News Briefs

Peq, a provider of independent incrementality measurement and optimization across the commerce media ecosystem, has appointed Ben Flaccus as chief growth officer. 

In his role, Flaccus will lead efforts to expand adoption of Peq’s omnicommerce performance platform among marketers. He will also focus on growing strategic partnerships and leading initiatives to drive the company’s next phase of growth.

Flaccus previously served as managing director, commerce, at Perion and brings more than 20 years of experience helping brands implement marketing technologies and solutions that deliver measurable results. His background spans both multinational organizations and startups.

“Ben's experience connecting marketing strategy with measurable business outcomes will be instrumental in helping our clients unlock the full potential of the Peq platform,” Brian Pozesky, CEO of Peq, said in a media release. 

The Peq omnicommerce performance platform integrates sales and media data to provide a unified view of incremental performance across commerce channels. The platform helps marketers to quantify the impact of investments, compare performance and optimize campaign spend.

Chicory is extending its reach beyond the open web through partnerships with grocery and meal-planning apps, including MyFitnessPal, Listonic and OurGroceries. The move allows the commerce media platform to deliver more relevant advertising and media experiences that support consumer decision-making throughout the path to purchase.

“This additional premium inventory will unlock more opportunities for us to engage with the right shoppers at the right moment,” Nicole Schumacher, CMO of Pre Brands, said in a media release.

Chicory’s ad solutions now appear across more than 5,200 websites and food blogs, supported by more than 70 commerce integrations and six retail media network partnerships. The latest expansion aligns with growing consumer interest in healthy living, home cooking and meal planning.

"Today’s consumer journey doesn’t happen in just one channel; it happens everywhere," Yuni Baker-Saito, CEO of Chicory, said in the release. "Our expansion into apps is the natural next step in meeting consumers in an active mindset and in the moments that matter."

In May, Chicory partnered with Ahold Delhaize USA’s retail media arm, AD Retail Media, to enhance its off-site advertising capabilities. This allows CPG brands to reach shoppers at key moments, such as when creating shopping lists or viewing products online. 

In June, Chicory published its “Economic Sentiment Report,” which surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers and highlighted the growing influence of online recipe content on purchasing decisions and meal planning, especially amid current economic uncertainty and inflation. It also revealed that 46% of respondents cook at home more often, and 72% of Gen Z respondents use recipes to plan more affordable meals.

 “We're seeing recipe content boom in popularity, and it may come as a surprise to some brands and retailers just how much they guide purchases and shopping habits,” Baker-Saito added. The data also suggests increased promotional activity in the future, as brands see an opportunity to justify their value over lower-cost alternatives. 

Gopuff is the first retailer to make its on-site retail media inventory available programmatically through The Trade Desk, following a integration with Koddi’s commerce media platform. 

The move marks a step in connecting retail media with broader digital campaigns, allowing brands and agencies to buy on-site ad placements, such as sponsored product ads, directly through The Trade Desk platform.

The initiative is designed to streamline how advertisers plan and activate full-funnel campaigns, combining awareness, consideration and conversion tactics within a single platform. For retailers, it offers a different way to open up on-site inventory while maintaining control over data, targeting and measurement.

The Trade Desk said additional retailers and ad formats will be added in the months ahead.

“Retail media represents one of the fastest-growing areas of digital advertising, but access to on-site advertising placements has been limited and fragmented,” Matthew Fantazier, vice president of data partnerships at The Trade Desk, said in a media release. “This integration delivers a personalized shopping experience, enabling brands to seamlessly connect with consumers across their entire purchase journey.”

Through Koddi’s platform, retailers like Gopuff can make its on-site inventory available to programmatic buyers while continuing to manage transparency and performance controls. The integration also provides analytics that connect ad exposure to purchases, giving brands a clearer view of return on investment and shopper behavior.

Nicholas Ward, president and co-founder of Koddi, said the integration “boosts demand for our retail partners while simplifying fragmented buying experiences,” supporting broader adoption of retail media in programmatic strategies.

Research from Koddi shows that more than 95% of media buyers are open to purchasing on-site retail media programmatically. 

