Boots taps into Advantage Card for data-driven agency

Boots UK is aiming to take on the likes of Nectar 360 and even DunnHumby with the launch of a new marketing agency which will tap into the retailer’s loyalty club data to deliver personalised campaigns for brand owners.

Dubbed Boots Media Group, the agency is a joint venture with media agency Threefold, and offers a full-service proposition that places the data on Boots’ Advantage Card’s 17 million active members at the heart of the business.

According to the retailer, “the group enables brands to deliver high-performing connected marketing campaigns to Boots UK customers, as well as maximise ROI on their advertising investment”.

This will be achieved through co-marketing campaigns, using personalisation and AI-based optimisation, which can be delivered in-store, across Boots’ digital platforms, and social media.

The agency will also offer what it claims will be “robust campaign measurement and clear ROI reporting”.

Boots UK chief marketing officer Pete Markey said: “We’ve created a centre of excellence. The group delivers the very best of Boots to our suppliers – from digital to data to instore – to support their growth and to help them succeed.

“By unlocking the power of our first-party data and giving access to our marketing channels to brands, we can help accelerate ROI by delivering relevant experiences to customers and ultimately enhance the shopping experience for them.”

Boots omni-media director Ollie Shayer added: “It is our ambition to deliver a true agency service – treating our suppliers as clients and working collaboratively with them to harness the scale, reach, data, connectivity and brand equity of Boots in order to achieve high-performing campaigns that resonate with Boots customers.”

The move comes as owner Walgreen Boots Alliance ramps up its digital transformation, as part of plans to build truly differentiated omnichannel healthcare and retail offerings for customers who no longer expect a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

With consumer behaviour changes greatly accelerated by Covid-19, WBA says it is investing in and relying on marketing leadership across its brands, including Boots, to create a singular, unified view of our customers – powered by modern technology platforms – to help create experiences at every step of their journey.

Last year, the company retained WPP as its global marketing and communications partner, with a brief to implement the “mass-personalisation” marketing strategy.