Luke Grant

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NUMBERS DON’T LIE: Retail Media is on the rise. At this years #possible24 the continued rise of retail media wove its way through plenty of on-stage conversations. From Diana Haussling discussing how Colgate-Palmolive is addressing a true omni-channel approach, to Vinny Rinaldi, Evan Hovorka and Dave Kersey discussing how budgets are blending outside of just trade dollars into the RMN eco-system. Newly released data would indicate that the opportunity is in fact at hand for brands, agencies and retail media groups to collectively drive sales against working ad dollars. So how does that change the potential mix of media and who benefits the most? Leave an opinion in the comments below 👇 #retailmedia #marketing #mio https://flip.it/SBmQgk

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"As wealthy consumers use their private, personal AI agents to shop, many brands that discount often will become commodified." Insightful take by Milton Pedraza. If luxury marketing is your wheelhouse, Milton's worth a follow. Good article here. #luxury #ai #branding #marketingstrategy #hnw #uhnw

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🌟 e.l.f. Cosmetics Innovates with Real-World Commerce on Roblox! 🌟 Starting today, beauty enthusiasts can now order select e.l.f. products through the e.l.f. UP! virtual kiosk in Roblox, thanks to a new partnership with Walmart. Back in April Walmart and Roblox announced a partnership with “Walmart Discovered” Roblox game, where players can buy real-world items. This is the next step, incorporating Walmart e-commerce in other Roblox games. 🛍 What’s New? Through in-game virtual kiosks in the Tycoon game, players can purchase virtual items that also have a physical real-world product that will be shipped to their home via Walmart. To start, players can buy: Squeeze Me Lip Balm (Virtual Twin: Squeeze Me Grape Hairstyle) Glow Reviver Lip Oils (Virtual Twin: Lip Oil Wings) Suntouchable Whoa Glow SPF 30 (Virtual Twin: Beach Bandau) I’m super bullish on creator platforms becoming shopping destinations. Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft and eventually GTA VI will have built-in massive audiences that spend huge amounts of time in their ecosystems. These platforms are the social media of today for young people and adding ecommerce is a natural next step.

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A recent article from the AMA highlights a critical insight: many U.S. consumers feel ignored by advertising. In a digital landscape that is overflowing with content, personalization and genuine connection are key. As marketers, it's time to rethink our strategies! Understanding your audience and engaging them authentically can transform your marketing efforts. Let's focus on creating experiences that resonate and make consumers feel seen and valued. One size fits all doesn't work anymore. At shyft digital we talk lot about adapting your approach to connect authentically with your audience. I’d love to hear your thoughts on your approach!💡✨ Read the article here:

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While I can’t speak to the legitimacy of the accusations herein, this is still a worrying situation for advertisers everywhere. Publications whose reputations are staked on their image of legitimate business are not what many may expect to be perpetrators of MFA Ad fraud. That being said, we can better understand ad fraud by looking at the incentive changes on the supply side of these AdTech deals. Ad fraud particularly harms multicultural publishers, as their reach and impact receive decreased impact when improperly assigned to Ad spaces. #AdFraud #AdTech #ProgramaticSupplyChain

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Maybe measuring last click isn’t the best way. It’s actually archaic and only building growth for Big Tech, and not your company. “Our research across hundreds of brands in dozens of categories shows that it’s possible to rigorously measure and strategically target the feelings that drive customers’ behavior.” If marketing is in the business of selling something… and we know we all buy things based off a myriad of emotions… then maybe it’s time to start measuring something else. It’s not rocket science. It’s emotional science. https://lnkd.in/euwMST4u #brand #marketing #storytelling #video #controlthenarrative #emotionsells

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Why we should all take a lead from the Geico Gecko If I were starting a brand today the one thing I would seriously consider is creating a brand character If that seems like some throw back to 1980's cereal brands then the data would back you up as incidents of brand characters in award winning IPA entries has tumbled dramatically from around 40% to 15% over that time. They really aren't that fashionable today. But you ignore them at your peril because they are one of the most powerful advertising tools out there Orlando Wood who describes them in his incredible book Look Out as "character fluent devices" has shown that they have a profound impact on business results get a copy you won't regret it!) Take the 2024 Super Bowl for example. Had you used a celebrity like most advertisers then the average Star score (emotional response) was exactly the same as those without one. However had you used a branded character then on average you would have seen a massive 1 Star advantage over non characters & celebrities. Add to the fact that they don't charge the same fees as a celebrity and its the Advertising effectiveness bargain of the century! In the latest episode of Uncensored CMO I caught up with the very clever Michelle Moscone (she/her) who is in charge of brand and creative at Geico about the importance of their famous Gecko which is 30 years old now She puts it in a beautifully simply way that the Gecko enables the audience to have a really fast connection with the brand in a lovable way creating a short cut for your brand and message. It's well worth reading Jenni Romaniuk's brilliant book called Distinctive Brand Assets which covers a lot of research on types of assets and how they work. Link to the episode in the comments section below Jon Lombardo Peter Weinberg Vanessa Chin Andrew Tindall Kerry Collinge

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A really interesting case history on #brandstrategy. ““[Liquid Death] sees itself as a media company first and a product second,” observed Young. “The company’s CEO has said in multiple interviews that you can’t ‘own’ an ingredient like canned water, but it could own a unique brand, wrapped in a compelling package, with a bold point-of-view that speaks to a niche audience.” If this can not only be theorized but also successfully executed for a product most people would see as a commodity, how much more true this statement should be for categories with higher intangible value! #brandmanagement #branding #marketingstrategy https://lnkd.in/eaB8mMmw

