Tuesday, October 9, 2007

CVS? Caring? Not from what I can see

I see that CVS launched a new campaign yesterday with the theme line, "For All the Ways You Care," using a fanciful, animated technique to make the local CVS seem as warm—and fuzzy—as the fuzzy logic behind the campaign. Just as it is with so many campaigns for health insurance companies, attempts by a company like CVS to portray itself as caring simply don't pass the truth test. CVS holds a near-monopoly where I live, and the effects of not having any real competition are obvious. The stores are perpetually understaffed, the staff at times downright rude, and the customers usually left to fend for themselves. Often, as I've been standing in another long line—the one at the pharmacist's counter is often five or six deep—I muse about why companies like this invest money in ad campaigns when putting money into staffing issues seems like a more worthwhile investment. The agency for this campaign is Hill, Holliday—not that I blame the agency for the client's faults.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

AMEN!! You are Soooo right. Absolutely echoed my experience with CVS.

Anonymous said...

I just posted about this as well on www.sociallyadept.com. I agree with your complaints about the CVS stores, but what shocked me even more was how poorly this campaign is being executed. Why anyone would take the time to upload content or read the existing content is beyond me. I don't fault Hill Holiday for this failed attempt at social media, but this will end up being a big waste of money and time for everyone involved.