Giant Eagle Launches Retailer Media Network
Regional grocer Giant Eagle has entered the retail media fray with the formal launch of Leap Media Group.
The internally developed retailer media network taps into Giant Eagle’s myPerks loyalty program and engagement with roughly 4 million households, according to a media release.
Leap with myPerks enables brands to serve up personalized experiences during shoppers’ key decision-making moments by leveraging loyalty data and insights from all of the regional grocer’s banners (Giant Eagle, Market District and GetGo Cafe + Market).
Based on insights about this audience, which also includes a general reachable audience of 14 million consumers, brands can connect with consumers through an omnichannel experience that spans online properties, apps and more than 470 stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana as well as external properties, according to the release.
Leap aims to provide a one-stop shop for engagement in a “privacy-conscious” way. The network’s solutions span in-store, out-of-home, social, influencer content, traditional and connected TV, as well as other touchpoints. It allows brands to place their messages in the high-impact locations and add personalization, create seasonal programs and measure impact, all while leveraging Giant Eagle’s portfolio of supermarket, pharmacy and convenience store shopping experiences.
“While we’ve long been a pioneer in customer loyalty, and have cultivated relationships with three generations of shoppers, today’s consumer is searching for the best products in new ways,” Damian Scott, executive vice president of retail media and front-end digital, said in the release. “Brands have recognized this, too, and are shifting their media spend away from traditional platforms to retail networks since they provide more measurable and addressable results. … Our hybrid model allows engagement to occur across any of our owned omnichannel properties, online or offline.”
Leap has already attracted big brand partners including Nestle, Coca-Cola, General Mills and Mondelez International.
“The Giant Eagle partnership marketing team and Mondelez sales, digital and shopper teams have established a best-in-class test/learn and apply partnership during the past two years,” according to a Mondelez statement in the release. “This collaborative approach has resulted in the creation of strong omni experiences while continuing to optimize to increase engagement, drive conversion and build a solid measurement plan.”
“What we’ve done over the years is begun consolidating all the different marketing agencies,” Scott said in P2PI’s June 6 Retail Intel webinar on grocery trends and tactics. “We used to use quite a few external agencies and we saw our data start to get a little fragmented. How we engage our customers and even planning campaigns became very difficult with so many different agencies.”
Scott added that Giant, over the last few years, has been restructuring and building an internal agency supporting its business and strategy teams. Scott’s team today consists of both media buyers, media strategists and digital and technology members building the front-end offerings, not just onsite but also offsite.