Walgreens launched its first weeklong savings event this week, dubbed "myW Days," which offers members of its myWalgreens loyalty program increased cash rewards, daily deals and other benefits for its more than 110 million participants. The marketing goals are twofold: new member acquisition and driving online and in-store transactions from current subscribers.

Aside from its duration, the promotion differs from others in its focus on rewarding loyalty and engagement, the richness of the rewards and the ease with which benefits are redeemed, according to Walgreens CMO Linh Peters. “This is the first time that we've done this type of promotion campaign,” she said. “It is focused on rewarding our members for their loyalty and engagement with us. Over the course of a week, our members can earn upwards of a hundred dollars-worth of myWalgreens cash.”

The other key component is highlighting convenience. “Sometimes when brands execute these types of things, there's a lot of terms and conditions that go with it. We were intentional about making this as easy and as seamless for our customers as possible, so they'll be able to earn across all of the channels and ways into Walgreens, whether they're purchasing in-store or on the app,” she said. “We've made it so that they are getting the richest rewards on the categories that they personally shop the most with.”

We spoke with Peters about the promotional event; the brand’s recent pivot towards marketing itself as a more healthcare-focused company; her philosophy on launching loyalty programs and managing growth; and lessons learned while building a career in marketing as a diverse woman.

Leading up to its record-breaking premiere last week, the team behind Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” produced a dizzying amount of marketing activations and brand partnerships to build buzz for the film across the globe. Here are five marketing insights gleaned from the Barbie frenzy, from well-aligned partnerships to amplification to unique UGC.

Lastly, be sure to weigh in on this month’s Industry Pulse Survey topic: Threads vs. Twitter. We’d love to hear what you think about the industry’s latest social media showdown.

Until next week,

Kaylee Hultgren
Editor
Chief Marketer

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