2025 OmniShopper Awards: Collaborative: Brand-Retailer
Collaborative
Brand-Retailer (Long-Term Partnership)
Campaign: Dollar General Read With Ritz Literacy Program
Brand: Ritz (Mondelez International)
Retail Partner: Dollar General
Agency/Solution Provider: Phoenix Creative Co.
Ritz partnered with Dollar General to help boost literacy rates across the U.S. and transform lives through the Read with Ritz program. By combining Ritz crackers — a pantry staple among Dollar General shoppers — with the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the partners created a platform to reach underserved communities and inspire those who benefited from the program to share their stories.
Ritz leveraged online and offline shopper touchpoints to increase awareness of the partnership, drive traffic to Dollar General stores and convert incremental sales. Key in-store elements included customized "Read with Ritz" packaging, which featured a QR code to lead shoppers to a landing page that featured literacy heroes' stories and additional information about the program. Dollar General committed endcap displays in 20,000 stores and shelf signage in 15,000 stores.
Dollar General's retail media, its social media platforms and Meta and TikTok hero videos were all deployed to spread the stories of individuals involved in the program. A digital coupon — "Save $3 When You Spend $9 — added value and helped drive conversion On National Read a Book Day (Sept. 6), Ritz and Dollar General Literacy Foundation members jointly presented custom bookbags, a book, a bookmark and samples to all students and staff along with a large check to Alex Green Elementary School outside of Nashville, Tennessee, and read with the students to support the day.
The program strongly boosted sales of cracker category at Dollar General, with a 2% increase in units and a 2% increase in dollars versus the prior period. These results were driven by Ritz, which saw a 16% increase in unit sales and15% in dollar sales over the prior period. Across social, digital and in-store efforts, this program successfully garnered over 103 million impressions, driving awareness of Dollar General Literacy Foundation programming and boosting support.
Brand-Retailer (Single Activation)
Campaign: 2025 Bodyarmor Flash I.V. Spring Break at 7-Eleven
Brand: Bodyarmor (Coca-Cola Co.)
Retail Partner: 7-Eleven
Bodyarmor teamed up with Barstool Sports to drive traffic at 7-Eleven stores during the 2025 spring break season. The campaign leveraged Barstool's massive media platform to increase awareness of Coca-Cola's electrolyte-infused, rapid rehydration sports drinks in the growing isotonics segment. It included a range of online and offline strategies that encouraged college-age males to seek a respite from their hangover-prone vacation lifestyles and head to 7-Eleven to "rehydrate your Spring Break" with Bodyarmor.
Pre-shop tactics included geo-targeted programmatic media and fuel station ads that featured a $1 digital offer on the 7Rewards loyalty program. Additional touchpoints — including in-app banner ads and Barstool media in key markets — tagged 7-Eleven and social media influencers. In-store tactics ranged from case displays to signage with spring break messaging on case cards, clings and danglers, plus $1 at-shelf tags on Bodyarmor Flash I.V. products.
The program was successful in boosting sales of Bodyarmor I.V. while positioning 7-Eleven as a major spring break destination. The average weekly increases included sales (up 314%), units (985%), trips (511%) and units per trip 978%), all of which contributed to a 19-point increase in weekly share of the rapid rehydration category.
In addition, 36% of consumers exposed to the campaign were new to the brand and 20% were new to the segment. The fuel station media campaign generated $125,000 in sales and 71,000 units sold with a $3.15 ROAS, outpacing category benchmarks.
Brand-Retailer (Single Activation)
Campaign: Intel AI Experience
Brand: Intel
Agency/Solution Provider: Outform
At this time last year, even Millennial and Gen Z technophiles, creatives and gamers — the target audiences for Intel's campaign for its new AI-powered PCs — didn't fully understand what an AI PC is or how it can enhance their daily lives. Thus, to spark momentum around a new category, Intel lit up Oxford Street, London's busiest retail destination, for a showstopping promotion dubbed the Intel AI Experience.
For one month leading up to Black Friday, the retail space at Future Stores was transformed into an interactive and educational theater. The experience came to life in two distinct zones — gaming and AI — that were designed to be equally engaging and ensure that visitors felt compelled to explore beyond their primary interest, thereby encouraging longer dwell times and deeper interactions with Intel's AI technology.
The environment was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling LED screens that offered dynamic and immersive storytelling. Activation tactics were plentiful: The gaming zone's AI-powered Battle Station provided seamless local and online play with zero lag. The AI Photo Booth turned visitors' selfies into real-time AI-generated avatars, while the Gateway Shopping Assistant offered personalized PC-building guidance.
Intel's event calendar aligned with the esports League of Legends Championship, featuring Team Liquid's pre-tournament stream with 220,000-plus Twitch views, meet-and-greets and live OEM demos. Influencer partnerships boosted social amplification and excitement for the monthlong event, which drew a total of 5.2 million visitors.
Post-event surveys revealed the following: 99% of attendees found the Intel AI experience relevant and enjoyable; 92% reported improved understanding of AI PCs; and 82% were more likely to purchase after attending. The program contributed to a 59% sales lift for Intel AI PCs — outpacing the total PC category in the UK by 11 points.
Brand-Retailer (Single Activation)
Campaign: Supergood: The First-Ever Avocados From Mexico & American Heart Association Partnership
Brands: Avocados From Mexico, American Heart Association
Retail Partner: Kroger
Agency/Solution Provider: VML
Unlike younger shoppers who might grab avocados for trendy toasts, core avocado consumers — adults age 35 to 64 — are motivated by concerns for their heart health. But while they know avocados contain "good fats," they’re not certain of what that really means or how to incorporate avocados consistently into their diets. At Kroger, avocado prices remained high, creating yet another barrier to entry in the category.
To overcome these challenges, Avocados From Mexico partnered with America’s most trusted heart health authority, the American Heart Association, on campaign to showcase avocados’ versatility and nutritional benefits at various stages of the shopper journey. The goal was to elevate avocados from functional superfood to a "supergood" lifestyle choice by combining the emotional appeal of delicious recipes with the credibility of the AHA name.
The “Good Fats Meet Great Taste” campaign included extensive PR during the pre-shop phase with broadcast segments, digital placements during National Nutrition Month (March) and social media influencer content from trusted voices like registered dietitians and health food creators. In Kroger stores, custom-branded bags and bin displays with the AHA’s red strip branding, as well as digital coupons tied to Kroger’s loyalty program, encouraged shoppers to include avocados in their meal planning while communicating the seal of approval ("Proud National Supporter") from AHA.
The campaign delivered exceptional results: Units increased 2% year over year, reversing a 10% decline from the prior year. Kroger increased share of wallet by 2.2 points and brought in 21% new or lapsed buyers to the produce department, including the 9% who were first-time avocado purchasers at Kroger.
