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David Alexander Nichol (February 9, 1940 – September 22, 2013) was a
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
businessman and
product marketing Product marketing is a sub-field of marketing that is responsible for crafting the messaging, go-to-market flow, and promotion of a product. Product marketing managers can also be involved in defining and sizing target markets. They collaborate w ...
expert. As head of product development and eventually President of Loblaws Supermarkets, Nichol introduced the
President's Choice President's Choice (Canadian French, French: le Choix du Président) or PC is a line of grocery products and services offered by the Canada-based Loblaw Companies, Loblaw Companies Ltd. History President's Blend The first President's Ch ...
store brand A private label, also called a private brand or private-label brand, is a brand owned by a company, offered by that company alongside and competing with brands from other businesses. A private-label brand is almost always offered exclusively by th ...
ed lines of products in the 1970s that propelled
Loblaws Loblaws Inc. is a Canadian supermarket chain with stores located in the province of Ontario, and in Alberta and British Columbia under the Loblaws CityMarket banner. Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, Loblaws is a subsidiary of Loblaw Companie ...
from a struggling supermarket chain to an industry leader. For a time, as a
pitchman A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with costermonger or peddler. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells inexpensive goods, handicrafts, or food items. Whether stationa ...
for Loblaws, he became a recognizable Canadian business personality, largely due to his being featured in thirty-second
commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
, and thirty-minute
infomercials An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of di ...
during the mid-1990s.


Early life

He was born in Chatham, Ontario. Nichol's father was a railway station agent, so the family moved around frequently. Nichol completed his undergraduate degree at the
University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...
’s
School of Business A business school is a higher education institution or professional school that teaches courses leading to degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, s ...
(1962). While at UWO, his roommate was
Galen Weston Willard Gordon Galen Weston (October 29, 1940April 12, 2021) was a British-Canadian billionaire businessman and Chairman Emeritus of George Weston Limited, a Canadian food processing and distribution company. Weston and his family, with an esti ...
Sr., from one of the richest families in Canada. Nichol completed a law degree at the
University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...
and a Masters in Law from
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
. Nichol was the best man at Weston's wedding.


Career

His first job after Harvard was with
McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...
's Toronto management consulting office.


Loblaws

In 1972, Galen Weston asked Nichol to help him with his family's supermarket chain, Loblaws. He joined the company that year as Executive Vice-President. In 1976, Nichol was promoted to President. He worked with Galen Weston, Richard Currie, Brian Davidson and Don Watt to establish four retailer-branded product lines: "
no name No Name or Noname may refer to: Geography *No Name, Colorado * No Name Key, an island among the Florida Keys * No Name Tunnel, located near the same named town in Colorado Art, entertainment, and media *No-Name (character), a fictional character i ...
" for generic products; "
President's Choice President's Choice (Canadian French, French: le Choix du Président) or PC is a line of grocery products and services offered by the Canada-based Loblaw Companies, Loblaw Companies Ltd. History President's Blend The first President's Ch ...
" for superior quality products; ""Too Good to be True"" (TGTBT as labeled) for nutritious healthy products; and "Green" for environmentally friendly products. Throughout Nichol's association with
President's Choice President's Choice (Canadian French, French: le Choix du Président) or PC is a line of grocery products and services offered by the Canada-based Loblaw Companies, Loblaw Companies Ltd. History President's Blend The first President's Ch ...
, Loblaw relied heavily on the executive's own palate when it came to product development. According to one newspaper report, "Dave's taste buds decree major business decisions." The Loblaw test kitchen was, in fact, situated next door to Nichol's office in central Toronto where it served as crucible for product acceptance or rejection:
Nichol is stepping through his daily paces in Loblaw's airy, white test kitchen. Seven product-development staff hover watchfully. He forks a small sample of what appears to be chilli with meat into his mouth. The room falls silent. He closes his eyes. He swallows. He nods his head. The tension breaks. Dave likes it ... This is market research, Dave Nichol style. No focus groups. No marketing surveys. If the president of Loblaw International Merchants, the product-development arm of Loblaw Companies Ltd., likes the taste, it's in.
If an item met with Nichol's approval, and merchandisers expressed interest, it could be brought to market in a few months. If, on the other hand, Nichol was unimpressed, that usually meant the end of the line for an item. "He could kill a product with a shrug of indifference, and there was no court of appeal." Most product ideas were rejected or sent back to suppliers for modification while others went through numerous reformulations before getting the go ahead. Meanwhile, Nichol seemed to relish his role as ultimate arbiter. "Nothing gets called President's Choice without my approval", he once commented. "If you dislike any of them, then I'm the guy who has to take the blame." Nichol was the company spokesman. He appeared in dozens of television commercials and radio spots promoting Loblaws products, most notably the President's Choice line. He starred in thirty-minute infomercials several times a year upon release of Loblaws ''Insider's Report'' periodical, of which he oversaw the development. This free publication, started in 1983, was an enhanced store flyer produced three times a year that marketed new products at discounted introductory prices. The Report "reflected his belief that success required not just great products, but great stories as well", Loblaw stated. "He always listened to the customer and kept their needs front-and-centre. In 1985, Loblaws was reorganized and Nichol was made President of Loblaw International Merchants, the product development arm of Loblaw Companies Limited. He held that position for eight years. Lines of new products were built around product names, for example the "Memories of" sauce products. He also introduced ''The Dave Nichol Cookbook'', which sold some 100,000 copies. Some products he touted are still sold, including the President's Choice Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie, which was introduced in 1988. In 1994, Anne Kingston released his authorized biography, ''The Edible Man: Dave Nichol, President's Choice & the Making of Popular Taste''. Nichol's relationship with Galen Weston Sr. had broken down when he departed Loblaws in 1994, but they later reconciled and Nichols consulted for Galen Weston Jr. who succeeded his father as head of Loblaw Companies Ltd. in October 2006.


