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[00:00:26] Arielle Feger: Hi, everyone. Today is Wednesday, June 24th. Welcome to eMarketer's weekly retail show, Reimagining Retail, where we talk about how retail collides with every part of our lives. I'm Arielle Fager, maybe a familiar voice to some of you, and today I'm guest hosting for Suzy Davidkhanian, who I hope is having amazing time on her vacation On today's episode, we're back with our unofficial monthly retailer awards.

[00:00:50] Arielle Feger: Yes, it's the UMRA's. Let's see who stood out this month. Joining me today, we have Paola Flores-Marquez.

[00:01:01] Paola Flores-Marquez: You can call me Paol, if that's okay.

[00:01:03] Arielle Feger: Thanks, I'll take it. Yeah,

[00:01:05] Paola Flores-Marquez: excellent work. Thank you, thank you.

[00:01:07] Arielle Feger: We also have, uh, Emmy Leaderman.

[00:01:08] Rachel Wolff: Hello.

[00:01:09] Arielle Feger: Hi. And Rachel Wolf.

[00:01:11] Rachel Wolff: Hey, guys.

[00:01:12] Arielle Feger: Awesome. All right. As a reminder, here's how this works.

[00:01:16] Arielle Feger: Each month, we're handing out awards to the retailers we think really nailed it in a few key areas. We have three categories. Most impactful campaign, best IRL or in real life initiative, and the greatest under-the-radar move. Paola, Emmy, and Rachel each brought a nominee for June. Uh, and I'm gonna pick the winner based on how convincing their case is.

[00:01:39] Arielle Feger: So let's get started. We're gonna start with most impactful campaign, the marketing idea that broke through the noise, resonant, memorable, and performance-driving. And the nominations are, Rachel, let's start with you.

[00:01:53] Rachel Wolff: All right. I'm right in the hot seat. Okay. So my nominee is L'Oréal Paris sponsoring/collaborating on the Legally Blonde prequel, Elle.

[00:02:04] Rachel Wolff: Mm. And this is sort of taking a track that we're seeing a lot of brand partnerships these days, which is that L'Oréal products are kind of embedded into the narrative of the TV show. Um, and there's also gonna be, you know, Elle-themed ad spots that are, you know, that feature the main character. There's also gonna be an Elle W- Woods immersive experience that L'Oréal features, uh, very strongly in.

[00:02:26] Rachel Wolff: And I think it's an interesting way, a- again, we're seeing a lot of brands do this, but I think it's kind of the next iteration of this blending of commerce and entertainment where they take an even, a center stage within content itself.

[00:02:39] Arielle Feger: Yeah. I thought this made a lot of sense. I thought it was interesting, especially because I, I believe the prequel is gonna take place in the '90s.

[00:02:47] Arielle Feger: Yeah. And L'Oréal feels like a very '90s type of brand to me, which may or may not be a good thing. M- my question is, like, do you think this is gonna have the same kind of impact as like the Mean Girls musical movie and e.l.f. Cosmetics? I feel like a lot of people were like, "Oh, this feels like a, a long commercial for e.l.f."

[00:03:06] Arielle Feger: Do you feel like y- they can blend it organically?

[00:03:09] Rachel Wolff: I think, you know, with all of these, it's kind of a tricky line. I think in some ways it may work because so much of Legally Blonde and Elle does really lean into that whole idea of, you know, female empowerment and a certain type of aesthetic that maybe could work to L'Oréal's benefit.

[00:03:26] Rachel Wolff: But you know, again, it is ... You have to be careful with these types of partnerships, and it remains to be seen. I haven't seen- If anybody wants to give me a, you know, a preview. Preview. But you know, yeah, it could really go either way.

[00:03:38] Arielle Feger: I also really thought, you know, the interesting part about, you know, just like the, the, um, Elle Woods prequel is, you know, it's an unknown.

[00:03:46] Arielle Feger: So I feel like taking a chance with this show that hasn't premiered yet, that we have an actress who we don't know yet is, you know, a really good chance to grow with the programming and the content, um, as, as it, as it goes. Emmy, what's your nomination?