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Brands must understand why they sell—and stay grounded in the real reasons driving consumer choice. Take detergents as an example: for years, they focused on cleanliness, whiteness, and brightness, believing these were the primary purchase drivers. But for consumers, those were simply baseline expectations. What truly mattered was the post-wash scent—a lasting fragrance that signals freshness and cleanliness. Knowing your “why” isn’t just about assumptions; it’s about understanding what resonates most with your audience. #BrandPurpose #ConsumerInsights #MarketingStrategy

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New from us; making marketing's contribution clear and the benefits that flow from that. https://lnkd.in/grRYcuQe

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Walmart Strikes Back In case you missed it, Walmart completed a $2.3 billion acquisition of TV maker Vizio this week. This bold move directly challenges Amazon’s dominance in retail media advertising, where retailers monetize customer data and digital shelf space to help brands target consumers. Consider this Walmart's version of "The Empire Strikes Back," only this time the Rebel Alliance has gone corporate. Here's why this move is worth your attention: -Walmart acquired 19M active Smart TV accounts (up 400% since 2018) and a sophisticated advertising platform. This instantly gives them access to valuable streaming audience data and premium video advertising inventory. -The brilliance here is Walmart's ability to connect the dots between what people watch and what they buy, creating a seamless narrative for advertisers. --Combining Walmart Connect's retail data with Vizio's streaming insights can offer advertisers unprecedented targeting capabilities and measurement across the consumer journey. For context, Vizio’s Platform+ (advertising) segment already accounts for 100% of its profits—a strong proof of concept. For advertisers, this creates a compelling alternative to Amazon’s advertising empire. While Amazon dominates e-commerce advertising, Walmart’s blend of 4,600+ physical stores, a robust e-commerce platform, and now connected TV advertising through Vizio creates a unique omnichannel proposition. The real takeaway isn’t whether Walmart will unseat Amazon (spoiler: it won’t), but how this positions them for a connected future in retail media. As shopping increasingly spans physical, digital, and streaming channels, Walmart has secured a strategic foothold. #Advertising #Streaming #WalmartConnect

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So glad to see Digiday and Kimeko McCoy write about retail media networks that every marketer, especially those in CPGs, needs to read and absorb. There are pros and cons. My business partner Boris Litvinov contributes. Unfortunately, we are seeing marketers over-invest in RMN with blind faith without realizing the 2X-6X cost implications which affects ROI/ROAS. In an economy when budgets are so tight, no CPG marketer can afford to be that frivolous with their investments, but they are. #rmn #retail #media #retailmedianetworks

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This is a must-read for CMOs! Mars United Commerce recently spoke with CMOs at leading retailers to hear what business challenges they are currently facing. Michele Roney outlines three key capabilities retailer CMOs must build within their marketing organizations to help tackle these challenges. Link to read it in the comments 👇

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✨ Brands that win on social move beyond one viral product ✨ This is the difference between a beloved cultural brand, like E.L.F. BEAUTY , and a viral product, like the WONDERSKIN lip stain. Today I’m speaking at the Association of National Advertisers conference in Chicago about how: 👉 Product launch cycles are great for driving sales and product virality 👉 Truly stellar brands move beyond products and produce always on social content around their brand values 👉 Always on content can be brand-owned social - think Duolingo - or influencer-led content - think DoorDash 👉 Your always on content can be unhinged (Duolingo again), snarky (Ryanair - Europe's Favourite Airline or The Wendy's Company), aspirational (Nike or Ralph Lauren), creative (Adobe), surreal (Loewe and JACQUEMUS), ethical (Patagonia) or helpful (Pantone) - but to make people love your brand, it has to show up consistently and drive a similar feeling. 👉 People who become fans of your brand and products feed into each other, to create a community of advocates #influencermarketing #socialmedia #marketing #ANAdigital 14/100

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"In a tough economic landscape and presidential election year, it’s important to know the right strategies to win the holidays amid these challenges." Read more from Basis Technologies' Maggie Nemoy and Nick Dunham in Total Retail. Link is in the comments. #holidayshopping #retail #digitaladvertising

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Big news in ad land. Will this merger work? It’s not surprising Omnicom and IPG want to merge given that the big bloated ad holding cos are way overdue for consolidation. They are losing control of ad spend which is the cornerstone of their outdated biz model. And now they’re trying to pivot fast. But, will a merger solve for this? My take? This merger buys them time. It’ll work if they streamline in a hard and painful way. That means a lot of job cuts and some new hires. And it means a totally new structure of how services are designed and delivered. That means reducing the hold co layer (useless expensive overhead) and blowing up all the agency silos. No more P&Ls that fight each other. Refocus to deliver what clients want. Services that are agile, specialized and seamless. And refocus to be the client advocate- something they’ve lost sight of. Having worked for IPG, Omnicom, WPP and Publicis during my career, I’ve seen that they are all alike and share the same challenge. I fear the newly merged holding co will cut everyone below them - not themselves. And they don’t understand how to design for the future given most of them don’t understand digital media or technology. What do you think? How can this merger be successful over the long term?

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This is a great perspective on the "path to purchase." In this latest report, Mars United Commerce presents a new approach to the classic “path to purchase” that starts with shopper mindsets rather than the more traditional focus on behaviors or tactics in this latest report. Download your copy here: https://lnkd.in/gCkj6Ysz #pathtopurchase #ecommerce #commercemarketing #strategy

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