• by Larissa Faw , August 23, 2018

Havas North America is creating its first formal specialized in-house team after winning Rite Aid's AOR account. The account will be run out of the agency's New York office. The incumbent was MARC USA.

"Well Village" will tap into various Havas agencies including Havas Creative, Havas Health & You, TRIPTK, Havas helia and Havas Media, all sourced with talent designated as healthcare specialists.  

Among the agency’s tasks is to build upon the wellness+ rewards customer loyalty program by creating new programs that drive the acquisition of new customers.  

This partnership will first kick off with an integrated marketing campaign in support of the company’s 2018-19 immunization program, beginning this fall. 

Last year, Rite Aid's ad budget was $20.5 million, while the company spent $4.3 million during Q1 2018, according to Kantar Media.  

Rite Aid has had some set-backs of late. Earlier this month, Rite Aid and grocer Albertsons called off their $24 billion merger, which was expected to provide scale and capitalize on synergies between the two companies. 

And Rite Aid has also seen other recent merge plans disintegrate. Last year the government rejected a proposed merger with rival Walgreens, but the deal still enabled Walgreens to purchase many of Rite Aid stores, shrinking its footprint by 40%. 

Now, Havas will help Rite Aid stand alone, attempting to raise national brand awareness for a retailer that now lacks a real presence outside of the Northeast and West Coast.