WPP Wins Walgreens Boots Alliance Account

Pharmacy giant Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) announced that it will partner with WPP on its creative and media accounts.

WPP will create its own team of agencies, “Team WBA,” to service the account, with office locations for the team in Chicago, London and New York.

WBA’s global marketing spend is estimated to be nearly $600 million, according to Kantar Media.

WBA is the result of Walgreens taking a 45 percent ownership stake in Swiss pharmacy company Alliance Boots in 2012. The corporation also operates Boots pharmacies in the U.K.

OMD is currently the media agency of record for WBA. GSD&M has been Walgreens’ U.S. creative agency of record since 2012, and Mother has been Boots’ creative agency of record in the U.K. since 2003. The review process for the account began in early 2016.

“We have grown rapidly, so too have our marketing and communications needs, and this multidimensional model and new way of working will better support our vision for the company and future growth plans,” said Stefano Pessina, executive vice chairman and CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance in a statement.

In a statement, Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, said: “We look forward to partnering with Walgreens Boots Alliance to help further enhance what are already iconic brands in the health and wellbeing category. Team WBA will be a custom solution that draws together the talent and resources from across WPP to develop effective communications that will differentiate WBA and drive results.”