Sunday, February 21, 2010
CVS now in Puerto Rico!
Some fabulous news for CVS fans in Puerto Rico -- as of February 15, TWO new CVS stores are open on the island! The company announced its plans for Puerto Rican expansion in this Press Release. The release details their plans to open 9 Puerto Rican stores in total by the end of 2010.
As of Monday, February 15, 2 stores are officially open for business. Along with the written press release was a fantastic short video that I totally recommend watching! (Click on the link above to access the video clip). The catchy Latin music paired with informational interviews from corporate heads and clips from the exciting and vibrant Grand Opening party in Bayamon, PR makes for a very enjoyable 3 minutes -- not only will you learn about CVS in Puerto Rico, but it will definitely make you want to throw a fiesta! (And -- watch CVS/pharmacy president Larry Merlo's lapel closely... the expertly placed Puerto Rican flag pin is an oh-so-stylish public relations trick)
The company publicized the Grand Opening events in Puerto Rico creating a celebration atmosphere that drew in customers and potential employees alike. Not only was the event reason to party, but CVS also stayed true to its philanthropic roots and used the event to publicize its $10,000 to a local organization called el Instituto Psicopedagógico de Puerto Rico.
The statement released by CVS/Caremark was successful -- making news on the mainland. Articles about CVS's Puerto Rican expansion can be seen in newspapers from Rhode Island's Providence Business News (click to read the article) to a small blurb in California's San Francisco Examiner!
In my opinion, CVS did a phenomenal job in publicizing the grand opening events in Puerto Rico, but could have done a better job in spreading the news to American consumers. The company's ability to expand in tough economic times would only give customers more faith in the strength of the company.
The only media-based complaint I have goes back to my disappointment with CVS's use of new media. With a Facebook page, the fantastic video press release would have been more available to clients. With a more active Twitter account, the news of the Puerto Rican stores would have been spread more quickly. However, there is a solution I've discovered for people super-interested in breaking CVS news (like myself haha). The site offers the opportunity to become a member of the site and receive e-mail updates about certain aspects of the corporation. For me, nothing made me happier than the ability to get releases hot off the press sent directly to my e-mail. Well done, CVS! To join this VIP group of breaking CVS/pharmacy news recipients, simply go to http://info.cvscaremark.com/newsroom and click "Sign-Up" in the E-mail Alerts box (all the cool people are doing it...)
I'll keep searching for more fun CVS public relations updates and pass them on to you!
As of Monday, February 15, 2 stores are officially open for business. Along with the written press release was a fantastic short video that I totally recommend watching! (Click on the link above to access the video clip). The catchy Latin music paired with informational interviews from corporate heads and clips from the exciting and vibrant Grand Opening party in Bayamon, PR makes for a very enjoyable 3 minutes -- not only will you learn about CVS in Puerto Rico, but it will definitely make you want to throw a fiesta! (And -- watch CVS/pharmacy president Larry Merlo's lapel closely... the expertly placed Puerto Rican flag pin is an oh-so-stylish public relations trick)
The company publicized the Grand Opening events in Puerto Rico creating a celebration atmosphere that drew in customers and potential employees alike. Not only was the event reason to party, but CVS also stayed true to its philanthropic roots and used the event to publicize its $10,000 to a local organization called el Instituto Psicopedagógico de Puerto Rico.
The statement released by CVS/Caremark was successful -- making news on the mainland. Articles about CVS's Puerto Rican expansion can be seen in newspapers from Rhode Island's Providence Business News (click to read the article) to a small blurb in California's San Francisco Examiner!
In my opinion, CVS did a phenomenal job in publicizing the grand opening events in Puerto Rico, but could have done a better job in spreading the news to American consumers. The company's ability to expand in tough economic times would only give customers more faith in the strength of the company.
The only media-based complaint I have goes back to my disappointment with CVS's use of new media. With a Facebook page, the fantastic video press release would have been more available to clients. With a more active Twitter account, the news of the Puerto Rican stores would have been spread more quickly. However, there is a solution I've discovered for people super-interested in breaking CVS news (like myself haha). The site offers the opportunity to become a member of the site and receive e-mail updates about certain aspects of the corporation. For me, nothing made me happier than the ability to get releases hot off the press sent directly to my e-mail. Well done, CVS! To join this VIP group of breaking CVS/pharmacy news recipients, simply go to http://info.cvscaremark.com/newsroom and click "Sign-Up" in the E-mail Alerts box (all the cool people are doing it...)
