Approximately 39 percent of boomer women will seek additional information, compared to 34 percent of younger women. And 55 percent intend to purchase, compared to 50 percent of the young women.

The top 10 brands boomer women talked about, in order, included:

1. Folgers

2. Olay

3. Avon

4. Walgreens

5. Pantene

6. Kraft

7. Lipton

8. JC Penney

9. CVS

10. Olive Garden

The conversations were collected from April 2007 through March 2008 via TalkTrack, Keller Fay’s ongoing study of the nation’s word-of-mouth conversations, in 15 purchasing categories, including food and dining, personal care and beauty, health and healthcare, financial services and household products.