Channel 4 and Boots jump into bed for loyalty data deal

The broadcaster and retailer loyalty data love-in has taken a further twist with Channel 4 signing a new deal with Boots to boost targeting on the My4 streaming service.

The partnership, brokered by sales house 4Sales, follows a similar deal with Sainsbury’s owned Nectar360 and will once again use Infosum’s “data clean room” technology.

It sees millions of Channel 4’s streaming service users matched to their Boots Advantage Card accounts and will enable Channel 4 and Boots to target viewers with bespoke ads based on their purchasing behaviour.

It is claimed the move will also give Boots’ advertisers the chance to gain highly detailed and speedy measurement of the impact of their campaigns.

Boots omnimedia director Ollie Shayer called the agreement a “significant milestone”, adding that it “demonstrated a commitment to innovation and a shared belief that data-driven marketing is the future of advertising”; music to Decision Marketing readers’ ears.

He added: “We are confident that this new offering will be a game-changer for brands.”

Last year, ITV joined forces with DunnHumby and Boots Media Group to launch the ITV Matchmaker targeting tool for ITVX, using Clubcard and Advantage Card loyalty data, powered by InfoSum’s technology, which enables companies and advertisers to work together without ever sharing their own first-party data. Some of the world’s biggest advertisers – including Unilever and PepsiCo – have already signed up to trial the tool.

According to IAB Europe, the retail media market is already worth €8bn, and is largely dominated by digital ad spend.