CVS tracks Pinterest ad performance with data 'clean rooms'

CVS is increasing transparency of ads placed on Pinterest through its retail media network.

In an email to Chain Store Age, a CVS representative explained how the drugstore retailer is partnering with Pinterest and data management platform LiveRamp to enable CPG brands advertising via its CVS Media Exchange (CMX) retail media network to track attributed Pinterest sales for the first time. 

CVS is also the first retailer in the health and wellness space utilizing this solution, with other established retail users including Albertsons and Wayfair.   

CMX employs front-store data (everyday purchase habits and behaviors) to anticipate shopper needs and deliver personalized communications from its participating brand partners. Through this new partnership, all data from its ExtraCare loyalty program is anonymized before entering the clean room environment. 

Pinterest’s integration with LiveRamp provides a protected, third-party space to reveal the overlapping population in ExtraCare data and Pinterest’s platform data, in an environment where neither party has access to the other party's identifiable information.

With this technology, CMX can measure attributed sales related to campaigns more accurately and share that information with CPG supplier partners in the CMX performance dashboard to help them refine future promotional strategies.

"This partnership is CMX’s latest innovation, further demonstrating its commitment to data transparency and enhanced measurement capabilities to better serve customers and partners," the CVS spokesperson said in the email. "With CMX and Pinterest sharing a unique audience with common interests, this partnership brings an exciting new avenue for brands to reach the right customers at the right moment in their shopping journey." 

"Our commitment to data transparency at CMX is a core pillar that we anchor our strategy in, and we’re excited to embark on this new clean room initiative with a trusted partner whose audience of health & wellness and beauty seekers aligns with our own," said Parbinder Dhariwal, VP and GM at CVS Media Exchange. "In an industry that continues to evolve, it’s important that we’re evolving with it. We’re now able to bring even more precise attribution and stronger campaign optimization to our partners and make it easier for CVS Pharmacy shoppers to discover new products." 

"CMX is a natural choice for a data clean room partnership because their footprint in the health, beauty and wellness market aligns perfectly with the interests and needs of our users​," said Carrie Sweeney, VP of retail at Pinterest. "By driving more transparent, effective campaign designs and reporting capabilities, this partnership allows Pinners to discover exciting new brands and products that align with their everyday routines."

Headquartered in Woonsocket, R.I., CVS Health operated 9,406 CVS Pharmacy stores across the U.S. as of Jan. 22, 2024.