• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, January 7, 2014

Drug store chain Walgreens is teaming with TaskRabbit, the San Francisco-based company that runs a marketplace for outsourcing errands and project work, for a six-week campaign during the height of cold and flu season. The campaign was created and negotiated by Ignition Factory, a unit of OMD, Walgreen’s media agency of record.

The effort, which kicks off today, will enable housebound cold and flu sufferers to get Walgreens medicines delivered to their homes by using TaskRabbit’s mobile app. It’s the first retailer “in-app integration” for TaskRabbit, according to the company, which operates in 19 cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

The campaign runs through Feb. 18 and the flight corresponds to what Gallup reports has been the period with sharpest spikes in cold and flu incidences over the past five years. For cold and flu remedy marketers, that’s kind of like the holiday shopping season, when a big chunk of the estimated annual $7 billion in sales for such products is spent.

The delivery service isn’t free. After selecting the Walgreens store and products they want, users enter a bid for TaskRabbit delivery.

Walgreens Group Vice President Robert Tompkins said the first of its kind agreement is an example of “how Walgreens is transforming the customer experience to help people get, stay and live well.”

TaskRabbit, founded in 2008, is backed by a number of investors including Baseline Ventures, Allen & Company and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. 

"Walgreens Store" photo from Shutterstock.