CVS/Caremark - the brand, the myth, the legend.

As my discovery journey through the public relations of CVS/Caremark comes to an end, it's fair to say that my job of describing their PR to you was an easy one. CVS has a squeaky-clean reputation - free from evidence of any crises, any economic downturn, (and unfortunately -- any social media!) ... I'm still bitter about the blank Facebook fan page, obviously.

But to tweet or not to tweet --- CVS Caremark has answered the question. Their reputation secured their spot as the "go-to" pharmacy for all Americans (and Puerto Ricans). Their "Customer first" mentality is a success and each campaign CVS takes part in is another step in making the pharmacy and a dynamic, customer friendly one-stop-shop for all your lifestyle and medical needs.

Their mission statement: "We provide expert care and innovative solutions in pharmacy and health care that are effective and easy for our customers. " is a clear indicator of their brand image. What is a brand image, you ask? It's basically what a corporation wants customers to think about them, not necessarily think about their products.

But, CVS/Caremark does have a wide variety of products geared towards maintaining their reputation and appealing to customers. Take CVS brand makeup remover pads - $3.06 on sale with your ExtraCare savings card ... Neutrogena brand? Over $5. Does this make you happier about CVS? Does this solidify CVS's reputation as a customer-focused, low-priced haven? Effective pricing, and it's easy to walk down an aisle and pick up apple juice, flip flops and those makeup remover pads. I'm thinking CVS is pretty fabulous ...improving its brand image!

With its upstanding, responsible, easy-to-use brand image, CVS/Caremark conveys that every single American can shop in CVS without a problem, can get his prescriptions filled, get his medicine questions answered and save money while doing it. Especially in this economy, this brand image is extremely appealing to customers. And with campaigns publicizing CVS's "ExtraCare Card," the public can't ignore the evidence of savings.

With a fabulous annual report (See blog post below!) that makes CVS/Caremarks' financial successes crystal clear and easy to follow for even the most financially educated (...me) and savings programs geared towards customers, CVS/Caremark knows how to reach consumers and shareholders in a way that continues to maintain its fantastic reputation!

Not only does CVS/Caremark do a great job publicizing their financial standing and current sales, but also had an extremely successful international campaign to publicizing their new franchises in Puerto Rico and became involved in new research explaining patient-medication relationships. CVS/Caremark has a reputation for being dedicated to its customers, and I believe that with the addition of social media, CVS/Caremark will be proficient in all areas of great PR.

CVS/Caremark wants consumers to take their medicine!

In CVS/Caremark's most recent press release, the company describes its new partnership with research to find out why patients don't take their medication. This new research will go towards CVS' current and future intiatives and communciations strategies to reach consumers with the information.

The research, done in collaboration with Minds at Work of Cambridge, MA, set out to discover why so many patients decide to stop taking their medication against their doctors' orders. The research findings were collected through "hour long, 'hidden-motivation' interviews" to find out why patients put the cap on their pill bottle for good.

The results of the research were quite interesting and it will be a PR success for CVS if they can create a successful campaign from this research that promotes the importance of following the prescription advice of doctors. The most common reason for not taking medicine was that people felt that medications "interfered with their lives."

I think it'd be a great opportunity for CVS to launch a PR campaign geared towards education people on medication plans on how to integrate their medications into their daily lives. This campaign would be successful if it could teach consumers how to make medication a simple part of their daily routine -- not another time-consuming chore.

Another way that CVS could use this research to improve their relatiionship with

consumers is to create a campaign that builds consumers' trust in health professionals. Another reas

on that consumers stop taking medicine, the survey shows, is that "they feel that they know better than their doctors what [is] good for them."

In my opinion, CVS has hit a homerun in sponsoring this research. I'm going to keep checking up on CVS/Caremark's press releases and see if their public relations professionals are the same page.

CVS/Caremark Ensures "Healthy Outcomes" in Annual Report

Investor relations. Sounds anything but riveting, right? I must admit that I thought the same thing when presented with the task to research how well CVS Caremark Corporation handled communication with investors. But once I dove into their most recent annual report, I realized that investor relations is simply another area of public relations that uses clever and consumer-based tactics to spread messages.

