Brand strategy development for the largest group of independent Swiss pharmacies

Almost 30 years ago, innovative pharmacists founded the TopPharm brand. A new brand strategy for pharmacies became necessary to lead the largest group of independent pharmacies in German-speaking Switzerland into a successful future. Brandpulse was commissioned to conduct a comprehensive brand analysis and to sharpen the brand strategy on this basis.

Based on desk and field research, the analysis of internal company data, sector studies from market research and a benchmark analysis as well as the analysis of customer needs, Brandpulse conducted numerous interviews with cooperative members and area managers of the branch offices. In order to gain broad acceptance within the cooperative pharmacy network, the entire process was conducted bottom-up.

”We were looking for an accomplished, straightforward and visionary brand expert to review our brand strategy. In Brandpulse, we found such an expert who understands how to combine the hard facts of the market with the soft factors of Top-Pharm’ s corporate structure and to form a unif1ed brand that is resilient in the future.”

Anita Spycher, Head of Marketing & Communication and Member of the TopPharm Executive Board

In the analysis, the following influencing factors were included in the brand strategy decision: corporate strategy and market development, corporate cultural aspects, and the value proposition of the TopPharm brand.

Based on the results of these processes, Brandpulse worked out the brand’s differentiation potential and compared it with the customer needs. This clearly showed that the independence of pharmacists is by far the most important criterion from the customer’s point of view. Combined with the fact that these pharmacies are backed by entrepreneurs with passionate commitment and pharmaceutical expertise, this results in a strongly solution-oriented attitude. This, in turn, meets the needs of the target group, who feel they are in the best hands with independent pharmacists.

Based on the differentiation potentials developed by Brandpulse, the agency conducted workshops with TopPharm`s core team and led an in-depth discussion of customer needs. From this, options for the central brand promise were developed, the brand positioning was defined and the corresponding need for action derived, as well as the evaluation of influencing factors for the brand strategy decision.

About the TopPharm pharmacy group
TopPharm consists of 120 member pharmacies in German-speaking Switzerland with 1800 employed pharmacists, pharmaceutical assistants, and druggists. Together they achieve a turnover of over 350 million Swiss francs with a frequency of around eight million customers per year.

TopPharm is an independent cooperative with no outside financial involvement. Therefore, the focus is always on meeting the needs of the partner pharmacies in the highest quality. Thanks to the democratic orientation, every cooperative member has a clearly defined right of co-determination.

Toppharm.ch