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[00:00:00] Suzy Davidkhanian: Atmosphere TV is the largest streaming TV platform purpose-built for shared social spaces like bars, restaurants, gyms, and airports. Atmosphere TV is the creator of ChiveTV and thirty plus mesmerizing audio optional channels that entertain over a hundred and fifty million monthly viewers. Built for business, made for [00:00:20] fun, Atmosphere TV

[00:00:26] Suzy Davidkhanian: Hey, everyone. Today is Wednesday, September 30th. Welcome to EMARKETER's weekly retail show, Reimagining Retail, an EMARKETER podcast made possible by Atmosphere TV. This is the show where we talk about how retail collides [00:00:40] with every part of our lives, and I'm your host, Suzy Davidkhanian. On today's episode, we're back with our unofficial monthly retailer awards.

[00:00:48] Suzy Davidkhanian: Yes, the UMRAs. Let's see who stood out this month. Joining me, we have podcast regulars, almost all in the studio. Arielle Feger joining us from Connecticut, though, [00:01:00] today.

[00:01:00] Arielle Feger: Little far away, but still happy to be here.

[00:01:02] Suzy Davidkhanian: Well, we're happy to have you. Becky Schilling.

[00:01:05] Arielle Feger: Happy to be back.

[00:01:06] Suzy Davidkhanian: Sitting next to me. And Rachel Wolff also here in studio.

[00:01:10] Suzy Davidkhanian: Hey, Rachel. Hey. I am fired up, ready to fight for

[00:01:13] Rachel Wolff: my picks.

[00:01:13] Suzy Davidkhanian: Oh my God- Ooh ... I'm so excited. Well, I, we did a little pep talk that this is not a game. It's for fun. [00:01:20] But you don't, there's no winner, but there really is a winner. There's

[00:01:22] Rachel Wolff: a winner.

[00:01:22] Suzy Davidkhanian: Yes. So as a reminder, here's how it works. Each month, we're handing out awards to the retailers we think really nailed it in a few key areas.

[00:01:31] Suzy Davidkhanian: Those three categories are, one, most impactful campaign, two, best in real life initiative, and three, the greatest under-the-radar move. Arielle, [00:01:40] Becky, Rachel each brought a nominee for September, and I get to pick the winner based on how convincing their cases are. So let's get started. Award number one, most impactful campaign, the marketing idea that broke through the noise, it resonated, it was memorable, and it helped drive performance.

[00:01:59] Suzy Davidkhanian: And the [00:02:00] nominees are... Arielle, I'm starting with you. I loved this one.

[00:02:03] Arielle Feger: I'm already ahead. This is amazing. My pick is, um, Duolingo's The Phonetic Collection for New York Fashion Week. Um, they basically created a capsule collection, um, that turns pronunciation lessons into wearable designs. So like [00:02:20] they had a lime green purse, um, with the letters that spell out the phonetic pronunciation of Hermès, um, and they had, um, a jacket that spelled out, uh, the pronunciation of Givenchy.

[00:02:33] Arielle Feger: So I just think it's really fun.

[00:02:34] Suzy Davidkhanian: Guys, it's so cute, no? Come on. They had literally a [00:02:40] product that was marketing both what they do but also these fun brands during New York Fashion Week, which is a really big deal here in New York.

[00:02:47] Becky Schilling: It's clever.

[00:02:49] Arielle Feger: That's a honor.

[00:02:50] Suzy Davidkhanian: It's like- But grudging. It's literally a buzzy move on a cultural moment, but do we think it actually drove app usage, or it was just fun?[00:03:00]

[00:03:00] Arielle Feger: I mean, I think it's in that brand awareness. I mean, not that Duolingo really needs a lot of help with brand awareness, but what I liked about this is it wasn't Duo focused, which is Duo is the owl mascot. Um, and I feel like they've done a lot of stuff with him. They killed him off or brought him back or whatever.

[00:03:18] Arielle Feger: So I like that this was kind of like [00:03:20] a little bit different, and I just think it kind of shows that they're still forward-thinking in the kind of marketing area.

[00:03:27] Rachel Wolff: I think I'm with Suzy on this one, where it's a cute campaign, but does it move the needle for the brand? I don't know that it does.

[00:03:33] Suzy Davidkhanian: But it is definitely memorable, no?

