Mars United Commerce

The rapid rise in adoption of GLP-1 medications for weight loss is having a major impact on the shopping and eating behavior of a large swath of U.S. consumers that extends beyond the individual user to affect the habits of entire households. And it's leading to a trend that some analysts believe may be unprecedented in terms of the potential effect it could have on the packaged goods industry — with implications for nearly every product category. A new report entitled “Sizing Up the Great American Slimdown" uses proprietary research from contextual advertising platform Chicory and Mars United’s extensive market analysis to assess these implications and present recommendations for the many brands that will need to re-evaluate their commerce marketing practices in response to the GLP-1 phenomenon. Mars United's Lauren Quaile Tonkin, SVP-Client Leadership, and Meghan Howard, Chicory’s Chief Revenue Officer, examine the impact GLP-1s are having on consumer behavior and offer actionable guidelines brands can follow to address these shifts. Download the report here: https://lnkd.in/gWDWSxDV

You really don’t have to be good at predicting the future. You just need to be ready for it. That was one key takeaway from the "Future of Commerce Summit,” a unique conference held in Bentonville earlier this month that brought together thought leaders from the retail, brand marketing, technology, and academic communities to discuss best-practice strategies for staying ahead of change. Hosted by the University of Arkansas ­- Sam M. Walton College of Business and sponsored by our Publicis Commerce colleagues at Saatchi X, the event featured candid conversations with Seth Dallaire, Chief Growth Officer at Walmart, and Jason Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis Groupe. Our full event analysis includes three critical considerations for brands from our own Victoria Van Dusen, SVP of Retail Consultancy. Read the full recap here: https://lnkd.in/gbJcrqGN

We're excited to announce that the Cutwater® Augmented Reality Haunted House is live! This Halloween season, Mars United Commerce helped bring the real spirits inside Cutwater cocktails to life through a one-of-a-kind AR experience. Designed to turn canned cocktail skeptics into believers, this experience invited shoppers to explore a haunted house, showcasing what makes Cutwater different: cocktails crafted with real spirits. A special thank-you to the talented team and partners who helped bring this experience to life: •      Anheuser-Busch •      Cutwater •      Another Reality Studio •      Starcom Be transported into the Cutwater Haunted House to explore ghostly giveaways, discover spooky cocktail recipes, and more! 🎃 Enter if you dare: https://lnkd.in/gE4qW7Ug Beware... there are Real Spirits Inside.

As they seek new avenues for business growth, many brand organizations find themselves hindered by internal fragmentation, with siloed teams developing independent growth strategies, operating separate planning cycles, and even competing for resources. The result is a strategic planning process that all too frequently impedes real business growth. So how can brands break down those barriers and build a more connected approach?   In an on-demand webinar available now, EVP-Retail Consultancy Kandi Arrington outlines practical, effective frameworks that brands can adopt immediately to build greater alignment across teams, investments, and retail activation. Kandi is joined by Brian Monahan, SVP of Albertsons Media Collective, who offers his perspective on the challenges retailers face and the solutions they're using to build enterprise capabilities that drive growth for themselves and their brand partners. Watch the conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gas-yGBd

For our annual Global Citizenship Day, more than 250 Martians stepped away from their desks to help make a difference in their communities. From Seattle to New York City and all the hubs in between, we partnered with more than 10 incredible organizations to beautify green spaces, pack fresh meals for the needy, assemble essential items for local families, and support causes that matter. We’re proud of the collective effort and the impact our teams made together. Take a look at the organizations we partnered with, and stay tuned as we share more scenes from one of our favorite days of the year!

What will commerce look like in five or 10 years? According to the industry thought leaders at last week's “Future of Commerce Summit" in Bentonville, Arkansas, the more important question to ask is, will you be prepared for whatever the future brings? While commerce practitioners must respond to the impact that AI and especially agentic search are having at the moment, speakers acknowledged the more important goal is to build organizational cultures that can adapt to whatever disruptions may be coming. Victoria Van Dusen, SVP-Retail Consultancy in our Bentonville office, shares her three critical considerations for brands from the conference, which was hosted by the University of Arkansas ­- Sam M. Walton College of Business and sponsored by our colleagues at Saatchi X: https://lnkd.in/gdsYYS47

Retail media networks are responding to the rise of agentic commerce by forging partnerships with third-party answer engines and introducing conversational search platforms of their own. They're also moving boldly into the development of original content development, while continuing to improve targeting, measurement, and media placements to help brands engage shoppers with greater relevance, precision, and performance insights. Now available, the third-quarter edition of our flagship U.S. Retail Media Report Card evaluates the latest initiatives and evolving capabilities at 27 leading networks as they prepare for the next era of commerce. Download the report here: https://lnkd.in/g2KEh8e7

Retail media is heading to Hollywood. Leading networks Albertsons, Walmart, and Target aren’t just placing shoppable ads into content anymore — they’re creating the content themselves through partnerships that blend entertainment and commerce. Powered by insights from first-party shopper data, this streaming content is being used to help brands move shoppers down the purchase funnel in uniquely ownable ways. Our Commerce Media team explores how these recent initiatives may impact the retail media marketplace as the lines between content, media, and commerce continue to blur: https://lnkd.in/gnpfaxhw

Brand growth at retail is often hindered by siloed teams with competing priorities, fragmented budgets, and disconnected planning. The challenges to getting the organization in lockstep are many, but the solutions for gaining alignment are achievable once you know what they are. In a special on-demand webinar available this Wednesday, Sept. 23, EVP-Retail Consultancy Kandi Arrington will join with Brian Monahan, SVP at Albertsons Media Collective, to present strategies for sustainable growth. Kandi will outline practical, effective frameworks that brands can adopt to build greater alignment across teams, investments, and retail activation. Brian will offer his perspective on the challenges retailers are facing and the solutions they're using to build enterprise capabilities that drive growth for themselves and their brand partners. Register for the webinar now and start winning at retail tomorrow: https://lnkd.in/gas-yGBd

Victoria Van Dusen, SVP-Retail Consultancy, reports back from yesterday’s “Future of Commerce Summit,” a unique conference in Bentonville hosted by the University of Arkansas ­- Sam M. Walton College of Business and sponsored by our Publicis Commerce colleagues at Saatchi X. After hearing from a lineup of speakers hailing from the worlds of retail, brand marketing, technology, and academia, Victoria came away with three critical considerations for brands. 1. Trust: Listening to a panel of Walton College students discussing their shopping habits, there was a loud and clear dichotomy that we’ve seen before in our work with clients. Gen Z wants personalization, but they’re concerned about privacy. Brands therefore have to try much harder to develop trusting relationships, and that’s going to require long-term strategic thinking not just short-term campaign planning.    2. Agentic Readiness: Based on all the talk about AI agents, it’s really important for brands to rethink their strategy toward PDPs. It’s been “set it and forget it” for too long. PDPs now need to include seasonally relevant content and they must have specific use cases. AI prompts are more specific, so agents are looking for a deeper level of detail and differentiation — did you know that sunscreen in Hawaii has strict ingredient regulations? How many PDPs address that? The days of general product benefits are behind us.    3. Experimentation: The speed of retail has accelerated so much. Brands that are willing to test and learn, and be OK if some things fail, are going to win. And brands that keep playing it safe will get left behind. With the economy and other pressures that we’re facing, performance is critically important right now. But if you’re only worried about today, you won’t learn what you’ll need to be successful tomorrow.