Walgreens, a national pharmaceutical chain, recently launched Walk with Walgreens, a community and resource for that most basic form of exercise, and its supporters. This community hits the 45-year-old+ demographic very well by giving advice, routes, and an interactive community about walking in America.

Why it Works

Walk with Walgreens associates the company`s image perfectly with healthy living. Creating a full community dedicated to walking will keep participants thoughts on what they learned from Walgreen`s as they go. So when it’s time for a new prescription Walgreen’s will be the first place they think to get it. A community of fellow walkers is nurtured. Users can see where others have walked and are walking. It gives members a place to network and find other enthusiast to walk with. This creates a social experience centered directly within Walgreen`s online presence, keeping users within engagement distance of the company. A resource of evergreen knowledge is developed. Walgreen`s has employed a number of doctors and fitness gurus to offer advice and inspiration for the walking community. They contribute advice about walking technique, health benefits, and products that will improve the experience. They also offer inspirational reasons to take up walking, especially focusing on the social element. This builds a place where devotee s and newbies can come for everlasting content and calls to action for their pharmaceutical needs. It has tracking plans for users to follow progress. Exercise these days is synonymous with statistics. Having these stats readily available on the website creates a place for positive re-enforcement that users will come back to time and again.

Bottom Line for Local Business

Attaching your company to a cause, especially by building a surrounding community, is a great way to attract new customers. It’s an indirect form of marketing that associates your business with social good and gets people talking about events and activities your brand is near and dear to.