Convenience is a key driver for these old-school shoppers

Drug Store News,  June 21, 2004  by Michael Johnsen

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Although one-quarter of Rugged Traditionalists are women, this lifestyle is defined more by older men who value traditional, old-school gender roles: one-income families where the wife makes all the purchasing decisions for the pantry and the medicine cabinet.

The Rugged Traditionalist is your "typical manly man. They drink domestic beer. They watch football. They work on their cars. They come home from what's usually a blue-collar job to dinner on the table," remarked Kelly Sirimoglu, vice president of the brand strategy group at NOP World.

Rugged Traditionalists are about 51 years old--just beginning to experience the effects of aging, but still years away from retirement. And with a mean average household income of $59,000, they're more likely to be a Wal-Mart or Kmart core shopper, as the mass centers offer both value and a sports center where the Rugged Traditionalist can pick up his fishing and hunting equipment.

In fact, Rugged Traditionalists are as likely to bargain hunt down the automotives aisle as any health care aisle, though they'd be an ideal candidate for pain-relieving solutions for backaches and sore muscles with the amount of time they spend working on their late-model automobiles or sprucing up their back yards for summertime barbecues. Convenience food for a Rugged Traditionalist would consist of a bag of Lays potato chips, a ready-made dip mix and a cold six-pack of Budweiser.

They'd probably buy straight razors if they still sold them in drug stores. "They're very old fashioned in the products that they use and choose. This is the group that's buying aftershave at the drug store. They're buying hair tonics. They buy old brands--they don't like change," Sirimoglu noted. But they may be standing on the outer fringes of the metrosexual revolution-dabbling in men's care line extensions presented by core, traditional men's care brands.

"If you were to introduce a new product to appeal to them, you're really going to have your work cut out for you," Sirimoglu said. "But they'd probably be a great target for a line extension ... because they are so brand loyal for American brands and [venerable] brands. They can be a real foundation for companies that have [established] products."

For example, the introduction of Gillette's Complete Skincare in March, though definitely part of the current wave of men's skin care products, skews a bit older than other men's skin care lines' targeted demographic: the urban trendsetter. Gillette Complete Skincare promises to deliver an improved appearance within two weeks and revolves around a simple regimen of cleansing, shaving and moisturizing. Fast results and a simple regimen--ideal product attributes for the Rugged Traditionalist.

Rugged Traditionalists are great with numbers. They'd be able to recite Derek Jeter's career batting average; for instance (.314 at press time), or Peyton Manning's college completion percentage, perhaps (62.5%), or even the number of Nascar wins Rusty Wallace has under his belt (55, including one this year for sponsor Miller Lite).

Their ability to crunch numbers could translate into a checkstand opportunity for drug store operators. For example, in the heart of the Red Sox Nation, Brooks keeps a steady supply of BoSox paraphernalia on hand. Likewise, Shoppers Drug Mart fields plenty of Maple Leafs merchandise in Toronto--a town obsessed with hockey throughout the year.

"[Rugged Traditionalists] are most closely aligned with Nascar dads, except for their age," Sirimoglu said, because the average Nascar fan skews a little younger. But Rugged Traditionalists watch Nascar on television, they go to the racetracks in person, and they listen to it on the radio, she said.

Indeed, retailers and especially suppliers are using this group's love of the game to get their message out. It is in sports venues such as Nascar, Major League Baseball and the National Football League that pharmaceutical manufacturers are trying to reach a core, male-dominated market with their disease-state messages.

For instance, this year marks the first year that pharmaceutical companies purchased ad space during the Super Bowl, as GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer marketed the relatively new erectile dysfunction drug Levitra along with Lilly Icos' Cialis, another player in the ED category. Pfizer, which markets Viagra, didn't participate in this year's Super Bowl ad blitz, but the company has been a Nascar sponsor since 2000.

And Schering-Plough is largely credited with breaking down the sports marketing walls with the 1999 MLB marketing deal for then prescription-only allergy remedy Claritin.

Similarly, sports celebrities who have-come forward about their health conditions are making it easier for Rugged Traditionalists to broach the health care topics with their doctors.

Retired Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and football analyst Terry Bradshaw is a spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline's antidepressant Paxil, as is Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams. Likewise, ex-Denver Bronco John Elway pitches Tap Pharmaceutical's Prevacid as a treatment for acid reflux, while pro basketball star Alonzo Mourning hawks Ortho Biotech's anemia remedy Procrit.