CVS Media Exchange Leans Into AI to Accelerate Campaign Planning, Optimization

CVS Media Exchange (CMX) is expanding its use of artificial intelligence to improve how retail media campaigns are planned, activated and optimized, pointing to early gains in both performance and efficiency.

During the Possible marketing and media conference last week in Miami, the retailer media network highlighted new details around CorIQ, an AI-driven platform designed to help internal teams and advertiser partners make faster decisions, streamline execution and deliver more relevant consumer experiences. 

The capabilities are built on CVS’ front-store data foundation, including its ExtraCare loyalty program, and are intended to support more precise targeting and closed-loop measurement across channels, according to details shared with P2PI.

Kenvue x CorIQ

In initial testing, CVS partnered with Kenvue, the consumer health manufacturer behind brands including Zyrtec, Neutrogena and Tylenol, to evaluate AI-powered audience optimization. 

The effort delivered measurable improvements across the funnel, including a 16% increase in reach, a 14% lift in attributed sales and a 15% gain in incremental return on ad spend (iROAS). The company also reported a 50% reduction in media planning time and a 65% faster audience optimization process.

Retail Media’s Broader Push Toward AI

The effort reflects a broader push across retail media to apply AI in more practical ways, particularly as advertisers look for clearer performance signals and greater accountability in increasingly complex, omnichannel environments. 

At CVS, the approach is centered on leveraging deterministic first-party data to improve accuracy and reduce reliance on probabilistic models.

“From day one, we knew that our advantage was ExtraCare – our trusted, deterministic first-party data,” Parbinder Dhariwal, vice president and general manager at CVS Media Exchange, said in a statement shared with P2PI. “With over 90 million addressable members and connections between physical and digital behavior, ExtraCare provides precision, personalization and closed-loop measurement that probabilistic data simply can’t match.”

CorIQ and the AI capabilities are designed to integrate with existing tools and evolve alongside the CMX’s broader retail media offerings, with a focus on improving campaign performance while simplifying workflows for advertisers.