[00:03:35] Suzy Davidkhanian: And I also think it's like, how do you take something that's purely digital, [00:03:40] Duolingo, and tie it to something that is in the moment that everybody's buzzing around about?

[00:03:44] Rachel Wolff: Yeah, I guess my question is how do you translate this campaign into actual downloads?

[00:03:50] Suzy Davidkhanian: It's a stretch. Right. Yeah, it's a stretch, but it's so cute.

[00:03:52] Suzy Davidkhanian: Anything with New York Fashion Tech Week is cute. Okay, onto you, Becky. Who do you have?

[00:03:57] Becky Schilling: I have Old Navy and MrBeast. So for back to [00:04:00] school, instead of having a usual polished campaign with kids in classrooms and, and all that, they, they turned it to MrBeast, which makes a lot of sense if you think about who his audience is.

[00:04:09] Becky Schilling: It's kids. Kids have a lot of say in what they want for back to school, more so than I did as a child. Um, and so letting them get involved was a really neat idea. MrBeast [00:04:20] surprised a Kansas school with free lunches, Old Navy outfits for every kid. Gift cards, quizzes, made it gamified, made it really fun. Um, it's what MrBeast does, and Old Navy kind of built in on that, which made it really fun.

[00:04:34] Becky Schilling: And, uh, traffic to their kids' assortment online jumped more than 22%, and the video [00:04:40] surpassed 100 million views.

[00:04:42] Suzy Davidkhanian: Uh, so I thought it was really cool in terms of the KPIs. Like, it got disseminated quite big, right? And it was, like, multilayered activations. But the question is always the same for me. Does the traffic translate into sales?

[00:04:56] Becky Schilling: The thing that I really liked was that it wasn't just MrBeast [00:05:00] and Old Navy. It was, if you saw the teacher that was involved with the, the c- classroom quiz, she posted it, and even her posts were like, "I'm gonna post this video every day because it's MrBeast." And, like, see wh- was so cool. And I think that is maybe not something that you can directly attribute to this, but I think that that attention and that awareness is bringing people in, [00:05:20] and it's a smart move for Old Navy, who is needing a little bit of help.

[00:05:24] Becky Schilling: And, uh, back to school is such an important time for that brand that, um, I think it was a really cool thing.

[00:05:30] Rachel Wolff: Yeah, I think MrBeast has become one of those creators that brands just turn to very reliably. Like, a bit like Sydney Sweeney, although I don't know that Sydney Sweeney moves the needle the same way that [00:05:40] MrBeast does.

[00:05:40] Suzy Davidkhanian: I mean, I think, and parents even know who MrBeast is. So to your point about back to school- Mm-hmm ... it's the kid chooses, the parent pays. When the parent sees someone that they trust... Trust may be too big of a word. That they know- ... that they recognize, then maybe they're more, more inclined to do so. And Old Navy has really sharp price points, so that helps too.

[00:05:58] Suzy Davidkhanian: Yep.

[00:05:58] Arielle Feger: I also think that Old Navy, [00:06:00] in my perception, is skews a little bit older, you know, um, more probably millennials, who I think really cut their teeth on Old Navy. Um, so I think appealing to younger children or younger teens, um, would probably be a pretty smart move.

[00:06:15] Suzy Davidkhanian: Rachel, who's on your list? Okay. Who are you nominating?

[00:06:17] Rachel Wolff: So this is not technically a campaign, [00:06:20] but I am nominating On sneakers signing Kylian Mbappé. And I thought this was such a huge move. I mean, it's a huge marketing coup for On, obviously. But Mbappé has been with Nike since he was nine years old. He's been with them for nearly 20 years. So the fact that they weren't able to hold onto this partnership really gives you a sense of how [00:06:40] Nike's stock has fallen, whereas companies like On have really taken the initiative.

[00:06:44] Rachel Wolff: Um, and On clearly has ambitions beyond, uh, running and tennis, so I thought this was a huge

[00:06:50] Suzy Davidkhanian: move. I mean, this got so much attention, I think, because he also still wore the Nike sh- cleats- Right ... on the field, and just, like, took out, like... I don't know how he got, [00:07:00] whited out-

[00:07:00] Rachel Wolff: Yeah ...

