Cart-Stopping Creative for In-Store Retail Media
Why CMOs & Brand Marketers Should Be Excited About the Next Major Media Channel
In today’s newsfeed-dominated digital media, thumb-stopping creative is imperative to advertising effectiveness. Advertisers’ fundamental challenge in this era of short attention spans is to cut through the noise and get consumers to stop and take notice. Stopping is a physical act that’s a precondition for attention from modern consumers who are constantly on the move.
With the physical store emerging as the newest digital ad medium, it similarly requires on-the-go shoppers to offer their attention—if only for a few seconds—for the advertising to be effective. As brands begin to learn and acclimate to in-store retail media, they’ll need to prioritize cart-stopping creative.
The Physical Store is a Medium – and the Medium is the Message
The irony of Marshall McLuhan’s “the medium is the message” aphorism is that whenever a new medium emerges, marketers reflexively adapt existing creative to the new context.
Marketers need to understand the unique elements of the physical store that differentiate from other media, like being 3-dimensional, interactive, experiential, multisensory, contextual, and location-based—with proximity to the point of sale. It’s a one-to-many medium akin to linear TV and out-of-home with the potential for complementary personalized experiences on smart carts and smartphones.
In-store media can create demand and convert demand almost instantaneously, shortening the path to purchase. There’s an immediate feedback loop for consumers to discover new brands and satisfy their impulse at the register (or if they’re lucky enough, with a product sample). It’s a brand safe environment with inventory scarcity where brands can dominate share of voice at the moment of decision.
The in-store customer journey allows for complementary brand messaging, or even sequential brand storytelling. It’s ideal for augmented reality and gamification. The most interesting executions get the bonus of being shared across social media, amplifying and extending the brand’s reach.
The opportunity for creative activations is almost limitless. Yet for some reason, brand creatives overlook the chance to do exceptional, career-defining work—and define the contours of a new medium in the process.
Stay tuned for the upcoming publication of The In-Store Retail Media Playbook for Brands, a new report from Grocery TV and Media, Ads + Commerce, packed with insights and strategies for brands to confidently invest in the fast-emerging in-store retail media channel.
The Physical Store is a Perfect Venue for High-Impact Creative
These unique elements combined to form a rich palette for creative experiences. Agency and brand practitioners still believe that compelling messaging/storytelling and brand consistency are the most effective creative tactics, according to a July 2024 study from Digiday and Celtra.
It turns out the fundamentals of marketing still matter—even at a time when brands and agencies are increasingly compelled to deliver personalization and other AI-based creative solutions. While there’s room for the two disciplines to co-exist, they seem increasingly at odds.