CVS Health has hired Publicis Groupe for its creative and CRM account in the U.S. The decision was made following a review that began in July and was reported to have been handled by consultant Roth Ryan Hayes.

Buy your ticket for the Ad Age A-List & Creativity Awards Gala at AdAge.com/ACGala.

The business was formerly with BBDO, which held the account since 2014. Omnicom Group, Interpublic Group of Cos. and Stagwell are believed to have participated in the review as well, using a mix of their agencies.

Happening together

Roth Ryan Hayes wasn’t immediately available to comment and Publicis has deferred comment to CVS. Omnicom, Stagwell and IPG weren’t immediately available for comment. BBDO declined to comment.

“We’ve engaged with Publicis as a lead agency partner who will provide support across a number of our U.S. programs and businesses,” a spokesman for CVS Health confirmed.

The win is believed to have been fueled by Publicis agencies Hawkeye and Saatchi & Saatchi, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. And, in fact, a CVS Health spokesman earlier told Ad Age that “a collection of individuals” from Saatchi & Saatchi LA and Publicis' Le Truc helped provide creative strategy and execution for the retailer’s “Healthier Happens Together” campaign that launched in October.

Media buying for that campaign was handled in collaboration with UM, which since 2019 has been CVS Health’s agency of record for all media except paid search.

Ad Age Datacenter ranked CVS Health Corp. the country's 116th largest U.S. spender based on stated ad outlays of $461 million in 2020. In terms of measured media, CVS Health spent over $110 million in the first 9 months of 2021, according to a report by Kantar. A part of that includes Aetna, which spent $17.3 million in measured media in the first nine months of 2021, down slightly from just over $18 million the year prior, also according to Kantar.

Boosting sales

Last year, CVS hired Michelle Peluso to oversee marketing as chief customer officer, a new position. In the hiring announcement, Peluso noted how COVID-19 has changed the health care needs of customers, making a customer-focused experience all the more critical for drugstore chains like CVS. Earlier this month, Peluso was named a co-president of the retail business as part of a strategy to maximize CVS’ ability to attract new retail customers and improve omnichannel efficiencies. Part of that strategy includes a plan to close 900 CVS stores over the next three years.

The Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based retailer has continued to see the benefits of being a health care brand during a pandemic. CVS posted a 10% rise in third-quarter revenue to $73.8 billion; net income was $1.6 billion.

Recent efforts, such as offering coupons and discounts to consumers visiting CVS outposts to receive COVID vaccines and booster shots, have also helped spur sales. Executives said CVS gave out some 8 million COVID tests and more than 11 million COVID shots during its most recent quarter. CVS will report fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 9.

Buy your ticket for the Ad Age A-List & Creativity Awards Gala at AdAge.com/ACGala.

This marks another significant win for Publicis Groupe. The holding company had a strong 2021, notching new business accounts for brands like McDonald's, Meta, Inspire Brands, Walmart and Eli Lilly.