[00:04:02] Emmy Liederman: Um, so my nomination is the post-Knicks win spot from Nike.

[00:04:09] Emmy Liederman: Um, it was just a short social video that was a pretty simple concept. It was just a guy in a Brunson Knicks jersey running through New York. He ends up in front of MSG, where there's a bunch of Knicks fans celebrating. And the caption said, "Sleep well, New York." And then at the end it said, "Never slept, always dreamed."

[00:04:29] Emmy Liederman: And I think it was just very aligned with the way that Nike does its marketing. It's always been about being simplistic and straight to the point, and I feel like it's a, it's a good case study for marketers who, who wanna create a brand that way, that those are, like, solid guidelines. And it was just the timing of it, I think, was part of the artistry.

[00:04:48] Emmy Liederman: Like, the fact that they were able to Make it beforehand and took a chance, and were like, "This is not gonna hit if they don't actually win." And it just en- encompassed a feeling that I think didn't really need to be put in many words.

[00:05:02] Arielle Feger: Yeah, I, I definitely think that there's something about the agility of being able to hop on a trend.

[00:05:07] Arielle Feger: You have to do it immediately or else it really makes absolutely no sense. Um, and Nike is obviously pretty well set up to have the resources to do that. Uh, and my question is, you know, a- and this may be a silly question, will this appeal to people outside of New York? I mean, the Knicks winning obviously was national news, but, you know, is it too localized, um, for, for people to, to it resonate with outside of New York?

[00:05:32] Arielle Feger: What do you guys think?

[00:05:33] Rachel Wolff: I actually think it, it doesn't really matter, right? Like, it could be a template that Nike uses for other sporting events going forward, the idea of how do you build these long-term connections. Mm-hmm. 'Cause I feel like, on the basis of that ad, a lot of New Yorkers or, you know, people who are fans of the Knicks will feel more positively about Nike.

[00:05:50] Rachel Wolff: So it's just about building that overall affinity towards the brand.

[00:05:54] Paola Flores-Marquez: And I think everybody loves an underdog story. Yes. And I know New York is not an underdog in many ways, but it definitely was for the Knicks. And so I think it taps into that too, and it, like, sponsor- it, like, breeds that connection as well.

[00:06:04] Rachel Wolff: Yeah. And I think the other notable thing is that there are no stars in the ad, right? No. Which is typical of Nike marketing. So the fact that it really d- did feel like the fan experience embodied in the ad, I think just really made it really effective.

[00:06:15] Emmy Liederman: Yeah. Yeah, that's a great point, and I also think that New York is very aspirational.

[00:06:20] Emmy Liederman: Mm-hmm. Um, and a lot of the classic New York songs, which this was set to New York State of Mind- Of course. Of course ... like, could be seen as, like, overplayed for people that live in New York, but then people outside of New York are like, "Oh my God, I love that sentiment." Like, it would be great to, to live there one day.

[00:06:36] Emmy Liederman: I don't know if that's too New York-centric, but I- ... I do, I do feel like, I'm like, everyone who doesn't live here wants to live here. It, a New Yorker is gonna appreciate it for different reasons than, like, someone who doesn't live in New York, but for both cases, it's, it's a strong ad.

[00:06:53] Arielle Feger: Mm-hmm. Awesome. Moving on, Paol, what is your pick?

[00:06:58] Paola Flores-Marquez: So my pick is Café Bustelo, which released a series of World Cup temporary tattoos in a one million limited edition coffee cans. And so if you've never seen, I mean, I f- if you've never seen Café Bustelo, Café Bustelo is a symbol in Latin America, right? It is regionally popular. Um, it is cultural, a, it's a cultural icon.

[00:07:19] Paola Flores-Marquez: And so for them to sort of blend the excitement of the World Cup, um, and these, this, this like effort, this really low effort way of getting involved is really important. And so they, the temporary tattoos mimic iconography from four countries, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina, and they're face tattoos that kind of look like the way that indigenous tattoo or Aztec tattoos, I guess pop culture portrayals of Aztecs.

