AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy

THE PRIME SHIFT: A REBRANDING TRIUMPH

CAMPAIGN: On Dec. 31, 2021, Walgreens purchased Prime Therapeutics’ interest in AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, making it the sole owner of the company. As part of this agreement, our company name changed to AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy by June 2022. The change of one simple word (from prime to pharmacy) created a long list of activities that we were legally obligated to complete in less than six months. We developed an integrated communication campaign to roll out the rebrand. 

Two weeks before the launch, our team’s digital communications specialist left the company, which meant we were down to two people. We needed to learn web publishing in addition to writing communications to stakeholders and updating communication assets. Despite, this setback, we got the job done and received widespread support for the new look and feel. We published monthly articles that included short videos to inform team members of the status of the rebrand initiative and next steps in the process. We also worked closely with the engagement team to host a virtual launch party, where team members wore and posted pictures of themselves sporting a new company shirt. Team members were excited about getting free swag, which also served to subtlety show that the company had a bright outlook. Incorporating the giveaway with the rebrand update increased our readership far above our other progress report articles.

OUTCOME: The campaign resulted in a renaming of all communication assets and documents by the June 24 deadline. Almost 1,400 page views of the dedicated rebrand intranet page (the eighth highest intranet page) and 1,700 page views of the brand resource library (the fifth highest page). Almost 90% of team members ordered the rebranding shirts/sweatshirts (a good indicator of team awareness). We continuously monitored social media and our anonymous employee feedback platform, TINYpulse, which showed no negative comments about the rebrand. We also received positive coverage in 20 news outlets. My work won the PRSA Dallas Chapter Pegasus Award for Reputation/Brand Awareness.

COMMUNICATIONS SCORES A BIG PAYDAY FOR NEW PAYROLL SYSTEM LAUNCH

CAMPAIGN: AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy was switching to a new payroll system, MyADP, offering better functionality and business features. Our employees needed to know about the change and register for access to the new system. With 80% of employees in operations and 75% working remotely, I chose campaign strategies focused on breaking through competing workplace distractors. I developed and executed the strategic communication campaign. My plan relied on my research of change management best practices, earlier PR campaigns and other companies’ payroll launches. I created the components of the rollout, which included a dedicated intranet page updated at each stage of the transition, two-way communications to reduce barriers to adoption, and the development of training, flyers and messaging for human resources, the payroll team, managers and change champions who supported employees through the transition. I also used emails and newsletter articles to reinforce the benefits of adoption before, during a nd after implementation. 

OUTCOMES: Our campaign exceeded benchmarks, with our adoption rate placing us in the top 10% of companies using the software, many of which outsourced their campaigns to PR agencies. The vendor credits my communications planning for a below-average call volume, a key performance indicator that employees understood how to use the system. Overall, the campaign resulted in 94% of employees enrolling within one month, 40% on launch day alone. My work won the PRSA Dallas Chapter Pegasus Award for internal communications.

FOSTERING WORKPLACE BELONGING THROUGH COMMUNICATIONS

CAMPAIGN: With racial tensions increasing nationwide, our company saw the need for a diversity, equity and inclusion program. As internal communications manager, I partnered with the newly created council on their DE&I initiatives. I established a year-long campaign to build awareness and change negative perceptions[1]  among our 3,000 employees. My strategies included building a dedicated intranet site, recognizing 13 diverse observances[2]  and encouraging participation in leadership listening sessions[3] . I lobbied for diversity in our creative work and employee spotlights. I also wrote an article encouraging employees to add their pronouns to their email signatures, tripling average article views. I completed a “DE&I in the Workplace” certificate program, gaining tools and the greater depth needed to foster sustainable and inclusive communications. 

OUTCOME: My campaign supported the creation of a culture where employees feel like they belong, evidenced by their positive feedback and activism within the organization. As a result, employees started three resource groups in support of African Americans (100 members), women (158) and LGBTQ+ (67) communities. In September 2021, employees rated us 3% above the industry benchmark for having “a culture in which team members appreciate the differences that people bring to the workplace.” Ninety-two percent gave us a three or more out of five [4] (39% gave us a five). In a February 2022 survey, we averaged a four on our “commitment to having diverse team members well-distributed throughout the enterprise.” Now, there is an excitement and drive to keep diversity a priority in the company.