Walgreen, the nation’s largest pharmacy, and a slew of independent pharmacies are investing in RxAlly, a “private company that is launching a network involving 20,000 pharmacies focused on better care coordination,” according to the Associated Press.

The idea is for pharmacists to have “a chance to work more with patients to improve care and cut costs.”Continue reading...

It sure sounded like Walmart wanted to dominate yet another part of the U.S. economy when it sent out an RFI, or request for information — as NPR reported last week — laying out its plan to become "the largest provider of primary health-care services in the nation."

But it turns out that the country's largest retailer only wants to make more money by expanding its in-store consumer health-care offering — not dominate the industry.

Rebutting NPR's report, Dr. John Agwunobi, SVP & President of Walmart U.S. Health & Wellness, issued this denial: "The RFI statement of intent is overwritten and incorrect. We are not building a national, integrated, low-cost primary care health care platform."

Al Norman calls it a corporate "Oops." Maybe it was just a case of muscle memory underlying Walmart's ambitions, which always tend toward being the world's biggest (or perceived as such). Just recently came word, for instance, that Walmart is expanding its financial services such as check-cashing to "unbanked" Americans.Continue reading...

HP responds promptly to racist webcam accusations. [AdAge]

Apple garners interest in online TV subscription service. [NY Times]

Unilever harnesses the power of social media and word-of-mouth marketing. [Warc]

Flu shots and cold season drive sales at Walgreens. [NY Times]

Yahoo stitches up a partnership with Martha Stewart. [BrandWeek]

Diane Sawyer unveils a serious, somber tone, persona for World News. [NY Times]Continue reading...

One of the more familiar kinds of cause-related marketing in the US is the pink ribbon image affixed to products promising a cut of revenues to fund breast-cancer research. But faced with a pink-ribbon blitz on myriad products, Newsweek’s Claudia Kalb pictures the consumer wondering, “Should I buy this brand over that one? How much am I actually contributing to breast-cancer research? Is any of this a scam?”

The issue of how much of a cause-supporting item’s revenues actually supports that cause, not to mention (as explored in Slate last month) what percentage of a charity’s overall income is spent on administrative costs, is even more complicated when it comes to breast-cancer charities. Specifically, no two pink ribbons are necessarily equal.Continue reading...

The label "Cadillac plan" has figured prominently in the healthcare reform debate, referring to top-of-the-line coverage.

But does the term speak to the power of the Cadillac brand as "luxury"? Indeed, is Cadillac a higher luxury than a BMW? Why not call it a "Mercedes plan"? While once synonymous with luxury, Cadillac has gone more proletariat in recent years, introducing an SUV model and the CTS, both of which target younger, more hip consumers.Continue reading...

As President Obama launches a new offensive in selling his health insurance program, he might find several branding basics helpful.

First: Make a compelling argument. Merely complaining that the old system is broken is as effective as a laundry commercial that shows only the results of the brand’s competitor. Most people are creatures of habit, who prefer to complain rather than change their behavior.

So the President must do more than explain where the current health care system is headed. He needs to contrast that with the benefits of his plan: What are the savings in cost, time, red tape? In other words, what’s in it for me, John or Jane Taxpayer? Continue reading...