[00:07:44] Paola Flores-Marquez: I think I should I should make that clear, they're not real and not historically accurate, but it kind of like inspires that sort of like, um, it taps into that cultural resonance.

[00:07:52] Arielle Feger: Yeah. I'm glad you explained a little bit because I, I did write down, my first question was, "Why face tattoos?" Um, and maybe that is showing a little bit of my, um, cultural ignorance, but I, I did think it was interesting.

[00:08:02] Arielle Feger: Face tattoos obviously are immediately there. They're very visually, you know, th- you're gonna see them. And so I, I thought it was a very interesting statement. I love this. I think it's, it seems, you know, I, I was, you know, reading an article, you know, and it seems like this is one of many campaigns that they've done tying to, you know, Latino culture and- really celebrating their heritage, which I think was, um, really makes it stand out, 'cause it's not just a one and done play.

[00:08:28] Arielle Feger: This is, you know, continually through their, their roots.

[00:08:31] Rachel Wolff: Yeah. And it's good advertising. It says Cafe Bustelo on the box.

[00:08:37] Paola Flores-Marquez: And it also, I think, taps into, like, fan traditions, right- Mm-hmm ... of people painting their faces, and you're making it, like, a very quick way of, like, one and done. Yeah, I think it was really clever, and really easy, and really low effort, and very accessible for people, especially if you've waited too long to get a jersey.

[00:08:50] Paola Flores-Marquez: Yeah,

[00:08:52] Arielle Feger: it seems like it's a really great way to, like, uh, be part of the celebration without having to necessarily spend a ton of money on a jersey, or even a ton of money on going to the game. You can celebrate just with the, the face tattoos and a nice cup of coffee at home. Now, it's down to me. It's my turn to figure out who had the most impactful campaign, and I think for this month I'm going to choose the Nike campaign, Post

[00:09:19] Arielle Feger: It Note Plan. Yeah. I completely agree. I think it was just, it, I watched it and I felt something, and maybe it is partly because of being in New York and having that energy around me. But, um, I thought it was just a smart win. Again, there was no celebrities. It really just celebrated the moment. So Emmy, congratulations.

[00:09:34] Emmy Liederman: Thank you so much. Yeah, I, I feel like it had such, it felt like it really didn't have that much to do with basketball, which, but also had everything to do with basketball, which I think was, like, what I appreciated- Yeah ... about it.

[00:09:46] Arielle Feger: Yeah. I agree. Very versatile. All right, moving on to second award, best IRL initiative, the in real life move that got people off their screens and into stores, creating an experience worth checking out.

[00:10:00] Arielle Feger: And the nominations are, Emmy, you go first.

[00:10:04] Emmy Liederman: Okay, so suddenly I am just a diehard Knicks fan- ... as of three weeks ago. So I have two Knicks nominations. This one is a popup for Mitchell & Ness, which is a sportswear brand within Paragon Sports in New York. They had a popup where people could get, like, specialized Big Apple and NBA patches on their shirts, and I just think that this is a good response to how much people, I think, were, like, scrambling in these past few weeks to get Knicks apparel, and also get something that didn't feel super generic that you could, like, buy in Times Square that just, like, looked like, you know, someone just screen printed it, like, two minutes before.

[00:10:46] Emmy Liederman: So I think it just responded to, to that desire for, like- people acquiring Knicks attire and going to watch parties and all that stuff, but was like, "Let me give them something a little bit extra that's, like, more personalized." And just seems, like, super low-lift. Like, putting a patch on a jersey doesn't sound expensive at all.

[00:11:07] Emmy Liederman: And yeah, I just thought it was, it was very simple but effective.

[00:11:11] Arielle Feger: Yeah, I, I like it. I mean, I think there were so many opportunities around the Knicks games to have pop-ups, experiences, et cetera. And I, you know, I just think any chance that you can give to fans to have something more personalized, something more custom is a, it's a pretty smart move.

[00:11:28] Arielle Feger: And they said, you know, they had some throwback jerseys, and so people love that nostalgia, and I think it's just a pr- a pretty smart move. All right, Pau, what about you?

[00:11:37] Paola Flores-Marquez: Okay, so I, my second one is also about the World Cup. So we have two in a row. There's something of a theme here. And it is a very nice summer in New York.

