I went to Wall Drug last week. Wall Drug is a great big drug store in a tiny little town in the middle of South Dakota. Other than being the western entrance to Badlands National Park, there isn’t anything particularly distinguishing about Wall from any of the other hundreds of small towns we’ve passed by and passed through on our travels. But Wall, South Dakota, is the home of Wall Drug.
I grew up in Southern California and I’ve traveled a good portion of this country. And for most of those traveling years, I have seen countless Wall Drug bumper stickers, many more than one would expect advertising a drug store. So, when I discovered our visit to the Badlands was going to take us right through the town of Wall, South Dakota, Wall Drug became a must-see.
I had no idea what to expect. I did no research before I went and I don’t think I have ever actually met anyone who claimed to have visited Wall Drug, so as far as I knew, it was just another drug store with some great bumper stickers.
I was wrong. Wall Drug is huge as drug stores go, billed at 76,000 square feet. An average Walgreens by comparison has just 11,000 square feet of sales floor. It’s actually more like a mini-mall. I’m not sure they even have a pharmacy. Here’s a little map of Wall Drug (yes, it needs a map). It’s a crazy, fun place and a great break on a road trip. We even ran into some church friends while we were there. Go figure.
But this is not a review of Wall Drug. I probably couldn’t write a good review. Despite spending quite a bit more time there than we planned, all we bought were a couple of patches for my son. We didn’t even take advantage of the free ice water for travelers, though that might have had something to do with it being rainy, foggy and COLD.
So, what great marketing secrets did I learn at Wall Drug?
Attention-getting advertising is critical
Wall Drug was not part of my South Dakota vacation planning. I didn’t even know where it was until I got on I-90 east. And then there were billboards. LOTS of billboards—probably one at least every mile of the 50-mile drive and often much closer together. They advertised everything from free ice water for travelers to free coffee and donut for honeymooners.
Name Recognition Helps
I’ve made a lot of road trips. I’ve seen a lot of billboards. I’ve seen some that really intrigued me, but they’ve rarely made me stop. When I saw the Wall Drug billboards, though, it was a must-stop. Why? Because I’d heard of Wall Drug. I’d seen the bumper stickers when I was a kid and I remembered hearing it was one of those places you have to see in South Dakota. And that brings me to my next point:
Customer Evangelists are your best Advertising
Yeah. Those bumper stickers paid off. Thousands of people over the years have slapped a Wall Drug bumper sticker on their cars and helped build up the mystique of Wall Drug and I would guess that’s how a good portion of Wall Drug’s visitors end up there. Whether it’s active referrals or passive name sharing, having customers who sing your praises can’t be beat.
Give away Something of Value—Freebies can Work
It doesn’t have to cost you a lot, but it needs to be something that has value for your customers. Wall Drug put themselves on the map by offering free ice water to hot, thirsty travelers back in 1936, something they still do today, though it’s not quite the big deal it once was.
Under promise and Over deliver
Wall Drug did just that. It was so much more than what I expected to find in Nowhere, South Dakota. And it just kept going all the way through the store. None of the billboards or bumper stickers prepared me for all the departments, all the things to see and all the ways to entice me to spend; there was a surprise around every corner. It was well worth the stop—with or without the free ice water.
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Last summer we went out of our way during our holiday camping time to go to Wall Drug. Friends of ours had told us about it YEARS before, and we just had to check it out… Our last name is Wall, I have no idea if there’s any connection to THOSE Walls, but it sure was fun to go there. It was a blast seeing signs for them as far away as Casper, Wyoming, and then every few miles all the way to Wall, SD. And when we got there, it really was FUN FUN FUN!
Great post here. It’s amazing what they’ve done with a few key simple strategies.
~ Raylene
Thanks, Raylene. It really is quite the place, isn’t it? We ended up spending much more time there then I would have thought. It is amazing how one simple idea can make all the difference in the world.
What a great example!! I’ve never been to Wall but absolutely love the way you found all the marketing examples on the way there! What a fun trip and a delicious read! Not to mention, fantastic reminders 🙂 Thanks!
I have never visited Wall but if I ever do I will check out Wall Drug thanks to you. This proves that when you give customers an excellent experience they will tell their friends.
What an interesting post! And it proves that simple straightforward ideas are often the best. Thanks Marie Leslie!
So true, Carolyn. We often think we have to be so clever and complicated, and yet, Wall Drug does it with bumper stickers and simple billboards. Definitely a lot to be learned from their example.
I love the South Dakota’s and I would be like you, I would love to see what’s behind that 5cents of coffee. I know that because of you I would stop and run into Wall and se what’s going on…so the buzz of the billboards abd stickers and mouth to mouth DO help…thanks!!
Great insight – I hadn’t really thought about it but I have been seeing Wall Drug bumper stickers since I was a kid. We used to drive across country every summer from Washington to Iowa and I remember stopping there and getting iced water for the hot drive. They really do have a huge presence that has lasted decades.
I’m working on new marketing style and how I can create interest. These are nice Tips Marie. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Great tips on marketing Marie, we can learn from successful examples, and your help is so handy as always! 🙂
For people in the Northeast, our similar stop is at “South of the Border” on a driving trip to Florida. We all have branded stuff from there, shirts, mugs, etc!
http://www.thesouthoftheborder.com/
Their billboards are everywhere when you are driving south, and pretty much everyone stops there! LOL
It comes down to standing out in the midst of the clutter and cacophony. Coming back to our online world, everyone’s screaming today. And there’s tons of competition, with little time to “hook” a reader. So it takes virtual marketing genius to stand apart … without spending a fortune. Wall Drug has sure achieved that offline! Thanks for sharing this, Marie!
I think this is a good example of why staying top of mind of your target market is so important, that is why we need to send newsletters so our name would be hear many times and not forgotten.
Wow. Going to have to add this to my Travel Tips! Sounds like a place to explore.
It definitely was worth the stop, Maria. I could have spent even more time in there and probably a great deal of money, had I not had three teens and a husband who were anxious to be on their way. Next time. . . .
Marie, this was the funnest article!What clever marketing. How amazing that their bumper sticker stuck in your head all o these years. Something simple but very effective!
Isn’t that funny? I am not a bumper sticker person–I have never put a one on my car, but they came to mind as soon as I saw the first billboard for Wall Drug and I knew we had to make the stop.
A new adventure when I travel for sure 🙂 Its amazing what we remember sometimes Marie 🙂
Simple proof of how branding works. Great info of real life experience.
Great tips Marie! Just goes to show that you don’t have to have the latest app or gadget to lure customers in. The old tried and true methods still work in a lot of markets.
It was an informative post. I think this is a good example of why staying top of mind of your target market is so important, that is why we need to send newsletters so our name would be hear many times and not forgotten. Thanks that you’ve shared this with us.
I like the post. It was a blast seeing signs for them as far away as Casper, Wyoming, and then every few miles all the way to wall, SD. Thanks for sharing.