[00:07:01] Suzy Davidkhanian: the logos, which is re- it's, like- Right

[00:07:03] Suzy Davidkhanian: kinda nutty I

[00:07:03] Rachel Wolff: mean,

[00:07:03] Suzy Davidkhanian: there's no

[00:07:03] Rachel Wolff: product yet, and yet, you know, everybody is watching to see what On does next.

[00:07:07] Suzy Davidkhanian: It does feel like it's more than an endorsement, right? It seems to me, from the things I read, that he's gonna actually have sort of a, a say in the product, too- Yeah ... as they're building out a new.

[00:07:17] Suzy Davidkhanian: And that kinda feels like, when you're at your prime, [00:07:20] that feels like a good place to be, that you can not just wear things, but help create them. Yeah.

[00:07:25] Becky Schilling: Well, he's not the first, either. Like, Roger Federer- Totally ... was with Nike for decades, and came over. There was a huge trademark with his RF that he won from Nike, and got to keep that in.

[00:07:35] Becky Schilling: Yeah. So I think it's a really smart move for them. It's a, it's an addition on [00:07:40] to what they've- Yeah ... been working on.

[00:07:41] Rachel Wolff: Yeah. But I think the difference with Federer is that when Federer came on with On, he was kind of at the end of his career. And so, you know, obviously he's a- Hey, hey, hey.

[00:07:48] Becky Schilling: No, no. No, no.

[00:07:50] Rachel Wolff: Well, the end of his professional career.

[00:07:52] Rachel Wolff: Let me put it that way. Whereas Mbappé is kind of in his prime. You know, he's probably gonna be in another World Cup. It's gonna be another huge opportunity for [00:08:00] On if they can actually get a product out by that time. Well, they have four years they can work on that. So I think there's a lot of runway for them to work with.

[00:08:07] Suzy Davidkhanian: Well, I think the other difference, which, I don't know, I, I, I don't play enough sports to be able to say this with credibility, but I'm still saying it in terms of, like, you can wear regular running shoes to play tennis, but you need special shoes for soccer. And the fact that they [00:08:20] don't have the soccer cleats or the football cleats ready to go, I think is another sort of differentiator.

[00:08:25] Suzy Davidkhanian: Personally, I think that too many companies are moving into star power, sort of trying to... Like, how do you latch onto a star? But if you're gonna do that, and do it well, then you need to take the number-one player, which I would argue he is there.

[00:08:38] Rachel Wolff: Yeah. I mean, he's the top goal scorer of [00:08:40] all time in the World Cup.

[00:08:41] Suzy Davidkhanian: Guys, this was a tough one. The drum roll please. I don't think it's a surprise. Arielle on the air drum. Yeah. Arielle's on the air drum, and it's not a surprise that my pick is Duolingo. Well done. Well,

[00:08:55] Rachel Wolff: Becky, which-

[00:08:55] Becky Schilling: I mean, you were foreshadowing that before we even got started. Yeah, that's true. It wasn't

[00:08:59] Arielle Feger: much of a surprise.[00:09:00]

[00:09:01] Suzy Davidkhanian: There was a minute when Rachel said, "I know it's not quite a marketing campaign," but, uh, you got me because that was gonna be my question to you. But- ... still somehow there is a cute factor in the Duolingo thing that I think it's kind of novel for me compared to what some of the others were. All good ones, though.

[00:09:17] Suzy Davidkhanian: Award number two, Best In Real [00:09:20] Life Initiative, the in real life move that got people off their screens and into stores, creating an experience worth checking out. And the nominations are, Becky, starting with you.

[00:09:29] Becky Schilling: So I'm going with DSW and their Edit. They're a big box shoe retailer. Store traffic has been soft.

[00:09:35] Becky Schilling: Coms were down 2.6% last quarter. But the part of the business that's [00:09:40] working is their affordable luxury assortment. It doubled in volume last year, and so they're really kind of leaning into that and testing that with the Edit, which is a shop in shop where they're going to take those elevated brands, and they're going to put them into some kind of a new shop in shop in four locations.

[00:09:55] Becky Schilling: We don't know exactly what that's going to look like, but, uh, they're following what the data is telling [00:10:00] them. So they're already selling some of these brands. They're giving them an elevated presence on the floor, somewhere where shoppers can come in, walk and browse, and see what is right for them.