[00:11:47] Paola Flores-Marquez: Mine is Stella Artois Work From The Bar campaign. And so- Yes ... I don't know if anybody knows, has noticed, but a lot of soccer games are happening during work hours. So we can't all just go, except Stella Artois wants you to go. They reallocated about $100,000 of their marketing budget to reimburse bar tabs for anyone who, who signs up on their website and then goes and watches the game.

[00:12:10] Paola Flores-Marquez: Um, and they've created a World Cup world f- work-friendly bar hub in New York. And so it's super clever 'cause it's, like, solving a real consumer problem, which is that I have to work, but I also wanna watch this game. So it's turning that sponsorship into a very useful service, I would say.

[00:12:25] Arielle Feger: Yeah, I love, I love, uh, when brands, uh, solve problems, and I love it even more when they solve it with bars.

[00:12:31] Arielle Feger: Um, you know, and then, you know.

[00:12:33] Paola Flores-Marquez: They were also very clear to emphasize that they have non-alcoholic options.

[00:12:35] Arielle Feger: Yes, which is great. You know, we really support that. Obviously, if you're, uh, if you're at work, you, you don't wanna be imbibing. Um, but, uh, yeah, I think this is, it's just a really fun way to have, you know, a, a good time with fans during the World Cup, which, I mean, everyone knows there's gonna be lots of people packed at the bars to watch it.

[00:12:52] Arielle Feger: What do

[00:12:52] Emmy Liederman: those pop-ups look like? Do they have just, like, desks?

[00:12:56] Paola Flores-Marquez: I think

[00:12:57] Emmy Liederman: it's a regular bar. That's why I, I'm very... 'Cause you said that they have, like, pop-ups where people can work.

[00:13:01] Paola Flores-Marquez: Uh, it's one, one hub. Oh, okay, okay. Yeah, yeah. Any participating bar, so it should be any bar that is in their network I think it looks like a regular bar.

[00:13:11] Emmy Liederman: Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I was picturing like them creating a WeWork situation- ... but in a bar. Like an open, open desk concept.

[00:13:17] Paola Flores-Marquez: So

[00:13:17] Emmy Liederman: I was like, that kind of would ruin the vibes. So I'm glad it's, it's minimal interruption

[00:13:22] Arielle Feger: there. Yeah, I was wondering like how many people are gonna actually take them up on this? Like- Yeah.

[00:13:26] Arielle Feger: Yeah ... I, and I'm sure people will. I, I, I would maybe feel a little silly being like, "Let me sub- submit my expense report to Stellar Points." But, you know, hey, it's a good deal, so you can't, you can't complain. I,

[00:13:37] Paola Flores-Marquez: I think- Yeah ... that is something that re- or employers have also been anticipating. I don't know, Business Insider put out- Mm-hmm

[00:13:42] Paola Flores-Marquez: uh, an article a couple, like weeks ago, about like the great World Cup sick-off- ... where like people are gonna call out sick- Yeah ... to go watch World Cup games. Yeah. And so why, why, why, why not just be upfront about it- Yep ... so that we all know where we stand? Play

[00:13:56] Emmy Liederman: into it. I, I honestly think they should do something similar for Love Island, because-

[00:14:00] Emmy Liederman: you're, you're losing people anyway who are trying to keep up with this damn show that's on like- ... six out of seven

[00:14:07] Paola Flores-Marquez: nights a week. It would really improve company morale-

[00:14:09] Emmy Liederman: So true ... if you were there. Like, like people need to catch up on their Love Island, like if you have plans the night before. So yeah, I just, I just feel like this is, this is a real productivity issue.

[00:14:19] Arielle Feger: Stellar Points, we've got your next idea- Yes ... ready for you. Yes. Yes. Okay, let's move on. Rachel- All right ... what is your nominee?

[00:14:25] Rachel Wolff: So I'm continuing the theme of non-sports related- ... nominations.

[00:14:30] Arielle Feger: We need the representation.

