MindShare win hints at Boots online shopping

Boots the Chemist has appointed MindShare Digital to handle its multimedia advertising and marketing strategy, fuelling speculation that it is about to launch an online shopping service.

Boots’ main media account is with BMP Optimum, part of the Omnicom network.

It is understood MindShare pitched against Razorfish, also part of Omnicom, and Online Magic, which is fully owned by Omnicom, as well as Traffic and IMP.

A Boots spokesman says: “Multimedia is an emerging area we wish to be knowledgeable in. To facilitate this, MindShare is being appointed to work with us. This will ensure that Boots is kept up to date with the ongoing changes in dynamic and diverse areas of multimedia.”

MindShare will be responsible for digital TV ads and the Internet. Boots, which has had its own Website for about two years, is understood to be keen to target more women through the Internet.

Boots has already tested interactive TV in 250 homes in Hull, where viewers used their remote control to move around a virtual Boots store and select items.

Nigel Sheldon, managing partner at MindShare, says the agency will develop areas such as interactive advertising on digital TV channels, where certain commercials have an interactive icon to call up more information, or banner advertising in onscreen electronic programme guides.