Kroger Health Selects DDB New York as Its Agency of Record

Kroger has named DDB New York as its strategic business partner and creative agency of record for Kroger Health, the country's fourth largest retail pharmacy chain based on sales. This is the first new business win for the Omnicom agency since it brought in new leadership under president, Darla Price. “This is a special win for us as we continue to expand our health and wellness practice at DDB New York. [Kroger’s] creative ambition is huge. What really brought us in was their creative ambition for the brands—and how we reinvent what wellness looks like for them,” Price told Adweek. DDB New York is tasked with delivering creative ideas and business solutions that challenge consumers to think differently when it comes to their destination for health and wellness. Kroger Health has a team of over 22,000 healthcare experts—from pharmacists and nurse practitioners to dietitians and technicians—who aim to improve health through a combination of health, wellness and nutrition. “The DDB New York team demonstrated the greatest expertise and understanding of the health and wellness landscape," Emily Hartmann, senior director, brand marketing, told Adweek. DDB New York was named the first agency of record for the Kroger chain of grocery stores in 2019—which also weighed into the pharmacy division’s decision to go with the agency—and DDB will help connect the dots between the grocery and pharmacy brands, with food and health going hand in hand. According to Hartmann, this partnership extends the three-year relationship DDB has already had with Kroger. She said DDB understands Kroger Health's goal of making health care more accessible and that there's a logical connection to the grocery chain's fresh food. "Our clinics and pharmacies sit in our stores for convenience and they offer our customers many services and expertise," Hartmann said, adding that DDB understands Kroger has consumers covered from self-care to sick-care. The messaging for the creative will play off some of what Kroger utilizes for its grocery division, which is that Kroger stands for fresh and accessible for everyone. In that vein, health and well-being should be available to all and DDB said it will deliver fresh ideas on these topics for Kroger Health. “They were super interested in becoming a brand and not just a service,” Mat Bisher, chief creative officer at DDB NY told Adweek. “They have great ambition, not just for traditional marketing, but for putting things out in the world that actually make a difference. Content for the creative will consist of video, audio, print, experiential and in-store. Hartmann said that Kroger has a playful master brand and DDB will flex that tone to the world of health and care. DDB said it will be hiring to address the Kroger Health business, but it already has teams across its network that know the grocery business and can slide into the former easily. DDB Worldwide Celebrates Creative Trailblazer Phyllis Robinson's 100th Birthday A new team for a heritage agency Price, Bisher and chief strategy officer Auro Trini Castelli joined DDB New York over the last 10 months—and Kroger Health is the first big win by the new leadership team. “It feels good to find our stride and our rhythm,” said Price, adding that the win will help the agency again become a creative powerhouse. Price joined DDB New York in May of 2021 from McCann, where she spent seven years in executive roles, running the global Microsoft business. She served as president of 215 McCann—responsible for the Xbox brand—and also ran brands in New York including TherapeuticsMD, HomeGoods and Lockheed Martin. Before McCann, she spent nine years at Saatchi & Saatchi. She joined DDB along with Castelli, who was previously chief strategy officer at IPG creative shop Elephant. Bisher came to DDB in October 2021 after 16 years at McCann. “Since I've come on, I've been saying we're trying to build the agency of the future and I think Kroger Health is a great example, because it's not a traditional health care brand,” said Price. She said that the leadership team ambition is to attract great talent from all backgrounds, adding that when she was hired the agency leadership team was 15% diverse and now it is 40% diverse. “The great resignation has given us a fantastic opportunity to build an agency that really reflects the types of unexpected talent that we want to bring in to deliver great creativity," Price said, adding that the agency is striving to reinvent itself as a creative powerhouse built on a culture of empathy. Castelli added that DDB is a brand with an incredible legacy, but must also be looking forward. “You should be part of the change that's ahead. And I think that DDB really presented the opportunity to really connect the dots between past, present and future.” Price said that one of her favorite quotes from DDB founder and ad legend Bill Bernbach is: “An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it.” That means that the new leadership at DDB New York has an obligation to build the best team to build on the legacy set by its founders. “You're going to start to see some fantastic work coming from us … we now have the right team in place,” said Price. Kroger Launches New Brand Positioning and First Work From DDB New York