[00:14:31] Rachel Wolff: Yes. So I'm nominating Prada for this. And so they recently had this, I don't know what to call it, an installation called Prada Mode in New York City, and this is the 14th or 15th year that they've done this.

[00:14:43] Rachel Wolff: And it's basically a series of art installations in like iconic New York locations like Katz's Deli, The Hotel Chelsea, and this year it coincided with the Tribeca Film Festival, so they commissioned, um, director Nicolas Winding Refn, whose name I did not look up how to pronounce- ... beforehand for this podcast, um, and a Japanese game creator named Hideo Kojima to create works of art that were installed in these various locations.

[00:15:09] Rachel Wolff: And it's like a very immersive, futuristic experience, and what I like about it is that it's weird. Like if you look at the pictures of it, it really looks like it's an alien ship from, you know, like a sort of '50s futuristic vibe, and it's not directly tied to product. Obviously it's related to product, but it's not about a particular, um, collection that they have.

[00:15:27] Rachel Wolff: It's not specifically tied to Prada stores, and it's really just a way for them to get in front of people and to drum up interest in the brand. Is, s- which I thought was a really great idea for a luxury company.

[00:15:38] Arielle Feger: Yeah, I looked at the pictures of this. I, it's so cool.

[00:15:42] Rachel Wolff: Yeah.

[00:15:42] Arielle Feger: A- as someone who has like a very dormant, um, fashion interest.

[00:15:46] Arielle Feger: Um, you know, it, this is exactly what I would expect some, someone like Prada, you know, to do. It's, it's cool, it's weird, it's- Yeah ... you know, they don't need to be, you know, promoting every individual product they have- They just need to continue to bring that brand awareness- Yeah ... and keep that, you know, cool factor as a- Right

[00:16:05] Arielle Feger: as a fashion brand. So, uh, I was really into it. You know, I did, uh, have kind of a similar question, you know, as I did with, you know, Emmy's first pick is like, you know, obviously this is based in New York, New York's a fashion capital. Yeah. You know, w- uh, is it too regional? Is there a benefit to You know, uh, you know, people outside of New York, um, gaining awareness of the brand.

[00:16:28] Arielle Feger: What do you think?

[00:16:28] Rachel Wolff: Well, I think, well, so there, this was in two parts. The first part was basically an exclusive event where they had a lot of influencers come in. There were write-ups in The New York Times, so like, this is the kind of event that gets you free press basically. Mm-hmm. Um, and a lot of social media content, and that kind of spreads.

[00:16:44] Rachel Wolff: But also, you know, it's a strategy of all these companies to have these specific installations in various cities. So I feel like you can get excited about, like if you're in LA, "Oh, what's kinda come to LA?"

[00:16:54] Arielle Feger: Mm-hmm.

[00:16:54] Rachel Wolff: Um, and I think it just speaks to consumer's desire for the sort of experiential experience, regardless of whether it's tied to making an actual purchase or not.

[00:17:04] Arielle Feger: Mm-hmm. Um, absolutely. Okay, now for our second award. Our winner is, I'm gonna go with Stella Artois, Work Hard. Whoo. If you know anything about me, I love myself a bar. I'm not shy about it. Um, and I just thought this was a really clever way to cash in on the- the World Cup games without being... Even, you know, obviously it's- it's very direct, but it's also, you know, it's anyone could- could go and do it, so I really like that.

[00:17:32] Arielle Feger: I like

[00:17:32] Rachel Wolff: that it's cheeky. Yeah. Yeah. I think, like, for me, the best campaigns are the ones that have, like, just a little bit of a, you know- Self-awareness ... yeah, a wink. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:17:38] Arielle Feger: Definitely.

[00:17:39] Emmy Liederman: And I feel like people like brands, even if they're not watching the World Cup, that allow them to, like, slack off. Don't say that out loud.

[00:17:48] Emmy Liederman: At least I'm just saying that for myself. She's right, though. But, like, just promoting, like, work-life balance. Like, I don't

[00:17:54] Arielle Feger: know. Yeah,

[00:17:55] Emmy Liederman: it's relatable. True. It's relatable. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No narcs around.

