Drugstore.com reportedly is contacting
mid-size and large West Coast shops about participating in a review for its
estimated $30 million account.
Adweek quoted Erik Moris, senior director of
communications for the online drugstore, as saying he was holding informal
talks.
“I just [want to] know who the players are. Will I go into review by the end
of the year? Probably.”
McCann-Erickson currently has
the off-line account, and recently launched a national campaign pitching the
benefits of shopping for personal items
in the privacy of one’s home, versus the risk of encountering embarrassing
situations at a real drugstore.
Unfortunately for McCann, Adweek quoted sources as saying that
Drugstore.com’s new investors, Rite Aid Corp. and General Nutrition Centers,
don’t like the “anti-real store”
concept due to the nature of their own operations. Sources said the two
companies are encouraging Drugstore.com to explore other ad messages.
Left Field Advertising handles online
work for Drugstore.com and at one time it handled the entire account. But the
client abruptly handed over traditional duties to McCann just before Left
Field went into production on broadcast work, which also took an
anti-bricks-and-mortar approach, Adweek said.