Content about Branding

NEW YORK — Consumers gravitate toward traditional pharmacies for their everyday health-and-wellness needs, according to the "2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend" survey released Monday. Among retail pharmacy operations, Walgreens enjoyed the greatest brand equity among consumers based on top consumer scores in "familiarity" and "purchase consideration" categories. Overall, Walgreens' brand equity was tabulated at 69.9, CVS/pharmacy came in at 67.4 and Rite Aid 62.5.

IRVINGTON, N.Y. — Genomma Lab is planning to present a list of candidates to serve on the board of directors of Prestige Brands.

The announcement followed Genomma Lab's unsolicited proposal to acquire Prestige Brands for $16.60 per share in cash. Although the deal was rejected, Genomma Lab intends to present the list at Prestige Brands' upcoming annual meeting in June.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble’s Ivory soap brand announced on Monday that Emmy award-winner Melissa McCarthy will serve as the brand spokeswoman and host of its new online social community, the Soap Dish, where she will engage with women and dish about life’s simple truths.

The launch and celebrity partnership announcement are all part of the “holistic reinvention” of the brand, which kicked off last month with the debut of modernized packaging and a new advertising campaign.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — With Tylenol coming back to cough-cold and analgesic aisles over the next six months, you can bet the brand will soon resume its status as the cleanup hitter for Team OTC. That not only means a reshuffling of the lineup, but the respective No. 9 hitters will be packing their bags for a trip back to the minors.

(THE NEWS: Report: J&J resumes shipping of Tylenol product. For the full story, click here)

NEW YORK — Private-label sales across all three major retail channels reached new heights in 2010, according to the Private Label Manufacturers Association.

NEW YORK — Target once again has taken the top spot as the retailer with the strongest consumer brand equity, according to the latest Harris poll.

This marked the second consecutive year Target has led the way in the "value retail" category, with an increasing gap noted between the company and runner-up Walmart, according to the "2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend" study. Target led the way with a ranking of 74.1, while Walmart had a ranking of 70.8. The industry average in the value retail category was 67.3.

CHICAGO — General Nutrition is looking to get into the health diagnostics business with Monday’s announcement of a licensing agreement with technology and consumer products manufacturer Sakar International on a line of more than two dozen branded health-and-wellness products.

The announcement comes on the heels of another distribution agreement brokered by GNC: distribution of its GNC-branded supplements through approximately 400 Sam’s Club locations.

GREENWICH, Conn. — Private equity fund Brynwood Partners VI L.P. announced on Tuesday that its newly formed portfolio company, High Ridge Brands, has acquired the Zest brand from Procter & Gamble.

High Ridge Brands purchased the rights to the Zest brand in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean markets. The company will be based in Stamford, Conn., and Brynwood VI has majority ownership of the company.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

YONKERS, N.Y. Shoppers shouldn't overlook store brands if they are looking for quality and ways to save money, according to a new Consumer Reports study.

Consumer Reports' price study -- which appears in the publication's October issue -- evaluated five supermarket chains and compared store- and name-brand prices for 30 everyday items at five chains, collecting a total of 283 price quotes. Consumer Reports found the average savings with store brands was 30%, but shoppers saved as much as 52% on some items.