[00:18:00] Arielle Feger: Oh, okay. All right. Moving on to award number three, the greatest under-the-radar move. This is the smart play that didn't necessarily make headlines, but quietly moved the business forward.

[00:18:10] Arielle Feger: And the nominations are, um, Pal, you go first.

[00:18:14] Paola Flores-Marquez: Okay. So mine is Dove's R/Peel reviews, so it was a Reddit campaign. So Dove found an existing Reddit conversation about its product, and then it invited consumers to test it and promised to publish reviews regardless of the sentiment. Um, and then it turned those reviews into social content, so out of home, and then, like, broader cre- campaign creative, um, efforts.

[00:18:37] Paola Flores-Marquez: And it was clever because Do- Dove gave up some of the control, right? And, like, leaned into the authenticity, and we just had an article posted today on our website about how 58% of Redditors agree that seeing brands respond directly to cons- customers in Reddit threads increases trust in the brand, um, per Qualtrics.

[00:18:55] Paola Flores-Marquez: It's a way of building trust and instead of, like, creating another polished brand image, right? And so in an AI and social search world, credibility can be a stronger asset than- Uh, just creativity alone I

[00:19:07] Arielle Feger: mean, in, like you said, in, in the world of, you know, AI and LLMs, you know, trust is big, but also, like, being on these platforms just period is big, you know?

[00:19:16] Arielle Feger: Mm-hmm. A lot of LLMs are picking up Reddit, you know, uh, comments and stuff, so it's, it's really important for brands to be on these platforms, but i- in an authentic way. Mm-hmm. You know, that's kind of the caveat there.

[00:19:28] Paola Flores-Marquez: Right. Right. I think there's a lot of nervousness around Reddit gaining more traction because they're w- worried that people are gonna start astroturfing, like, conversations, right?

[00:19:37] Paola Flores-Marquez: I, at least in my experience, I think that the, the communities that are super dedicated to the products or the brands that they're, like, around are very good at policing those conversations. Yeah. So it's

[00:19:47] Rachel Wolff: still But I won- ... an honest trust Yeah. I wonder if it does change how people interact on those platforms, though.

[00:19:50] Rachel Wolff: If you know that there's a chance that it could be pulled for an ad campaign, like, do you change the way that you talk about the brand?

[00:19:56] Emmy Liederman: Yeah. Do you know off the top of your head, like, an example of a Reddit?

[00:20:00] Paola Flores-Marquez: So here in one of the images, there's one that's like, it's two side-by-side ones, and one of them is like, "I love this product.

[00:20:07] Paola Flores-Marquez: Smells amazing. Uh, seeing real improvement." And then it's next to one that says, "I hate the smell." "It's like an old lady wearing too much of an intense perfume smell." Um, and they're just, they're just there, and the, the tagline for the campaign or the tagline on the ad is, "They're reviews. That's our campaign.

[00:20:22] Paola Flores-Marquez: No edits."

[00:20:24] Emmy Liederman: Wow. It really does. So they really just, just added a review that was, like, super negative.

[00:20:29] Paola Flores-Marquez: Yeah. They're just, they're, they're like, "Make a decision for yourself essentially. We trust you."

[00:20:33] Arielle Feger: Yeah, yeah. Which I think, again- It's cool ... it, it really leans into Dove's whole ethos- Mm-hmm ... which is really interesting.

[00:20:39] Arielle Feger: Okay, uh, moving on. Uh, Rachel, what is- Yes ... your under the radar move? All

[00:20:44] Rachel Wolff: right. So this is where I get into sports slightly. But it's not world cover next related. So this is Dick's Sporting Goods, um, with a new private label pop-up in the Hamptons. I thought it was interesting for a few reasons. One is the, the store is purely dedicated to Dick's private labels, um, and it's doing three different iterations.

[00:21:03] Rachel Wolff: The first one is golf themed, the second one is, like, swimwear or resort themed, and the last one is back to school related. But also I think the choice of setting, the Hamptons, for, you know, a concept that you would think is geared more towards, say, price-conscious consumers with the idea of private labels.