Let's take a closer look into CVS' 2008 Annual Report! Instead of a gloomy B+W newspaper-type publication with numbers, graphs and stock talk scattered on the pages, the entire report is a glossy and catchy, with the perfect word-to-financial jargon ratio. The first few pages are geared towards the less financially-savvy (like myself!) And instead of sending out a simple economical piece, CVS Caremark has used colorful marketing techniques aligned with the financial information that makes the entire book much more impressive. The fourth page of the report outlines financial information in clear, concise, colorful manner. As a shareholder, I would be very comfortable reading this graph. If the annual report had thrown incomprehensible graphs at me in first few pages, I would be more apt to recycle it in a second. (Wouldn't want to ask them how much this 74-page glossy masterpiece cost!)

The first few pages of the report outlines CVS Caremark's values and how each of those values is applied on a daily basis within the corporation and in their relationship with shareholders. The pictures chosen are typical of a well-constructed annual report - People of all ages, all races, both genders... all smiling wide while using all that CVS Caremark has to offer. It's the perfect way for CVS to say, "Hey! Look at all these super-happy people getting all of their health-based needs taken care of in one place...you should be doing the same." In my opinion, the glossy colorful pages full of happy people is extremely convincing, and CVS has the numbers and financial evidence to support it.

Nine pages in, I realized that the happy-go-lucky family loving life (and everything CVS)on the cover is actually a real customer family! This PR tactic really connects shareholders with the annual report. Most average 2-children 2-parent families watching a budget can absolutely relate to the Reyes family. Each family members' savings by using CVS Caremark is highlighted - a fabulous way to show shareholders, "This could be you!" and inspire the reader to do more if he isn't already taking full advantage of all that Caremark is offers its customers and shareholders.

Caremark uses their annual report as a way to not only show shareholders where there money is and what it's doing, but every new section of the report is preceded by a clear explanation of what the next pages hold. I like the layout of the report because it not only covers the important finance information, but it was made reader-friendly and eye-catching.

Now let's take a glimpse at Caremark's most recent "Letter to Shareholders." This letter is a great way for the corporation's CEO to tell shareholders in a few concise paragraphs about all that the corporation faced in the past year, how the company dealt with crisis, and what the upcoming year holds. Although CVS Caremark has posted 2009 earnings in its annual Securities and Exchange Commission 10-K filing, the most recent letter to shareholders can be found in the 2008 annual report. Let's see what President & CEO Tom Ryan has to say about the health of CVS Caremark in 2008.

Overall, this message has a tone of excitement and growth. After the merger of CVS and Caremark in 2007, the corporation has not only raised revenues and its number of stores, but also decreased its in-store prices. Using words throughout the letter like "outstanding," "optimistic" and "industry-leading," CVS Caremark shareholders can be comfortable knowing that not only is the corporation doing well during a tough economic time, but that the company has no signs of faltering in the coming years. For shareholders, a confident letter is fabulous news. With numbers evidence and specific information to support the CEO's claims, this letter is extremely credible. At first, it seemed impossible that a corporation could have been so successful in a year when the economy was beginning to show irreparable damage. However, the information given to shareholders in this letter is well-presented and well-researched.

The most recent news release about CVS Caremark's earnings also has good news for shareholders. Released on February 8, 2010, "CVS Caremark Reports Record Results in Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009" has great information about a record $98.7 billion total revenue, up 12.9% from 2008. Almost every area of the press release (Revenues,Income from Continuing Operations, and Real Estate Program) all showed increases. The company did post losses from Discontinued Operations but those values were expressed respectively and equalled about $14 million...still an improvement from last year's losses. The bad news was handled in a clear way with no excuses. I believe that CVS Caremark handled the losses perfectly because in the grand scheme of things, the amount of money lost in Discontinued Operations was pennies in comparison to the incredible growth and success of the company in 2009. If I was a CVS Caremark Shareholder, I'd be a very happy girl!

CVS/pharmacy Gives Back in a Big Way

It's no surprise that a company like CVS/pharmacy is dedicated to bettering the community. But what exactly does CVS do? Each time you walk into a CVS store to grab that pack of gum or pick up your oh-so-important prescription, you're probably not thinking about CVS/pharmacy's most recent community-benefitting event.In today's post, I'll give you a peek into the world of CVS/pharmacy's community relations -- how CVS not only builds long-term trust with its host communities but how CVS has become known as a trustworthy and selfless neighbor.

