‘Trusted since 1901’ is Walgreens slogan, which debuted in 2017 and is still in use as of 2021. The motto refers to the year Walgreens first opened its doors, as well as the trust that its customers have in the company. Walgreens was making an effort to become more minimalistic and engaging. It started out as a little store in Chicago, Illinois. Here’s how the company’s foundations helped it achieve long-term success. After working in the pharmaceutical profession as a child, Charles R. Walgreen, Sr. founded the first Walgreen’s drugstore in 1901. It was only 50 feet long and 20 feet wide, and it also sold food. What is now known as Walgreen’s operated out of this one, modest store during the first eight years of its existence. The second Walgreen’s store did not open for business until 1909.

CHANGE IN THE SLOGAN:

The slogan of  Walgreen’s was modified in 2017 from ‘At the corner of happy and healthy’  to ‘Trusted since 1901’ . Along with the slogan, the Walgreens logo has been changed to red and white dual color scheme, emphasizing the company’s shift toward minimalist design. This is likely due to large firms’ increased preference for simple design in order to appeal to a wider audience.

WHAT DOES THE WALGREENS SLOGAN MEAN?

The motto of the new Walgreens slogan is to emphasize the company’s humble beginnings.  The phrase ‘Trusted since 1901’ refers to Walgreens founder, Charles R. Walgreen, who founded the company in 1901. The ‘Trusted’ aspect of the logo emphasizes the Walgreens brand’s popularity and success, with the goal of appealing to the customers as a trustworthy retailer. It’s also meant to boost Walgreen’s reputation by instilling trust in new customers. It’s worth noting that one of the first Walgreens logos had the tagline ‘The Pharmacy America Trusts,’ which is mentioned in the new slogan. The repeated use of the word ‘Trust’ is most likely a marketing play employed by the Walgreen’s to highlight their quality customer service as the result of the trust bestowed upon them by the existing customers. To represent the brand’s purpose as a healthcare retailer, the first Walgreens slogan was ‘At the corner of happy and healthy’. The term ‘At the corner’ refers to how many Walgreens stores have traditionally been built on corner plots. This was a strategic tactic designed to entice customers approaching from all directions to visit Walgreens, thereby increasing the company’s sales. Using words like ‘happy’ and ‘healthy’ promoted the company as offering customers products and services related to pharmacy, health and wellness. Along with slogans, Walgreen’s had an instore “Be well” greeting, which was frequently said to customers throughout the check-out process by Walgreens employees. Walgreen’s on the other hand, dropped the traditional greeting in 2015 and replaced it with other customer service innovations, such as requiring personnel to greet customers by name. Walgreens’ new approach is in keeping with the company’s motto, which reads, “Creating trust and repeat business with customers.”

After the second Walgreen’s drugstore opened, the pace of expansion accelerated. After a decade, in 1909, there were  20 Walgreen’s stores in various Illinois residential districts. Walgreen’s had a successful prohibition era in the 1920’s, when it was able to legally sell prescription whiskey for therapeutic purposes. As a result, the chain’s expansion surged significantly. Walgreen’s had roughly $4,000,000 in yearly sales by 1930, and there were 601 locations in 30 states by 1934. The introduction of one of Walgreen’s staples of success, the malted milkshake, occurred in 1992. Walgreen’s employee Ivar “Pop” Coulson added two large scoops of vanilla ice cream to the store’s original malted milkshake recipe, and the drink became an instant hit. As a result, Walgreen’s decided to build its own ice cream factories. Schoep’s, on the other hand, has been the sole supplier of ice cream to Walgreen’s since 1993.  The gross revenue of Walgreen’s increased from $139 billion in 2019 to $141.7 billion in 2020. Pharmaceutical revenues, which have more than doubled since 2016, have fueled this expansion. In addition, pharmacy sales are likely to continue to rise, with a 14 percent increase expected over the next three years. The selling of retail merchandise in Walgreen’s stores has decreased by around $3 billion as pharmaceutical sales have exploded. Despite the dismal performance of Walgreen’s retail component, it appears that the chain will continue to operate in the retail sector in the future. This is due to Walgreen’s integrated business model, which makes shopping at the store more convenient for its customers.

CONCLUSION:

Walgreens motto was modified in 2017 to ‘ Trusted since 1901’ , which refers to the number of years the retailer has been in operation and the trust it has earned from its clients. Walgreen’s has also chosen to engage with customers on a personal level by making customer service enhancements, such as greeting customers by name and thanking them for their purchases, as part of this transition.