[00:21:20] Rachel Wolff: Um, so I just like the idea that Dick's is experimenting with these types of stores. Clearly there's an understanding that consumers of all income levels are a little bit, you know, wary of what they're buying. Mm-hmm. Um, and it's just a great showcase for these brands.

[00:21:34] Arielle Feger: Yeah. I, I thought this was really cool.

[00:21:35] Arielle Feger: I mean, private label has certainly, like, grown beyond, you know, just being for value-conscious- Totally ... consumers. We know that consumers of all income levels, uh, across all demographics are buying private label and, and, and more, you know, than they ever used to. And the Hamptons is, like, such a cultural thing, right?

[00:21:57] Arielle Feger: Like, "Oh, we're going to the Hamptons." And I think, you know, just having that there is, is ... It brings this kind of level of, like, fun and coolness and summer, and I love that they're gonna do a back to school thing as well. Yeah. So I think it's just really well timed with, with the season.

[00:22:11] Emmy Liederman: Yeah. And I think a lot of people associate, like, Dick's with, you know, you go there for, like, your little league purchases or you need, like, a baseball bat or, like

[00:22:21] Emmy Liederman: I don't know if that's just me, but like- ... it, it just feels, like, very, like, juvenile in a way, or like it's for, like, youth sports. And I think there isn't as much, like, that reputation built up of, we actually have, like, private brands. Mm-hmm. So it's interesting too that that's, like, what they're leading with.

[00:22:39] Emmy Liederman: Yep.

[00:22:40] Arielle Feger: Yeah, and that it's, it's golf and swimwear, um, and then the back to school. Golf and swimwear I think are two things that I wouldn't necessarily associate with Dick's Sporting Goods. Yeah. I think I would ... That's a little more outside the box, so it's really smart of them to kind of think- Mm-hmm ... you know.

[00:22:53] Arielle Feger: Uh, basketball and soccer- Yeah ... are very easily accessible- No, right ... this summer. But- The

[00:22:57] Paola Flores-Marquez: golf and, and swimwear is what I would associate with the Hamptons immediately, so.

[00:23:00] Arielle Feger: Oh, 100%, exactly. Yeah. Totally. They picked really well. Uh, okay. And Emmy, what's your choice?

[00:23:06] Emmy Liederman: My choice is that Google just added a universal cart feature.

[00:23:11] Emmy Liederman: Ooh. So basically, you can, like, shop across different retailers, and everything comes together on this, like, universal cart page. And part of it is using their AI assistants to kind of, like, offer recommendations and feedback based on what you put on your cart. So an example would be, like, you're buying a printer, and you got, like, a cartridge that isn't actually compatible with it.

[00:23:33] Emmy Liederman: Like, it might say, like, "Hey, you know, m- you might wanna rethink this one" Maybe not in those words. Um, but I don't know. I just thought it was, like, interesting 'cause it's very clearly, like, using a lot of consumer data- No ... and, like, following consumers across their different, like, retail experiences, but in a way that kind of feels justifiable 'cause it's like, this is a very specific thing that we're giving you in return that is hopefully or in theory gonna make your life easier.

[00:24:04] Emmy Liederman: And people love, you know, having, like, one page and one- Yeah ... experience for checkout. So I just- Right ... thought it was smart. Yeah.

[00:24:10] Paola Flores-Marquez: I think it feels more like a solution than a hindrance, right? Yeah, yeah. It's more of, like, if you're gonna use my data, at least use it for something that helps me. Right.

[00:24:16] Rachel Wolff: Yeah.

[00:24:16] Rachel Wolff: And I think that's the, one of the problems with agentic commerce so far, which is that you can buy, like, one thing at a time, but in reality, like, who does that, right?

[00:24:24] Emmy Liederman: Yeah.

[00:24:25] Rachel Wolff: But if you can have, you know, products from Nike and extra products from Wayfair and have it all in one cart, I think that would be great.

[00:24:30] Rachel Wolff: My only thing about this is that it's been promised, but we don't know exactly- Yeah ... what it's gonna look like in practice.

[00:24:36] Emmy Liederman: Oh, yeah. Yeah. We should never trust them. So I was hesitant to even, like, say this. It sounds great, like, in their press release.