[00:10:10] Suzy Davidkhanian: So this shop in shop thing I think is very interesting.

[00:10:13] Suzy Davidkhanian: For me, the leap here, though, is, like, DSW's actually an off-price retailer, where all of the... Like, you're [00:10:20] self-servicing. They technically have brands that are at a better price. Like, so pulling it out and making the Edit curation very important, luxury brands that then you have to, like, find the right size to put it on, I don't know.

[00:10:33] Suzy Davidkhanian: It'll... We'll see how they execute. It'll be really in the execution.

[00:10:36] Becky Schilling: Yes, but that's a challenge anywhere in DSW, so [00:10:40] it's not something that would just be new in here. But they need to figure out how to take that and make that feel-

[00:10:46] Suzy Davidkhanian: Elevated ... like

[00:10:46] Becky Schilling: it's elevated- Yeah ... and different from what the rest of the shop is.

[00:10:50] Suzy Davidkhanian: Do we know if the price points will be off-price price points at these brands?

[00:10:55] Becky Schilling: They did not say

[00:10:56] Suzy Davidkhanian: anything. They did not say. That'll be interesting to see.

[00:10:58] Arielle Feger: I think if done well, it could go [00:11:00] well, but it feels kind of like a mismatch almost. Again, like Suzy's saying, it's an off-price retailer, but then we're kind of leaning into luxury, which I don't think is a bad idea, but I, I also don't know if, like, that awareness, I think they would really have to work on, like, making people aware, "Hey, these are brands that you can also get here.

[00:11:18] Arielle Feger: It's not just a good price. You [00:11:20] can also get this kind of more luxury brand."

[00:11:22] Rachel Wolff: I also wonder what it means for the rest of the store, right? Because part of the off-price experience is you don't know what you're gonna find- Yeah, mm-hmm ... and you wander around, whereas you know, "Okay, all the brands that I want are in this one space, so I'm just gonna ignore everything else."

[00:11:33] Suzy Davidkhanian: All of that said- T.J. Maxx has this like, little cluster of luxury brands, [00:11:40] and sometimes they even have like, the real, real high-end purses that are for resale in the store. It's not in every store, so there is definitely a precedence for doing it. So it'll be interesting to see how that-

[00:11:49] Becky Schilling: And I think they're acknowledging like, everything that we're talking about, because they're trying it in four stores.

[00:11:53] Becky Schilling: Yeah. So like, they get everything that everybody is saying, but I think that they're trying to test something new, and they're saying, "This is [00:12:00] something that we see is working. What can we do to push that even further?"

[00:12:03] Suzy Davidkhanian: Yeah. It'll be interesting to see. Rachel, what's yours?

[00:12:05] Rachel Wolff: My nomination is Target introducing a dedicated apparel line for employees designed with involvement with creative director at large, Isaac Mizrahi.

[00:12:15] Rachel Wolff: And I just thought this was kind of a fascinating move. So it's not a requirement that Target [00:12:20] employees purchase items from this collection, but the idea is, you know, they're a more elevated version of what a Target employee might be wearing, and I think it's a great opportunity for Target to... You know, we talk a lot about how they need to become more of a style destination, and I feel like this is one way you could do it, where if you're a shopper and you walk in, you see an employee wearing something really [00:12:40] cool.

[00:12:40] Rachel Wolff: You're like, "Wow, you know, even the employees have great fashion or great style." And so that makes you think differently about the brand. So I thought this was a really interesting move on Target's behalf.

[00:12:49] Suzy Davidkhanian: What I couldn't figure out was, is it for sale for regular people, and do employees need to buy it or they're given?

[00:12:57] Rachel Wolff: So employees need to buy it, but they're [00:13:00] given a discount on certain items. And what they also said is that some of the items are a limited edition, so there is a chance that you may not be able to get your hands on an item you want, which I guess is a way of, you know, driving scarcity among Target employees, which I think is another interesting tactic.

[00:13:15] Suzy Davidkhanian: Well, it's also like, an interesting... Like, I, I'm guessing that there's over 150,000 [00:13:20] store associates. I don't really know the exact number, but like, that's a whole untapped market. But it's kind of weird that you're saying, "Wear your uniform, but purchase it from us." But maybe you're supposed to purchase your uniforms no matter what it is.

