The news: Albertsons Media Collective and NBCUniversal introduced a closed-loop measurement capability that promises to give advertisers better insight into CTV ad performance.
- Advertisers can use Albertsons’ shopper data to power CTV campaigns on NBCU, excluding the latter’s live sports and Spanish-language partners, per Adweek.
- Clean room technology from LiveRamp will help advertisers track whether premium CTV ad exposures on NBCU lead to sales at Albertsons.
The case study: The capability worked well for Chobani, which piloted the feature as part of promotional efforts to support the launch of its protein yogurt drink at Albertsons banners.
- The campaign, which combined CTV ads with social, offsite, and onsite activations, resulted in a 1.9 times lift in new-to-brand social engagement, and a $4.22 return on ad spend (ROAS) on premium CTV, per Marketing Dive.
- Compared with previous campaigns that lacked premium CTV, onsite and offsite ROAS increased by over 69% and 43%, respectively, showing “just how powerful a connected, full-funnel approach can be,” said Christen Spencer, Chobani’s director of shopper marketing.
The challenge: While the partnership benefits both companies, there’s arguably more at stake for Albertsons. Like the vast majority of retail media networks (RMNs), it is looking for ways to keep its ad business competitive as the majority of dollars flow to Amazon and Walmart.
- Amazon and Walmart will scoop up nearly 90% of incremental retail media spending in 2026, leaving just $1.1 billion for remaining players.
- While overall retail media ad spend is growing, marketers are reducing the number of RMNs they work with, putting pressure on retailers to prove their worth. Ad buyers worked with an average of five RMNs in the past year, down from six in 2024, according to a Bain & Company survey.