Mid-Atlantic grocer Weis Markets is turning to artificial intelligence to optimize promotions across its 200-store footprint and digital channels.

The retailer will deploy Cognira’s PromoAI platform to improve promotional planning, analysis, execution and measurement. The announcement follows an “in-depth” evaluation process, according to a media release.

For shopper marketers, the partnership illustrates how AI can support more efficient use of trade promotion budgets while informing promotional strategies. 

PromoAI uses AI-driven analytics to provide real-time insights into promotional performance, helping teams make smarter decisions and reduce inefficiencies. The platform is designed to enhance collaboration between merchandising, marketing and analytics teams, ensuring promotions are more targeted, effective and aligned with business objectives.

“We continue to focus on supporting our stores with efficient and impactful promotions,” Greg Zeh, chief information officer and senior vice president at Weis Markets, said in the release. “Our collaboration with Cognira will help us develop a unified platform to plan, manage and optimize promotions across our fresh and non-perishable departments.”

Founded in 1912, Weis Markets operates stores across Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia. Cognira is a provider of AI-powered promotion solutions that help retailers plan, manage and optimize campaigns.

DoorDash is expanding its retail media capabilities through a new multi-year partnership with Criteo.

The collaboration is designed to give brands and agencies greater access to DoorDash’s advertising platform across grocery, convenience, CPG and other non-restaurant retail categories.

Under the agreement, Criteo will serve as an extension of DoorDash’s U.S. ad sales team, helping to connect brand and agency demand with DoorDash’s suite of ad products. The two companies will also explore opportunities to integrate their advertising technologies over time, according to a media release.

Advertisers working with Criteo will gain access to a range of ad formats on DoorDash, including on-site video, display banners, sponsored product and sponsored brands, as well as off-site channels across display, video, search and social.

The partnership underscores DoorDash’s broader goal of building an ad platform that supports growth for a wide range of retail partners, not just restaurants. It also reflects the continued convergence of retail media and delivery marketplaces as consumers increasingly use these platforms for grocery and convenience purchases.

“We’re building an ad platform that lets every business grow on DoorDash and beyond,” John Roswech, head of business for Symbiosys (which DoorDash acquired in June), said in the release. “We chose Criteo for its strong brand and agency relationships across grocery, convenience and other retail categories. Together, we’re expanding opportunities for brands to engage our customers at relevant moments.”

“Delivery is the most important new path in the CPG consumer journey, and DoorDash has become a must-buy destination for convenience, grocery and alcohol brands,” added Stephen Howard-Sarin, managing director of retail media Americas at Criteo. “Our partnership will help advertisers reach consumers more effectively, drive measurable sales and defragment retail media buying between delivery marketplace and retailer sites.”

Market research firm Circana and Ibotta have unveiled a strategic partnership designed to give CPG brands a clearer view of the sales impact of Ibotta digital campaigns. The collaboration combines Circana’s Household Lift measurement and analytics capabilities with Ibotta’s item-level promotional campaigns to help brands evaluate incremental sales driven by digital offers.

The companies said initial proof-of-concept lift studies conducted under the partnership showed that Ibotta campaigns delivered incremental sales exceeding category benchmarks for other media investments, per a media release. By pairing Circana’s analytics with Ibotta’s targeted offers, brands can now assess immediate purchase behavior as well as longer-term effects of promotions.

“Our partnership demonstrates our commitment to bringing incremental measurement to all aspects of media and retail media,” Cara Pratt, president of global retail and media for Circana, said in the release.

Circana will apply its Household Lift solution to compare the purchase behavior of consumers exposed to Ibotta offers with those who were not, providing brands with insights to optimize campaign performance and investment decisions. The measurement will cover incremental sales beyond the promotional period, offering a more complete view of the impact of digital campaigns.

“This partnership marks a significant step forward in our mission to provide the CPG industry with its first full-service performance marketing platform,” added Bryan Leach, CEO of Ibotta. 

Circana’s Lift Studies for Ibotta campaigns are set to roll out in late 2025, with availability to all brands expected by early 2026. The partnership positions both companies to offer CPG brands more transparency and confidence in the effectiveness of digital promotions.