[00:13:30] Suzy Davidkhanian: I don't know.

[00:13:31] Rachel Wolff: Well, I think- I've

[00:13:32] Suzy Davidkhanian: never

[00:13:32] Rachel Wolff: had a uniform ... they don't have a specific uniform. They just have general dress guidelines- Got it ... about how... So you know, this is, could be also a way of [00:13:40] enforcing kind of a dress code without being so explicit.

[00:13:43] Suzy Davidkhanian: It does sound like it is optional, though. Yeah. Like, I think it's a big win that it's with Isaac Mizrahi.

[00:13:48] Becky Schilling: I mean, my biggest challenge is you have to find... The Target employees are hard to find anyway.

[00:13:53] Suzy Davidkhanian: Now, now that- So

[00:13:57] Becky Schilling: that's a good point ... now you'll find them. That's a really good point. Well, well now they're more [00:14:00] visible.

[00:14:00] Suzy Davidkhanian: Yeah. I kinda think it's very cool. I don't know. I, after I got the story, I went and looked at some of the images.

[00:14:06] Suzy Davidkhanian: There are some pretty cool things. Yeah. Again, the big win is the giant designer who's doing it. Yeah.

[00:14:12] Arielle Feger: All I was- skeptical. I kind of wish that they had, like, maybe, like, given one outfit [00:14:20] to every employee. I mean, I know that that is probably a lot of money, but paying for it seems-

[00:14:25] Rachel Wolff: Paying for it is a bit, I agree, a bit iffy.

[00:14:27] Rachel Wolff: But what I liked was that, you know, they said one of the reasons that it's such a big collection is that they wanted to give employees options. Like, some people want something that, you know, is a little more practical, whereas some people are a bit more style-forward. So I like that there's the [00:14:40] ability to show off your personality even in something that's, like, corporate.

[00:14:45] Suzy Davidkhanian: Guys, has anybody worked in an environment like a quick-service restaurant or somewhere where you had to wear, like, a McDonald's T-shirt? Like- Yes ... who purchases that? That's what I

[00:14:52] Becky Schilling: was gonna say is that- Oh, sorry ... I've worked at places where you had to purchase your uniform.

[00:14:56] Suzy Davidkhanian: Anyways, right? Yes. So now at least it's a cool one.

[00:14:58] Becky Schilling: And so this one, if I had [00:15:00] options to pick from- Yeah ... I, I worked in a restaurant, Italian restaurant, and I had to wear khaki pants. I would've picked anything besides khaki pants-

[00:15:06] Suzy Davidkhanian: Got it ...

[00:15:07] Becky Schilling: with red

[00:15:07] Suzy Davidkhanian: sauce. So then this really is a win.

[00:15:09] Becky Schilling: I would've loved it.

[00:15:10] Suzy Davidkhanian: Yeah. Arielle, what's yours?

[00:15:11] Arielle Feger: Mine is the Starbucks Snoopy cup.

[00:15:14] Arielle Feger: Basically, Starbucks launched a limited edition Peanuts Starbucks collection, um, with 10 [00:15:20] collectible items, including a Snoopy glass cold cup. And people went crazy for it. There were lines. People got up at 3:00 AM. Um, it was, you know, for resale at, uh, $200 on, uh, StockX. And, you know, it just really drove people in [00:15:40] store, which is what Starbucks has wanted to do.

[00:15:42] Suzy Davidkhanian: So for me, while it's very cute and I watched some of the videos, it's kind of a repeat on what we're seeing St- one Starbucks do, it's not their first time, but also the Swatch watch one. Right. I mean, this is, like, this continuous idea of dropping merch, creating some sort of scarcity, [00:16:00] driving people into the store But with a different character.

[00:16:03] Rachel Wolff: Yeah, and I wonder, I mean, I get the appeal of the Snoopy partnership, but it's kind of Starbucks leaning on other IP, right, to get people into the store rather than wanting Starbucks on its own. So-

[00:16:13] Suzy Davidkhanian: But we believe in a good partnership.

[00:16:16] Rachel Wolff: Yeah, but I just question, like, what are the lasting impacts- [00:16:20] Yeah ... of a partnership with Peanuts?