[00:24:45] Arielle Feger: Yeah. You know? So, and this is technically not a, not a retailer, and I, I do, uh, recognize that maybe we're breaking the rules- I'm sorry

[00:24:53] Arielle Feger: a little bit, but I allowed it. It's okay. I'm guest hosting. I'm allowed to break the rules if I want to. Mm-hmm. Um, but I, I think that there's obvious, like, repercussions for brands and retailers, so it's very easy, you know, uh, line to, to make towards it. And yeah, I, I agree. Like, uh, in the ideal form, it sounds like it would be incredibly helpful, but al- as always- You never really know how it's gonna pan out, so I'm, I'm excited to see, you know, what happens and, and how it works.

[00:25:19] Arielle Feger: Okay, so now I have to pick the third winner, and the third winner is Dick's Sporting Goods Private Label Hamptons Pop-Up.

[00:25:29] Emmy Liederman: Wait, we all

[00:25:30] Rachel Wolff: won. Yeah.

[00:25:30] Emmy Liederman: Yay.

[00:25:31] Arielle Feger: That wasn't on purpose at all.

[00:25:35] Paola Flores-Marquez: This is what happens when you have women leading. Yeah.

[00:25:38] Arielle Feger: There's equity. Equity. Equality. Um, no, but, but to be serious, I do really like this, um, campaign.

[00:25:45] Arielle Feger: I do- Too late,

[00:25:46] Rachel Wolff: that wasn't

[00:25:46] Emmy Liederman: perfect.

[00:25:49] Arielle Feger: I think it's very smart. I think it's fun, and I think, you know, uh, private label, uh, you know, Rachel, you've written about it a lot. You know, we've written about it a lot. It just continues to be something people are, you know, buying more and more, and I think the kind of it's leveling up to become, uh, in a league much along with national brands.

[00:26:07] Arielle Feger: So I think this is exactly where that, that makes sense. Okay, so to go over our winners, we have most impactful campaign is going to Nike's Post Knicks Win campaign. Best in real life initiative is Stella Artois Work From Bar campaign. And our greatest under-the-radar move is Dick's Sporting Goods Private Label Hamptons Pop-Up.

[00:26:32] Arielle Feger: Congratulations to all of you.

[00:26:34] Emmy Liederman: Thank you so much. We're all winners. I am Josh Safdie.

[00:26:38] Arielle Feger: That is all the time we have for today. Thank you, Emmy. Thank you. And this is sadly

[00:26:44] Emmy Liederman: Emmy's

[00:26:45] Arielle Feger: last-

[00:26:45] Emmy Liederman: This was such an honor. This is my last-

[00:26:47] Arielle Feger: Last one ...

[00:26:47] Emmy Liederman: time on the podcast. Um- Yep.

[00:26:49] Arielle Feger: We all wish Emmy-

[00:26:50] Emmy Liederman: I will be leaving ...

[00:26:51] Arielle Feger: the best, and-

[00:26:52] Emmy Liederman: Yes.

[00:26:52] Emmy Liederman: It just sounds so dramatic. Like, you know- I know, but I

[00:26:55] Arielle Feger: like everything dramatic, you know? Like,

[00:26:56] Emmy Liederman: say it casually. Yeah, but I love the drama. I love the

[00:27:00] Arielle Feger: drama and I love the attention. Um, and thank you, Pao.

[00:27:01] Paola Flores-Marquez: Thank you so much for having me. This was a lot of fun.

[00:27:04] Arielle Feger: Yeah, and thank you, Rachel.

[00:27:05] Emmy Liederman: Thanks

[00:27:06] Rachel Wolff: for this very fun edition

[00:27:12] Arielle Feger: of The Umras. This is what happens. When Suzy's away, we will play. Um, and thank you to the team who edits the podcast and, of course, our listeners. Please leave a rating or review, and remember to subscribe. Suzy will see you next Wednesday for more Reimagined Retail, and we'll be back with the next edition of The Umras at the end of July.

[00:27:28] Arielle Feger: And on Friday, you can join Marcus for another episode of Behind the Numbers.