• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 13, 2023

Walgreens is naming Publicis Groupe’s Epsilon as its new media AOR, according to sources. The firm’s annual media expenditures are estimated at $200 million by agency research company COMvergence. 

The drugstore chain, part of Walgreens Boots Alliance, put its media account into review in November of last year. 

The company has been working with WPP as part of a broader global marketing alliance with WBA that began in 2017. 

Walgreens however, also worked with Epsilon on certain data analytics and related issues and has opted to expand that relationship to media AOR status, per sources. 

In 2020 Walgreens launched retail media offering Walgreen's Advertising Group. Last February WAG announced the launch of new self-serve programmatic and clean-room solutions for advertisers. The self-serve solution offers the ability to target consumers by applying audiences based on Walgreens first-party data to campaigns run on each advertiser’s preferred demand-side platform (DSP).

The clean room is powered by Epsilon and enables advertisers to measure customer overlap while maintaining confidentiality of their first-party data, per the company. 

“We’re excited to bring our advertising clients more flexibility in managing the reach and frequency of campaigns on their preferred DSP, while dually building a better consumer experience through more relevant and optimized advertising,” Luke Kigel, vice president of Walgreens integrated media and head of Walgreens Advertising Group, said at the time. 

It is understood that Epsilon’s expanded remit begins at the end of March. 

Epsilon declined comment, referring questions to the client. Walgreens also declined to comment.

This story has been updated.