[00:16:22] Suzy Davidkhanian: Well, the, the other thing I understood to be that there are two special drinks that are in-store only-

[00:16:29] Rachel Wolff: Mm-hmm ...

[00:16:29] Suzy Davidkhanian: that are part of this drop, so that there is, they are trying to drive you into the store to buy more than the merch and to buy the coffee. But yeah, it's interesting. I do think we see a lot of, uh, [00:16:40] partnerships.

[00:16:40] Suzy Davidkhanian: Like, the one I had on my radar was Ralph Lauren/Nordstrom US Open takeover, and they did, like, pop-ups, and, like, it was an activation, and it was beyond. If you didn't get to go to the stadium, you still got to feel like you were sort of in the US Open vibe, so I thought that was kinda cool. And we all know Ralph Lauren is really trying so hard on that lifestyle experience.

[00:16:59] Arielle Feger: I will [00:17:00] say, to defend my pick-

[00:17:01] Suzy Davidkhanian: Oh, yeah, sorry ... um I

[00:17:02] Arielle Feger: was

[00:17:03] Suzy Davidkhanian: trying to brush past that, but you go ahead.

[00:17:06] Arielle Feger: Oh, sorry. But so, I mean, I, I totally get what everyone is saying about, like, "Oh, this isn't necessarily new," but just because it's not new doesn't make it a really effective campaign. I mean- That's true

[00:17:19] Arielle Feger: obviously [00:17:20] they continue to do it because it works. It brings people in. So I will say, like, I think that if it ain't broke, don't fix

[00:17:26] Becky Schilling: it. That's true. I think it's also really interesting the timing of it- That is true ... right? Because it's pumpkin spice season. Yes, yes. And they're also saying that we're not just gonna put all our eggs in one basket, we're gonna start doing this at the same time to try to get those people like me who could care less about that.

[00:17:38] Arielle Feger: And it's all about fall, the, [00:17:40] the, the Great Pumpkin, and I- Yeah ... I think I also just really love Peanuts characters, so there's, you know, a little bit of, uh-

[00:17:46] Rachel Wolff: So you're the

[00:17:47] Arielle Feger: target audience- ... bias here ...

[00:17:47] Rachel Wolff: for this

[00:17:48] Suzy Davidkhanian: one . Well, also, I think Snoopy in general is probably for every age, right? Yeah. Oh, yeah. It's, like, for the kids, but also the adults, and nostalgia.

[00:17:54] Suzy Davidkhanian: I mean, it does hit on a lot of fronts that we know work well. That said, though, your point is [00:18:00] very well taken. A good idea just because it's been done before should not be discarded. I still think Target is the win for me on this one. I don't know if it's a real in real life move in that it doesn't...

[00:18:12] Suzy Davidkhanian: because I can't buy it as a customer. Right. But to go and make a whole apparel line-ish, give or take, [00:18:20] do some merchandise around their uniform with a well-known designer is pretty cool.

[00:18:25] Rachel Wolff: Yeah, and I think it makes Target employees feel good about-

[00:18:28] Suzy Davidkhanian: Yeah ... working for the company. I just

[00:18:29] Arielle Feger: love it. That's important.

[00:18:30] Arielle Feger: That's- Making your employees feel good is extremely important 'Cause then maybe you can find them.[00:18:40]

[00:18:40] Suzy Davidkhanian: Moving on. I can sense we have some beef. Moving on. Award number three, Greatest Under-the-Radar Move. This is that smart play that didn't make all the headlines, but really quietly was able to move the business forward. And the nominees are, Rachel, you go first.

[00:18:54] Rachel Wolff: So my under-the-radar move is McDonald's launching a media network, which I feel like hasn't [00:19:00] got the attention that it deserves.

[00:19:01] Rachel Wolff: But they announced it at their investor day, and basically the gist is right now they're testing ads from third-party brands on digital menu boards with the aim of eventually rolling them out across its restaurant fleet. But McDonald's has a huge reach, right? It has over 13,700 restaurants in the US. It serves around [00:19:20] 26 million customers a day.

[00:19:22] Rachel Wolff: Something like 90% of the US population visits a McDonald's at least once a year, and it has a huge, uh, loyalty program and app user base, all of which, you know, would combine to make a pretty formidable, uh, advertising network. And they are, to my knowledge, the first fast food chain to do this. And so this could be, you [00:19:40] know, the sort of precursor of, you know, what other brands could be looking to do as things in the restaurant industry get tough.

