Friday's Finest: Shopping in the Big Leagues

We usually like to spotlight the little guy with our Friday's Finest vanity numbers, like Eleven Eleven Realty or Authorized Heating Inc. for example, but sometimes it's worth a visit to the big leagues for a dose of memorable marketing.

That's where we turn this week, with "dose" being the perfect word to present the perfect toll free number for the CVS pharmacy brand: 1-800-SHOP-CVS.

As one of the main names in the pharmacy retail space, CVS is of course well placed to stick in the memory of any customer who sees their advertising. CVS.com is a given for website contact, very few big brands don't own their own domain nowadays, but what about the contact number?

It's not so easy to squeeze in the full CVS PHARMACY - which is too clunky for a good vanity number anyway - and the brand name itself is too short. The SHOP CVS angle brings a clear action verb into the number, transforming a simple toll free number into a branding tool, a call to action and a contact point all in one line of marketing.

This is where we see vanity numbers succeed over any other form of marketing every time a customer deploys them into their marketing mix. It's an efficient, affordable way to encourage customer contact, while at the same time spreading the brand wherever it goes (and as these photos were taken on delivery trucks, that number is traveling far and wide!)

If you're about to commit to this exciting marketing tool and you have an abbreviated business name, think about how you could integrate an action verb into your vanity number search. It could make the difference between a good branding opportunity and a great one!