For as long as modern pharmacies have been around, they've deviated little from their roles of filling prescriptions and selling medicine. But now, Rite Aid wants to challenge that singular notion, today announcing a major rebrand that will see the drugstore chain welcome holistic, alternative therapies as a complement to traditional remedies as it seeks to become the first business of its type in the U.S. to offer a “whole-health pharmacy experience.”

“We are introducing a whole new Rite Aid and that’s evidenced by the change in the brand identity, but it goes so much deeper than that,” says Erik Keptner, Rite Aid’s chief merchandising and marketing officer, adding that American consumers are increasingly aware of the roles mental wellness and self-care play in their overall health.

To play to that strength, the Pennsylvania-based pharmacy chain had to consider the customer’s “mind, body and spirit,” Keptner says, which is why Rite Aid will now dually focus on pills and prescriptions as well as alternative wellness options, ranging from encouraging dietary health to using lavender as a sleep aid.

In addition to spotlighting non-traditional remedies, Rite Aid’s ongoing brand revision calls for phasing out the sale of tobacco, emphasizing its beauty department, bringing in healthier snack options, and continuing to explore CBD offerings in states where it’s permitted. Keptner anticipates the rollout, which also encompasses long-term store renovations as well as a merchandise overhaul, will be a “multi-year journey” to reach all of Rite Aid’s roughly 2,400 locations.

As part of the shift, Rite Aid is ditching its iconic red-and-blue shield logo—in use nationwide since 1979—in favor of a softer image that incorporates a mortar and pestle and three stylized leaves, encapsulating the brand’s focus on alternative wellness strategies.

The old shield symbolized protection, though its intended meaning didn’t always come across to the public, Keptner says, with some consumers previously suggesting that it looks like a road sign. But Rite Aid’s rebrand goes beyond just updating its logo, he adds.

To debut the larger transformation, the pharmacy chain called on Havas, its agency-of-record, to produce a TV commercial that communicates what the “new Rite Aid” is all about: a fusion of holistic and traditional medicines.

Featuring a host of actors—all of whom, in a sign of the times, are sporting face masks—the spot utilizes a series of moving sets, illustrating the physical merger of a “traditional” pharmacy and an “overwhelming” holistic shop. Rite Aid pharmacists, a narrator says, will now be educated in both traditional and alternative medical remedies, such as using essential oils to manage stress and exercising to lower blood pressure. 

The 30-second ad closes with a shot of Rite Aid’s updated logo and its new tagline: “Don’t just get healthy. Get thriving.” First airing today, the spot will kick off a totally integrated campaign set to run through the end of the year that also includes social and digital elements.

“We chose very eye-catching visuals, but we made it very simple and very easy to understand,” says Tommy Troncoso, group creative director at Havas New York, who wanted Rite Aid’s new corporate colors—blue representing traditional medicine; green representing holistic alternatives—to come together harmoniously.

The logic behind the new marketing approach and general rebrand was spurred, at least in part, by consumer research that showed Rite Aid had previously under-indexed its ability to attract Gen X and Millennial shoppers. Now, it’s shifting heavily to draw in women between the ages of 25 and 49, especially those who may be caring for children or pets.

“[Rite Aid] is an iconic brand, but frankly, there are conventions of the drug channel that we needed to break,” Keptner says, noting the 58-year-old company’s “Store of the Future” concept; a prototype model currently operating at just a handful of Rite Aid locations that, among other changes, will make pharmacists more approachable. “We really need to meet the customer where they are today.”

While the original rebrand idea germinated before the coronavirus pandemic, it came to fruition in the thick of it. Rite Aid first announced the bulk of its strategic retail changes at its Analyst Day event on Monday, March 16; by that Friday, the U.S. economy was teetering, dozens of states had declared states of emergency, and more than 18,000 Americans had COVID-19. But Rite Aid kept course throughout.

“I’m just amazed at what our organization has done to keep this brand transformation on track,” Keptner says, lauding the efforts of both the Rite Aid and Havas teams.

However, Rite Aid isn’t the only American pharmacy that has sought to shake things up amid the pandemic. In July, Walgreens announced that it would be entering the primary care market in a partnership with VillageMD, opening between 500 and 700 physician-staffed “Village Medical at Walgreens” clinics inside its existing retail locations by 2025.