[00:19:46] Suzy Davidkhanian: I mean, it is a retail media or commerce media play. I heard, or read I should say, that the ad comes after you've completed your purchase, so it doesn't feel like it's interrupting your flow, kind of, of what you're doing. Uh, I think it's [00:20:00] interesting, right? 'Cause that leaves a whole new sort of surface including, as you said, their loyalty program is really strong and they have a great app.

[00:20:08] Arielle Feger: Yeah. This is pretty big. Entering the commerce media space at this point, it's a gamble just because the, it's such a crowded space and it's really difficult to get people's, you know, get ad dollars. But [00:20:20] McDonald's footprint, the information it has, um, on its customers, I think it would make a very formidable player in the commerce media space.

[00:20:28] Becky Schilling: It's interesting because it's almost been a commerce... If you think about the partnership it's had with Coke- Mm-hmm ... and it's had Coke on their menu boards, and huge as advertisement, not as an advertisement, but it's been a placement up there for decades. And so now it's like [00:20:40] how do you make that feel different as an ad placement that somebody is going to buy?

[00:20:44] Suzy Davidkhanian: I guess they're never gonna have any beverages in their ad.

[00:20:47] Becky Schilling: Right. I mean, I don't think Pepsi would ever, but, but maybe.

[00:20:50] Suzy Davidkhanian: Who knows? Arielle, what's yours?

[00:20:53] Arielle Feger: So mine is Staples debuting the hard button. So I think we all remember when, [00:21:00] uh, they came up with the easy button. I felt like it was everywhere. I remember, like, I feel like someone had, like, the actual physical button.

[00:21:07] Arielle Feger: Like, it was a whole big thing. But now they have the hard button, which is really just a campaign to highlight their B2B business. And I think that's really smart to take something that was so prevalent in the [00:21:20] consumer world and then make it kind of more towards B2B. Um, I think it's clever, and it's fun, and it's just a good way to raise awareness of, like, "Hey, we, we do this, too."

[00:21:29] Suzy Davidkhanian: I kinda love this. And to your earlier point, Arielle, you can bring back old things and make them feel new again, and it's really a good way to use your own sort of [00:21:40] IP, and it's like the alter ego. I kinda love this one myself. I'm just saying.

[00:21:44] Arielle Feger: Suzie- Is it happening again? ... you're gonna get in

[00:21:48] Suzy Davidkhanian: trouble with Betty.

[00:21:49] Suzy Davidkhanian: The only thing, I guess, maybe the tension point, but this would not be any different, easy or hard button, is, like- Is it easy to shop at Staples in store or online? Are they [00:22:00] actually delivering against their promise or the, like, mimicking of the promise?

[00:22:04] Arielle Feger: Yeah, I mean, I- I- I'm not a B2B customer, so I, I don't know.

[00:22:08] Arielle Feger: But I would assume that, you know, they have to back up what they're actually saying. If they, if they're gonna make it easier for people, they have to do that.

[00:22:16] Suzy Davidkhanian: Becky, what's yours?

[00:22:17] Becky Schilling: Mine is Aldi. I am a huge [00:22:20] fan of Aldi, um, it's their ready-made meals. A- Aldi is a grocery chain that has been expanding rapidly in the last decade in the US, and it's so smart that what they are doing is that they are taking meals and making them cheap, and they're family size, single serve, eight bucks to under 15 bucks.

[00:22:39] Becky Schilling: [00:22:40] And if you think about the environment that we're in today, grocery prices are such top of mind for so many people, and to be able to go in there and say, "I can get a single meal for eight bucks, family meal for 15, and call it a day," they're, like, going after that kind of restaurant spend. People really love Aldi, and I think that this is a really interesting pivot for them [00:23:00] to make them feel a little bit less like a discounter and more like a kind of taking on that Whole Foods prepackaged and making them seem a little bit more elevated, but still at the Aldi price.

[00:23:10] Suzy Davidkhanian: It is very clever. Like, the consumer is being more intentional. They are spending maybe a little bit less time and energy on restaurants, takeout, going out to eat. It becomes a little [00:23:20] bit more special. The only thing is, like, these sharp price points make me wonder if the quality will be there.

