Timothy W. Martin, on the other hand, tells us that drug stores are looking for a shot in the arm as prescription sales falter by offering ... shots in the arm. They've added pharmacists who are certified to give flu shots and are heavily promoting the service as the season approaches. (In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by fiat, is moving up the inoculation season by a month this year to September.) Walgreen is advertising flu-shot gift cards for $29.99. CVS Caremark is letting its 64-million loyalty-card members know that they can book an appointment …

Stephanie Clifford writes about a new smartphone app called Shopkick that dispenses deals and deposits "kickbucks" reward points in shoppers' accounts as they move into and around retailers such as Macy's, Best Buy, Sports Authority and American Eagle Outfitters, as well as mall operator Simon Property Group. Shoppers can redeem the points for gift cards at the retailers or use them for music downloads or credits toward Facebook games. A $5 gift card at American Eagle currently requires a lot of kickbucks, however -- 1,250 to be precise. Shopkick tells retailers when users are inside, as well …

Would you believe Buick? Rich Thomaselli reports that Buick's new design and a strategy shift to appeal to younger buyers resulted in a 137% rise in U.S. sales last month over the previous year and it has become the No. 1 brand in China. Buick's Enclave, Regal and LaCrosse nameplates represent nothing but blue sky," says vp-marketing Joel Ewanick. "It's the fastest-growing brand in America, and we're selling LaCrosse as fast as we can get them. It's a great success story."

Procter & Gamble will roll out renewable, sustainable, sugarcane-derived plastic on select packaging of its Pantene Pro-V, Covergirl and Max Factor brands over the next two years, Antoinette Alexander reports. The process transforms sugarcane into a high-density polyethylene plastic that will be 100% recyclable in existing municipal recycling facilities. "This innovation is truly consumer-driven," says Gina Drosos, group president of P&G Beauty. "As we talk with women around the world, they tell us that they want to make themselves more beautiful without making their environment less beautiful." Or something like that.

Marilynn Pankratz, who has been frying and selling chicken pieces in eight outlets she's run since 1963, evidently doesn't care much for the brand image types like her leader, Roger Eaton, president of Yum Brand's KFC franchise, who has been trying to appeal to health-conscious, on-the-go consumers by pushing grilled chicken and sandwiches over its traditional fare. "They hire marketing guys with blue blazers who tell us what to do with our damn stores," she tells Burt Helm and Alex Sherman. "But it's one thing to be behind the big mahogany desk calling the shots and another to …

Emily Bryson York, who moved her byline from Ad Age to the Tribune sometime last month, offered a long but "comforting" story over the weekend about the recession-era success of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner and its new Homestyle line, which comes in a bag with wider, curvier noodles, a packet of gooey orange cheese, breadcrumbs and a seasoning packet. It hit shelves in June and costs $2.99. Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld says the company invested in Homestyle "to bring in the adult user." The vintage mac in the blue box, of course, is a favorite among kids. …

So who's the Liz Claiborne gal, do you think? Veronica Lodge or Betty Cooper? They certainly fit the demographic even if, as George Gene Gustines points out, they and their buddy Archie look preternaturally spry and fresh-faced at 68 years old. Now Archie Comic Publications is morphing into a multimedia company, says co-CEO Jon Goldwater, replete with merchandising and PR gimmicks such as a multiple story line (Archie is married to Veronica in one; Betty in the other). "It's a property that actually has some personality, so you can build on that," says Ira Mayer, publisher …

When JC Penney launches a new Liz Claiborne clothing, home and accessories line in its 1,100 stores this month, "it could mark the final chapter in the story of the 34-year-old Liz Claiborne brand," Rachel Dodes writes with additional reporting by Joann S. Lublin. If that sounds like a paradox, here's why: Claiborne is essentially ceding control of its brand to Penney. It is giving up production and marketing and converting the formerly premier department store label into a mass market line in exchange for royalties. "For Penney, this is wonderful," says Candace Corlett, president of New York retail …