Boots CMO on how he plans to ‘reaffirm’ its perception as a healthcare brand

‘Our Health is as Individual as We Are’ centers on a 30-second hero spot directed by Max Fisher and produced by Rogue Films. The film shows the variety of ways Boots healthcare can support women through the various life stages.

“This campaign aims to reaffirm Boots as the leading healthcare business in the UK,” Markey tells The Drum. “Our most recent campaigns outside of Christmas have focused on our beauty offering and have been very successful in terms of shifting perception in that area. Now, we want to ensure our customers are aware of the full range of healthcare advice, products and services they can access with us that they might not have known about before.”

After being appointed chief marketing officer in 2021 it was Markey’s long-term plan to prove return on investment for key campaign moments like Christmas and summer and then gradually introduce other areas of the business that needed amplifying like the advantage card scheme or its opticians.

Following the success of the relaunched Advantage Card campaign that added 1.1 million new members and delivered a £2 ROI for every £1 spent, Markey’s team sat back to assess what area needed amplifying next. “What we really want to talk about is the core of what Boots is best known for which is health,” he recalls.

Markey says consumers know a lot about Boots but there are several things that people don't know the retailer currently provides. “So, at the heart of this campaign was to demonstrate the brand purpose right now in a really relevant way, but also share new news about Boots,” he says.

The ad shows a woman with a cold getting medication delivered on Deliveroo, and another using Boots online health hub as well as in-store pharmacy exchange.

“The film is about these amazing women who are living their lives, but there are moments of pain that go through the day. The film tells you that Boots is there, and it can help you get out and live your life to its fullest,” Markey explains.

The ad is set to the song Girl’s Gotta by Danger Twins. “We wanted to create a film that had a real energy to it and had a real confidence to as well,” boasts Markey.

Supported by digital OOH, print, social, digital, in-store and online, the campaign will feature will spotlight a number of other health conditions and suppliers. Over 60% of the media for the campaign has been booked using first-party data. Markey will be also leveraging Boots retail media deal with ITVX during the campaign data matching through InfoSum.

With women making up over 85% of Boots Advantage Card members the demographic will be the primary focus of the campaign with an estimated reach of 11.8 million. Families will also be targeted throughout the six weeks the campaign runs as Markey explains they are the group leading busy lives that find time to sort healthcare. Although Markey says this ad is the “first chapter” with a second healthcare campaign in the works to focus on general health.

This latest ad follows Boots’ formula for creative that features a carousel of products available at the retailer. Markey says it gives Boots marketing “substance” as there is “evidence and strong proof points right the way through our ads showing what we actually do. Showing the products, we sell is really important.”

This style of creative also amplifies Boots suppliers which have helped the retailer enhance supplier relationships. Markey reveals that through the “Boots Media Group the more our suppliers are seeing us do these more signature campaigns the more they want to come onboard”.

Markey tells The Drum consumers should expect a “much fuller” campaign activity throughout the year than with his predecessors. “We’ve got summer and Christmas working, as well as the Advantage Card. This campaign gives us the confidence we can get health working. We know there's both customer interest and supplier interest,” Markey boasts. “So, we've got this really exciting growth wheel working in marketing now.”