News Briefs

Love’s Travel Stops has named Dallas-based TRG (formerly The Richards Group) as its strategic agency of record for creative, media and brand strategy, beginning in January 2026. 

It’s the latest step in the convenience retailer’s broader effort to elevate its brand, unify its marketing approach and accelerate customer acquisition and retention initiatives.

The move follows a year of increased marketing investment for Love’s. In May, the company hired its first-ever chief marketing officer, former Walgreens SVP and CMO Patrick McLean. In October, it launched Love’s Media Group, a retailer media network designed to reach professional truck drivers and highway travelers more targeted, relevant advertising experiences. The addition of a full-service strategic agency of record is the latest signal that the company is building a more cohesive, growth-focused marketing engine.

McLean said the selection of TRG followed a competitive agency search that began in summer 2025 and was managed by Joanne Davis Consulting. Love’s previously relied on smaller agencies for project-based work, making this its first formal strategic agency partnership.

“Love’s looks forward to working with TRG to support our journey to build a marketing growth engine and evolve our already great brand into an iconic one that is virtually synonymous with the travel stop category,” McLean said in the company’s announcement. He added that TRG stood out for its strategic insights into the Love’s brand and customer base, noting the agency’s long track record helping build well-known American brands, including Chick-fil-A, Ram, Charles Schwab and The Home Depot.

The TRG appointment comes as Love’s works to modernize the customer experience across its more than 660 travel stops in 42 states. The retailer has signaled plans to more tightly integrate brand building, store experience improvements and data-driven media as it looks to strengthen loyalty.

Love’s, founded in 1964 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, operates travel stops and convenience stores, as well as fuel, trucking and mobility services across North America and Europe. 

Amazon Ads has expanded access to its Omnichannel Metrics (OCM) solution, allowing advertisers across additional categories — including consumer electronics, fashion, home goods and furniture, home improvement, and toys and games — to measure the offline sales impact of their Amazon DSP campaigns.

Previously available to a smaller set of verticals (primarily grocery categories), OCM now gives both managed and self-service advertisers the ability to evaluate how display, audio and video ads across Amazon and the open internet influence purchases both on and off the Amazon store.

OCM leverages Amazon’s first-party Shopper Panel data alongside third-party purchase signals to connect ad exposure with offline transactions — tracking how ads influence buying both on and off Amazon.

According to an Amazon Ads launch announcement via its website, this holistic approach helps advertisers better understand total sales impact and optimize media strategies across the full funnel.

By automating the study creation process, OCM removes a key barrier that previously made omnichannel measurement time-consuming or limited to larger campaigns. The update makes it easier for brands to routinely track how Amazon Ads contribute to total sales — not just online conversions — and refine investment decisions accordingly.

The expanded feature is currently available in the U.S. to eligible advertisers using Amazon DSP.

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.