NCPA Launches Multi-Million Dollar National Ad Campaign to Promote Independent Pharmacies

Multi-media blitz emphasizes how big chain drugstores and mail-order operations treat customers like a number rather than a neighbor

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) launched a nationwide ad campaign today, "Neighbors, not Numbers," aimed at consumers looking for a better experience than the one they're getting from big box stores or mail-order outfits. The multi-million-dollar, multi-year campaign will splash across national television over the next two weeks, including on CNN, Fox News, HGTV, TBS, and TLC, and then move to local cable, streaming TV, social media, and online sites.

"Corporate pharmacies treat patients like numbers. We want Americans to rediscover their local, family-owned pharmacy, where they will get a much better experience and state-of-the-art health care," said Kristen Riddle, NCPA president. "We also want people who may have been abandoned by their corporate pharmacy due to closures or poor service to know they don't have to be herded into a mail-order relationship. There's a local alternative nearby, and we want to help them find it."

In one satirical commercial titled "What I Love About Chain Pharmacies," customers heap ironic praise on all the wrong things. One gushes about the inconsistent operating hours. A mom raves about being stuck on hold with a robot that never answers her questions. Another says she simply adores being treated like a number. Watch the spot here.

In another concept, customers sarcastically applaud mail-order pharmacies. One man loves the thrill of his hemorrhoid cream mistakenly landing on a neighbor's doorstep. Meanwhile, a woman says she enjoys the suspense of prescriptions that arrive late—or never show up at all. Watch the spot here.

All of these scenarios are then juxtaposed with customers experiencing personalized, friendly service at their independently-owned community pharmacy.

All the ads invite viewers to visit the NCPA website pharmacy locator, where they can find a nearby community pharmacy.

"There are nearly 19,000 independent community pharmacies across the country, and there's a very strong chance there's one very close to you," said Riddle. "We want Americans to know that independent pharmacies were treating patients long before the box stores, and long before mail order, and we're still here to give you and your family the health care experience you deserve."

For more information about NCPA, please visit www.ncpa.org.

Founded in 1898, the National Community Pharmacists Association is the voice for the community pharmacist, representing over 18,900 pharmacies that employ more than 235,000 individuals nationwide. Community pharmacies are rooted in the communities where they are located and are among America's most accessible health care providers. To learn more, visit www.ncpa.org.

SOURCE National Community Pharmacists Association