It didn't take long for me to find exactly what I was looking for online! CVS Caremark's private foundation, CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, is a way for CVS to donate time and money to benefit children and families nationwide.

The CVS "All Kids Can" initiative is committed to ensuring healthy development and fun childhoods, especially children who have special needs. For tons of fantastic information about "All Kids Can," visit http://www.cvscaremarkallkidscan.com/!

The program, started in 2006, is a 5
year, $25 million commitment dedicated to"create opportunities for all kids of all
abilities to learn, play & succeed in
life."

CVS Caremark "All Kids Can" has partnered with the Easter Seals Foundation, Boundless Playgrounds and VSA (The International Organization on Arts and Disability). For more infromation about these incredible organizations, visit CVS Caremark's Partners page. CVS teamed up with companies like Playskool to support Boundless Playgrounds projects and has donated over $4 million dollars to the cause! CVS Caremark and the Trust are important sponsors of the project, which builds interactive and educational playgrounds for children with special needs. Boundless Playgrounds follows the mission of "All Kids Can" by helping children "...Learn. Play. Succeed" - all while having fun!

"All Kids Can" not only joins with fabulous organizations like Boundless Playgrounds, but also donates grants to deserving organizations that support the mission of their program. According to their website, "We are proud to report, since 2001, the Trust has awarded grants totaling more than $37 million to more than 1,800 organizations. Of this, $6.3 million was donated in 2009." Clearly, the Trust's benefits are far-reaching and touch thousands of lives.

In Connecticut alone, there are six recipients of "All Kids Can" grants, including The Children's Museum of Southeastern CT, Inc. For the complete Grant Recipient List, click on the link! The grant program is still in effect and the website urges organizations, schools and other groups that help the community while helping children to apply.

Not only does CVS Caremark use grants and donations to help the community, but they are dedicated to spreading interest in volunteerism within their employees and the outside community. Employees can sign up for the CVS Caremark Community Crew at any time and get involved in CVS' great community works. Also, non-CVS employees are able to help out around the community. To sign up for CVS Caremark Community Crew as a non-employee, Click Here!

CVS Caremark's community relations program "All Kids Can" is a fantastic way to better their relationship with the surrounding communities. Not only is the program nationwide (like their stores) but it betters the futures of the nation's children. When special needs children have strong foundations and can Learn, Play and Succeed -even with their disabilities- it gives them the ability to feel included and important."All Kids Can" supports the mission and vision of CVS Caremark. The corporation's vision is to "Strive to improve the quality of human life." CVS's community relations program helps children with special needs by donating time and money towards efforts that give those children opportunities and services not ordinarily available. With that extra help, the quality of life for disabled children is improving exponentially.

In regards to CVS's mission, the "All Kids Can" program applies to the company's dedication to "providing expert care and innovative solutions in...health care." An important aspect of "All Kids Can" is the funds spent on finding medical rehabilitation for disabled children. With rehabilitation and other medical services, these children have a better chance of living normal, healthy lives

CVS Caremark is doing an amazing job in helping their nationwide community. Especially with their program "All Kids Can" and focusing a great deal of their efforts on helping children with disabilities, CVS Caremark is proving to the community that not only can they provide great customer service in-store, but also have a committment to bettering their communities, starting with the little ones.

Personally, I think CVS Caremark is doing an excellent job creating mutually beneficial relationships with their communities. All of their charitable work is publicized through press releases and on their websites but not overly-publicized so the company's gain overshadows the amazing work CVS Caremark, the Charitable Trust and "All Kids Can" really do. If the company could be doing anything else, it would be publicize upcoming charitable events so volunteers can get involved when they hear about events happening in their own communities.

To learn how to donate, volunteer or simply get some more information, I suggest you head over to http://info.cvscaremark.com/community right now!

CVS to open 1st local store in OSJ - Puerto Rico Daily Sun - Timely news about Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and the world

CVS to open 1st local store in OSJ - Puerto Rico Daily Sun - Timely news about Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and the world

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!

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!

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.