Research with consumers and company executives led us to the two tenets that drove CVS Health’s new strategy and the focus for the new identity:

1. A bold commitment to truly being—and marketing itself as—a health-care organization, an effort that kicked off with the tobacco ban.

2. A business-model shift: The company was evolving from a silo-based structure with separate business units to a cohesive, unified organization with a single purpose.

The discovery that CVS was present in so many moments of millions of people’s lives was a key campaign insight. To reach our target of busy, health-empowered consumers, we needed to approach and converse with them in a friendly, engaging manner across all touchpoints, from the CVS Health logo to advertising, store collateral and all digital communications, including Websites, mobile initiatives and social-media efforts.

To do so, we needed to unite CVS’s four distinct divisions under this customer-health-focus: the visible Pharmacy retail chain with 7,700 stores; prescription benefit management service Caremark; MinuteClinic, the nation's largest walk-in medical center with 900 in-store locations staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and Specialty, which fulfills custom prescriptions for rare or complex medical conditions.

CVS Health’s rebranding effort and bold anti-smoking stance have been a phenomenal success. The rebranding initiative made headlines on everything from local papers to national TV news programs, and drew praise from health advocates, including First Lady Michelle Obama.

The new heart logo reflects the brand’s newly articulated attitude (“Leading with heart”) and commitment to placing health first. It also plays off the old CVS Caremark design and recognizable red shade. This graphic element is complemented by modern iconography and illustrations that lend a visual levity to the brand and simplify complex ideas.

The largest pharmacy health services provider in America, CVS made a risky decision when it implemented a new brand identity. And it paid off, both figuratively and literally.

Despite sacrificing an estimated $2 billion in annual tobacco sales, CVS Health has enjoyed a 5.5% year-over-year bump in same-store sales and a 22% increase in pharmacy-services revenue. Company’s stocks are also rising.

The most vital sign of success? CVS Health’s assurance that this newly articulated business strategy, design and message are in sync with its purpose to help people along their journey to better health. CVS evolved from just another drugstore to the customer’s full-service retail health partner.