I'll keep searching for more fun CVS public relations updates and pass them on to you!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Uh oh... CVS struggles with social media
As the internet begins to infiltrate every facet of modern life, thousands of corporations are trying to keep up with consumers through the use of social media (mainly Facebook and Twitter). Unfortunately, CVS Pharmacy did not get the message!
"No recent posts" = "No recent customer interest" in my book!
At a time when good social media skills is a corporate mile marker for successful public relations, I would think that CVS would put more time into maintaining its Facebook page. A blank Facebook page sends the message to consumers that the corporation is not interested in keeping their "fans" updated about, well, anything! After my experience with the Facebook page (which looks like it could have been created by a six year old) I went against my better judgment and decided to take a glance at CVS's Twitter page.
The search results landed me at www.twitter.com/CVS_extra. Although this page is a great outlet to find new deals available for ExtraCare cardholders, I was again disappointed to see that CVS Pharmacy is not using social media to better the image of their corporation, but only to lure consumers into following their Tweets to find "ExtraCare deals, exclusives and savings advice from experts." ....Great, but how does this help the public's image of CVS pharmacy?
After searching for "CVS" in the Facebook search engine, only one page resulted. With a simple profile picture of the logo, the page looked promising. But with only about 9,000 fans - the page quickly became less impressive. (Compare those 9,000 fans to AT&T's 257,375 Facebook fans or rival Walgreen's 454,240 Facebook fans...)
With one click into the page, my face fell. There are "no recent posts," only random pictures from page "fans" instead of official pictures from the corporation, and a completely blank "info" page. Absolutely horrifying from a social media standpoint - see for yourself!
"No recent posts" = "No recent customer interest" in my book!At a time when good social media skills is a corporate mile marker for successful public relations, I would think that CVS would put more time into maintaining its Facebook page. A blank Facebook page sends the message to consumers that the corporation is not interested in keeping their "fans" updated about, well, anything! After my experience with the Facebook page (which looks like it could have been created by a six year old) I went against my better judgment and decided to take a glance at CVS's Twitter page.
The search results landed me at www.twitter.com/CVS_extra. Although this page is a great outlet to find new deals available for ExtraCare cardholders, I was again disappointed to see that CVS Pharmacy is not using social media to better the image of their corporation, but only to lure consumers into following their Tweets to find "ExtraCare deals, exclusives and savings advice from experts." ....Great, but how does this help the public's image of CVS pharmacy?
ExtraBucks, great... but what about corporate updates and consumer interests?
In my opinion, CVS pharmacy is struggling in the social media department. In order to keep clients informed on more than just their great deals on shampoo and deodorant, CVS should be publicizing PR successes and other events on their Facebook and Twitter pages. If CVS doesn't step up their social media game, other more tech-savvy corporations are going to leave them in the dust.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Why CVS?
When prompted to start a corporate blog, I figured - why not start with a company I've experienced and a company whose ExtraCare card I carry around on a daily basis!
Then I started to wonder... how does CVS uphold such a fantastic reputation year after year? How do they keep happy customers walking through the door?
CVS is dedicated to its customers and is recognized as a leader in the health care field. The company's Mission Statement is: "We will be the easiest pharmacy retailer for customers to use." In my opinion, it's a success! Take their online shopping experience, their in-store coupon savings machine or their partnership with the in-store MinuteClinic. Everything CVS does has customer simplicity in mind.
But it's not just their ExtraBucks savings campaigns that's making news.
This past year, CVS's "Flu Shots Made Simple" campaign has gotten positive recognition from the National Influenza Vaccine Summit (pretty impressive!) Click to read the full press release!
If CVS continues to uphold its values of integrity and honesty while maintaining a super-catchy website full of deals, I don't see its reputation faltering. For example, how can you ignore the 20% off EVERYTHING online deal? You can't -- and that's why you keep buying everything from Bandaids to nail polish to flash drives from CVS.
My advice? Head to the Savings Central section of the website and uncover some phenomenal deals!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)