Breaking a Brand Promise – Pharmacy

Posted at September 6, 2010 // Retail, Strategy / Tactics

Brand managers each day make decisions regarding their brands. Sometimes, the decision is about how to build a brand. Sometimes, the decision is about how to reinforce a brand. However, some of the most important decisions are how to not destroy a brand.

In order to make those hard decisions, you must first know what your brand stands for.

If I were to ask you to describe Wal-Mart, how would you answer? I suspect you’d say something along the line of big box store that sells everything on everyday low prices. Well, that’s Wal-Mart’s brand.

If I were to ask you to describe CVS, how would you answer? I suspect you’d answer something like it’s a pharmacy that also conveniently carries some general merchandise. Well, that’s CVS’s brand.

In fact, CVS is how it’s commonly called. It’s full name is CVS/pharmacy. In fact, it is the nation’s second largest chain of pharmacy.

Therefore, imagine my disappointment when CVS fails to fulfill its brand promise of being a pharmacy.

I am an allergy sufferer. So, when fall pollens start to fill the air, I started my hunt for allergy meds. Nowadays, the best OTC allergy meds are sold behind the counter of a pharmacy. I started with a nearby Wal-Mart. However, my mission failed, because the pharmacy was closed at the time. I was disappointed, but I couldn’t really hold that against Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart after all is a general merchandiser, and it’s sometimes hit or miss when you’re looking for something specific.

So, I decided to go to the specialty channel route, and went to a nearby CVS. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I also cannot get the meds because the pharmacy inside the CVS/pharmacy was closed. Now, if the store in general was close, it was just unfortunate timing. However, as long as the store was open, a store that’s called CVS/pharmacy, I would expect to be able to get pharmaceutical products from such store. That is CVS failing on its brand promise. If they could not keep the pharmacy open, they should just shorten the store hours accordingly. This is why Walgreens is still my pharmacy…

Photo credit: Sarah Spaulding