Winning Moments that Keep Life Moving
Four years of declines in brand equity plus retail & pharmacy sales revealed a hard truth: Once a fixture in communities, Walgreens was losing relevance. Competitors had claimed the category's biggest shopping missions with stronger value, broader assortment, and increasing convenience, making it increasingly difficult for Walgreens to win. To return to growth, Walgreens needed a distinct reason for people to choose it.
Our ambition in FY26 was to reverse the trend and show a moderate sales gain (+10%) while halting brand equity decline
THE INSIGHT: People don’t need stores. They need solutions.
Life doesn't happen in shopping missions. It happens in moments. The growth audiences we identified are constantly juggling work, family, health, and everything in between, striving to keep life moving. In the countless, unexpected life moments that threaten to slow them down– toilet paper down to the last squares, your child’s fever spiking to 102, that forgotten birthday gift– they're not looking for a retailer, they're looking for a solution, Now.
Walgreens' true opportunity was not just convenience, but helping people keep life moving in moments that refused to wait. This gave Walgreens a distinct role in their lives: Need-It-Now Wins for Life in Motion.
The Now & Always campaign brought the strategy to life by showing our audience how Walgreens was on their corner and in their corner to help take care of Now. From beauty routines and wellness needs to last-minute errands and pharmacy support, the work reflected the many moments Walgreens serves as a trusted partner with need-it-now solutions that keep life moving with confidence and ease.
The strategy delivered impact where Walgreens needed it most: trips, revenue, and relevance. Consumers exposed to the campaign generated 33% more trips and 34% more revenue per customer than the average customer in their segment. And while our FY26 objective was simply to halt four straight years of brand equity decline, Walgreens surpassed expectations, delivering its first equity growth since 2021 and increasing brand equity scores by 9%.