Retail Media Evolution with Walmart Connect’s Ryan Mayward
Oct 25, 2023
auto_awesome
Ryan Mayward, Walmart Connect’s Senior Vice President of Retail Media Sales, discusses the transition highlights from Instacart to Walmart Connect, advising brands on successful campaigns, the benefits of Walmart Luminate for advertising, new measurement techniques and reporting, and vendor community and advertiser feedback.
Walmart Connect is focusing on the power of the omni-channel customer journey and expanding into in-store advertising and off-site advertising in connected TV and social commerce.
Walmart Connect is prioritizing measurement and delivering insights and data to advertisers, with a focus on the value of the Walmart Luminate product to enhance understanding of advertising impact at Walmart Connect.
Deep dives
Walmart Connect's Vision for Omni-channel Advertising
Walmart Connect is focusing on the power of the omni-channel customer journey and the unique assets it offers as the largest retailer. The clarity of their vision has improved, with a core ad platform consisting of performance-driven search and display products. They are also expanding into in-store advertising with touchpoints throughout the store to communicate with customers at each stage of their shopping journey. Additionally, they are investing in off-site advertising, particularly in the areas of connected TV and social commerce. Walmart Connect is prioritizing measurement, aiming for greater granularity, flexibility, and agility to deliver insights and data to advertisers. They are also emphasizing the value of the Walmart Luminate product, which provides customer perceptions, channel performance, and shopper behavior insights to enhance the understanding of advertising impact at Walmart Connect.
Enhanced Targeting and Measurement Capabilities
Walmart Connect is focused on addressing advertisers' needs for advanced targeting and measurement capabilities. They aim to provide clarity on who to address and what happened after engaging with customers. The company is investing in building out their tech stack to improve targeting and measurement, specifically looking at metrics like new to brand and sales outcomes. They are also developing self-service reporting tools and APIs to offer more flexibility to advertisers in consuming performance data. Walmart Connect is committed to delivering measurement insights in real-time to enable advertisers to optimize their campaigns daily.
Playbook Approach for Successful Campaigns
Walmart Connect advises advertisers to follow a playbook approach for successful campaigns. Starting with paid search as the foundation, they recommend adding on-site display and video for complementary messaging. For specific needs, they offer sponsorships and integrated marketing plans with off-site advertising through their demand-side platform (DSP) and social platforms. Walmart Connect emphasizes a range of metrics to evaluate campaign success, including awareness, consideration, units sold, efficiency, online and in-store sales, and the ability to reach new or lapsed customers. The goal is to provide advertisers with a comprehensive overview of their campaign performance and effectiveness.
Looking Ahead to Growth and Innovation
As Walmart Connect plans for the future, they are focused on driving growth and innovation. They see tremendous opportunities in the grocery business, and they aim to leverage the power of their marketplace to offer brands a way to reach and sell their full assortment to Walmart shoppers. The company is committed to refining their measurement capabilities, particularly for in-store advertising and off-site initiatives like connected TV and social commerce. With a clear roadmap and continued momentum, Walmart Connect is poised to offer advertisers valuable tools and insights to drive successful campaigns and reach their growth objectives.
The CPGGUYS are joined in this episode by .......Yes, we have for a repeat visit none other than Ryan Mayward who is Walmart Connect’s Senior Vice President of Retail Media Sales. He is responsible for leading the sales organization for Walmart Connect. His team partners with large and small Suppliers, Marketplace sellers, agencies, and API partners.
1. Last time we had you on the podcast, you were the VP of Ad Sales at Instacart whereyou focused on building deep relationship with CPG brands and ad agencies. Prior to that, you had also helped build out Amazon Ads business from the ground up. Now you are about to celebrate completing your first year at Walmart Connect. What are some of the transition highlights you would like to share? 2. Ryan, we last interviewed someone from Walmart connect over 6 months ago, what's changed with connect? 3. How does Walmart connect advise brands to run successful campaigns? What metrics are you suggesting and what’s a successful campaign 4. How does a supplier’s access to Walmart Luminate enhance their ability to advertise through Walmart Connect? 5. What’s new in measurement techniques, reporting by Walmart connect? 6. What advice is your vendor community and advertisers giving in terms of what they want to see next? 7. Mid-October is a busy time for you and your team. You’re all in the midst of meeting with suppliers to plan ahead for next year. What are you hearing from marketers? What’s top of mind going into 2024? 8. CPGGUYS fast forward question - what's next for Ryan & connect
DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode