Duane Reade Dispenses a Large Dose of Marketing, as it Strengthens its Hometown ...( NEW YORK July 10 /- Looking to reinfo...),Health

NEW YORK, July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Looking to reinforce its positioning as the city's pre-eminent drugstore chain, Duane Reade is about to launch an aggressive new advertising campaign that speaks to New Yorkers as only a born and bred New Yorker can.

Carrying the tagline, "Your city. Your drugstore. Duane Reade", the campaign will begin appearing next week in thousands of subway cars and buses, as well as on phone kiosks, billboards and urban panels near rail stations. The campaign, created by the New York advertising agency DeVito/Verdi, marks the first new branding campaign in nearly a decade from the ubiquitous chain of New York drug stores.

The ads take a number of New York symbols, events and local references to help communicate the chain's unique understanding of what New Yorkers need, and when they need it.

One ad shows a self-conscious Lady Liberty unwilling to completely raise her lit torch. The copy reads: "Everything a New Yorker needs, like deodorant."

"Nearly 50 years ago, this company started as just one store on Broadway, between Duane and Reade streets. We're strengthening the connection between New Yorkers and a uniquely New York drugstore chain," said Joe Jackman, chief marketing officer at Duane Reade. "This campaign will help keep us top-of-mind with New Yorkers, and provide a quintessentially New York voice for our brand."

A number of other ads in the campaign play off what New Yorkers inevitably need after partaking in certain annual city events. One side-by-side ad simply shows a bottle of Pepto-Bismol next to copy that states, "Feast of San Gennaro. September 10-20." Another shows a package of Tiger Balm Muscle Rub next to the following information: "NYC Marathon, November 1, 2009."

"Despite being a part of the fabric of New York for nearly a half-century, what this company has lacked recently has been a 'New York voice'," s
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