Marketing’s changing landscape, from Boots and beyond
David Muldoon, the vice president strategic advisory at MediaLink, a management consultancy which provides strategic media buying, PR, and creative options, tell us about his 23-year career at Boots, what he learned about effective retail marketing across their seasonal campaigns and TV advertising, what drives consumer engagement in the modern retail marketing setting, and how retailers should be thinking about the coming years.
Few individuals have careers that weave through iconic brands, chart industry-defining campaigns, and conclude with a leading role at a consultancy helping the world’s biggest companies adapt to change. David Muldoon, currently Marketing Transformation Partner at MediaLink, has done just that. His journey began at Boots, where he joined a commercial trainee program fresh out of college, and has brought him to the cutting edge of marketing transformation.
“I actually joined Boots when I was 19 years old,” recalls Muldoon, his voice rich with appreciation for the start it gave his career. “I came straight out of college… I was one of 500 people that applied for a commercial trainee scheme at Boots, and they took on 20 people. Not only did they give us a job, but they also paid for me to do a degree part-time.” That blend of on-the-ground experience and academic rigor shaped the foundations of his approach to marketing, setting the tone for a career defined by adaptability and strategic insight.
Climbing the ranks at Boots
Muldoon’s time at Boots, where he spent over two decades, was marked by a remarkable variety of roles. From testing packaging for Nurofen to leading retail media and launching iconic campaigns like Here Come the Girls, each position offered a new perspective on marketing’s power to drive engagement.
“When you’re in a company of that size and scale, every job you do is touching completely different people. The jobs are incredibly different,” he explains. “I’ve done everything from digital and performance marketing all the way up to brand building.”
One of Muldoon’s standout projects was the Here Come the Girls campaign, which became synonymous with Boots’ seasonal promotions. “It was based on consumer insight,” he explains. “We knew that women did the majority of shopping, not just for their family, but for their parents. They were the hub of the family… It was like a rallying cry for women everywhere about taking control.”
Muldoon notes that the campaign’s success hinged on partnerships and creativity. “From a Boots perspective, we’re responsible for the brief—providing the data, the insights, the marketing problem. The creative agency comes up with the idea and presents it back to us,” he says, highlighting the collaborative essence of large-scale campaigns.
Marketing’s Changing Landscape
As Muldoon reflects on his tenure at Boots, he emphasizes the lessons he learned about consumer engagement. “It’s about going beyond data to find a differentiated insight. It’s about consistency—ensuring that no matter how the consumer interacts with you, they’re getting a consistent tone of voice.”
Authenticity and cultural relevance were also critical. Muldoon shares, “You need to make sure you’re being true to your brand, and you need a dominant KPI—what is the number one objective you’re trying to achieve?”
Muldoon’s final role at Boots, as Global Marketing Strategic Partnerships Lead, pushed him to think globally. “I led a review of our full-service agency across creative, media, production—literally everything. It was about finding efficiencies, both in ways of working and from a monetary point of view.”
Transitioning to MediaLink
After decades at Boots, Muldoon transitioned to MediaLink, spurred by the opportunity to broaden his horizons. “The last role I had showed me what the world was like outside of Boots,” he says. “I was ready for a change and really thirsty to learn more.”
At MediaLink, his work centres on marketing transformation—a discipline encompassing operating models, global agency partnerships, and retail media. “We advise on how to make marketing and media teams more efficient and effective, leveraging insights from clients across industries.”
One area of focus has been the rise of retail media networks. “When I ran retail media at Boots, it wasn’t even called retail media,” Muldoon chuckles. Today, such networks are vital for businesses to maximise the value of their consumer data.
Reevaluating marketing strategies through Covid
The pandemic presented unique challenges for retailers, forcing a reevaluation of marketing strategies. Muldoon observes that many companies leaned heavily into performance media—advertising that drives direct clicks and conversions—but at the expense of brand-building efforts. “Performance media provides instant proof of success,” he notes. “But it can quickly become a race to the bottom. You need to balance that with brand-building campaigns to foster long-term consumer loyalty.”
Lessons for the Future
When asked about the key lessons from his career, Muldoon emphasises clarity and efficiency. “The importance of singular accountability—there needs to be a single decision maker. Having multiple slows things down and makes it inefficient,” he advises. For businesses grappling with transformation, he stresses partnerships: “Do you have the right partners in place to make informed decisions and get the best outcomes?”
Looking ahead, Muldoon predicts that data ownership will become increasingly valuable as third-party cookies phase out. “Retailers are realising the power of loyalty schemes, not just for revenue but for deepening their understanding of consumers,” he says.
For a man whose career spans iconic campaigns and global consultancy, Muldoon’s advice for those in marketing is refreshingly simple: find joy in the journey. “It’s not just about the final outcome; it’s the journey you go on”.