Subsequent career

In 1994, Nichol became the CEO of Destination Products International, a subsidiary of
Cott Corporation Primo Water Corporation (formerly Cott Corporation) is an American-Canadian water company offering multi-gallon bottled water, water dispensers, self-service refill water machines, and water filtration appliances. The company is headquartered in ...
. For them he developed a line of unique premium food products that were offered to food retailers around the world under each retailer's own brand name. Nichol attempted to repeat his success as spokesman by naming a beer after himself, made by Cott, and marketing it in television commercials very similar in style to his old Loblaws President's Choice spots.https://www.thestar.com/business/2013/09/26/iconic_presidents_choice_pitchman_dave_nichol_dies_at_73.html Dave Nichol: Iconic President’s Choice pitchman dies at 73 However, his marketing and product success was not repeated at Cott, as the company struggled to expand under Nichol, whose taste "seemed to diverge too much from the mainstream"''International Directory of Company Histories''
Vol. 52. St. James Press, 2003.
Moreover, without direct access to shelf space, which came at Loblaws, he "had a far more difficult time gaining entry, as a result spending an excessive amount of money to secure shelf space." Just before Nichol joined Cott, the stock had reached a high-water mark in 1993 at $35.00 a share, when Nichol left it was falling dramatically for a variety of reasons, hitting bottom at $3.00 in 1998. In 1997, Nichol left Cott to form a consulting firm, Dave Nichol & Associates, creating specialty products sold under their own or clients' brand names. However, his public profile diminished significantly and his once stellar marketing reputation with the consumer faded. In 2005, Nichol was inducted as a Visionary into the Hall of Canadian Marketing Legends by the
American Marketing Association The American Marketing Association (AMA) is a professional association for marketing professionals with 30,000 members as of 2012. It has 76 professional chapters and 250 collegiate chapters across the United States. The AMA was formed in from t ...
. He was cited for "
hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...
the retail landscape forever and has done so in a sustainable and meaningful way. A lifelong passion for food has translated into fundamental evolutions in the choices and quality of food products available to Canadian households."


Death

Nichol died in Toronto on September 22, 2013, at the age of 73.The Globe and Mail,
Veteran Loblaws pitchman Dave Nichol dies at age 73 in Toronto.
September 25, 2013.


References

*Kingston, Anne. ''The edible man : Dave Nichol, President's Choice & the making of popular taste'', Toronto : Macfarlane Walter & Ross, 1994. 365 p., 6p. of plates : ill., ports. ; 25 cm.


External links


Marketing Hall of Legends

The Empire Club of Canada Speeches 1993-1994
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichol, Dave 1940 births 2013 deaths Businesspeople from Ontario Harvard Law School alumni People from Chatham-Kent University of Western Ontario alumni University of British Columbia alumni