[00:23:26] Becky Schilling: True, but I think if you also look at the Aldi, what, what they're really known for, their, their own labels, it's solid.

[00:23:33] Becky Schilling: It's really good. And, and what they're putting out there is a really good product. To see how that translates more into this [00:23:40] ready-made meal would be interesting, but I think that they've got the background and the culinary expertise to be able to do that.

[00:23:45] Rachel Wolff: Yeah, I feel like this is yet another threat to traditional grocers, right, Kroger and Albertsons, because they do have huge, uh, deli prepared food businesses that are big drivers of growth.

[00:23:54] Rachel Wolff: But if you have Aldi coming in and undercutting them on price, then, you know, that again shifts the momentum in Aldi's [00:24:00] favor.

[00:24:00] Arielle Feger: I will say, a little, um, nugget from our path to purchase report, um, is that quality is actually kind of ranked third in terms of, um, food and beverage shoppers', um, what will, um, motivate them to make a purchase.

[00:24:16] Arielle Feger: So I think that this move from Aldi is data backed. I think it [00:24:20] makes sense. I think people are looking for the value. Um, they're looking for the right price. So even if the quality isn't of quite restaurant, you know, quality, that I still think that people are gonna be buying these meals.

[00:24:33] Suzy Davidkhanian: That's fair. For me, when I was thinking about quality, I was kind of thinking more like, but this just happened.

[00:24:37] Suzy Davidkhanian: I was at a Whole Foods, [00:24:40] and I eavesdropped on the very old couple next to me who was looking for chopped spinach. So I thought I would be helpful and be like, "Oh, it's in that one." And she's like, "It's not organic." I was like, "

[00:24:49] Arielle Feger: Oh,

[00:24:49] Suzy Davidkhanian: okay. That's fair."

[00:24:51] Arielle Feger: I don't think people are going to Aldi for that specific reason.

[00:24:55] Suzy Davidkhanian: But they probably don't want hydrogenated oil, but I mean, w- we're off topic. The, the point is [00:25:00] that price points matter, especially in today's world. From me, I had... Uh, we haven't spent any time talking about this, but we had them on the pod probably a year ago now, the guy from Lulus. Lulus is like a D2C bridal and plus dress, dresses and other sort of apparel and accessories, and they were at Nordstrom, and now all of [00:25:20] a sudden they're also gonna be at Macy's and Bloomingdale's, and I don't think we spent enough time talking about some of these D2C brands that are pivoting to a wholesale model.

[00:25:30] Suzy Davidkhanian: Very under the radar, but not new for them, but still it's crazy that they're expanding so much. It's good for them. Guys, this was a really hard one for me, but the winner is [00:25:40] Staples with the hard button. So that leaves us with award number one, most impactful campaign. Nobody can see your dance. Sorry, Arielle.

[00:25:47] Suzy Davidkhanian: I'm very sad. It's okay.

[00:25:48] Arielle Feger: I s- I see my dance, and that's what counts.

[00:25:51] Suzy Davidkhanian: It's okay. Becky sees your dance. So they can't see

[00:25:51] Arielle Feger: my

[00:25:51] Becky Schilling: eye rolls either?

[00:25:52] Suzy Davidkhanian: Correct. Most impactful campaign was Duolingo. Award number two, best in real life [00:26:00] initiative is Target. And greatest under the radar move is Staples. Thank you, Becky.

[00:26:07] Becky Schilling: I'm happy to be here.

[00:26:09] Suzy Davidkhanian: You gotta try that again. Everybody, every- nobody believed that. We all know you were excited and happy to be here. I'm very

[00:26:15] Becky Schilling: excited. I'm just competitive.

[00:26:16] Suzy Davidkhanian: Thank you, Arielle.

[00:26:18] Becky Schilling: Thank you.

[00:26:19] Suzy Davidkhanian: And thank [00:26:20] you, Rachel. Thanks. And thank you to the team who edits the podcast and of course our listeners.

[00:26:25] Suzy Davidkhanian: I'll see you next Wednesday for more Reimagining Retail, an EMARKETER podcast made possible by Atmosphere TV. And we'll be back with the UMRAs at the end of October. And on Friday, you can join Marcus for another episode of Behind the [00:26:40] Numbers.