News Briefs

PetSmart is luring shoppers to stores by offering pet parents a festive photo opportunity for their dog or cat with Santa Claus this holiday season as well as extra incentives for participating loyalty members.

The “Paws & Claus” photo event will take place Dec. 16-17 at all stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. According to a dedicated web page promoting the event, reservations are recommended and will take priority, though walk-ins will be accepted, time-permitting. Appointments are open now for all locations via the retailer’s website. 

Photos can be taken on personal devices as well as using the on-site store device, which will deliver the image via the email provided. 

PetSmart Treats Rewards members (excluding walk-ins) can earn three times the points for purchases made on the day of their appointment by using their Treats Rewards email to check in to the event. 

Rewards members who make a photo appointment will also receive a special code for one free 19-page (8.5 inches × 8.5 inches) hardcover photo book from Mixbook (valued at $37.99 in the U.S. and $46.99 in Canada). The offer expires Dec. 31. 

In addition, PetSmart is also offering participants $10 off one in-store purchase of $20 or more Dec. 16-17 if they use Afterpay. To redeem, shoppers will have to activate the offer in their Afterpay Wallet using promo code “PETSMARTSANTA10” before making their in-store purchase. 

Zitcha and Broadsign have teamed up to integrate the Broadsign out-of-home (OOH) programmatic advertising platform with Zitcha’s retail media platform. 

The collaboration was forged to help retailers “maximize and monetize” in-store digital display networks and enable advertising partners to view and book available in-store inventory and review campaign performance alongside the retailer’s other media channels, according to a media release.

The companies say the combination of technologies enable a retailer and its advertising partners to develop more holistic on- and off-site marketing strategies and leverage the retailer’s first-party data for more effective customer targeting and attribution reporting. 

The integration arrives as 80% of shopping still happens in-store, according to research from the National Retail Federation (NRF). And, U.S. retail media spending is on the rise — with projections for it to increase from $31 billion in 2021 to $61 billion by 2024, according to eMarketer.

[Read: Marketers More Enthusiastic About Retail Media, Report Finds]

“The potential of in-store retail media is huge and yet still relatively underutilized by retailers and brand advertisers,” Troy Townsend, CEO, Zitcha, said in the release. “We think the ability to run in-store screens and report on transactions, similar to other marketing channels, is going to be a game changer for brands looking at how they spend their OOH budgets.”

“Out-of-home and retail media are colliding, and we’re thrilled to be working with Zitcha to break down barriers to a more holistic retail media advertising experience,” added Adam Green, Broadsign senior vice president of strategy. “Our joint efforts will help retailers and advertisers reap the benefits of omnichannel advertising across retail media network inventory, including in-store displays. The new integration will allow them to reach audiences on the path to and now also at the point of purchase, while simultaneously providing a simpler way for retailers to monetize their in-store display networks.”

Broadsign works with retail giants globally — including Auchan, Ahold Delhaize, Coles and Woolworths — to scale, manage and sell digital and static OOH inventory through automated software, intelligent campaign tools, network operations and programmatic advertising.

Zitcha brings together a retailer’s onsite, offsite and in-store media assets to create a scalable omnichannel retail media platform for brands. The platform combines data-driven campaigns with reporting and walled gardens.

Boston-based Breaktime Media has brought on three new team members with deep experience in the industry.

Brad Godwin joins the company as SVP of sales, partnerships and client evangelist. He is focused on helping brands and their agency partners win at retail.

Godwin has more than a decade of agency experience. He recently completed a six-year tenure at Shopkick, where he last served as SVP, head of CPG/retail partnerships.

Adam Gottsch has also headed from Shopkick to Breaktime to become its newest sales director. His previous role was VP, brand and retail partnerships. Before that, Gottsch held senior positions at eBay Ads and Triad Retail Media.

Rounding out the hires is Carly Michaels, who is now Breaktime’s senior project management lead. She worked at Quotient Technology for seven years in various roles, including project management office manager, senior media project manager and senior media sales planner.

Breaktime continues to add experience to its teams following the hiring of Jake Morrisroe this summer as director of promotions.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has named the recipients of its 2023 Geo and Global AWS Partner Awards. The cloud computing company’s annual program recognizes members of its AWS Partner Network (APN) from around the world that play key roles in helping customers drive innovation and build solutions on AWS.

LiveRamp, a data collaboration platform, was one of the companies recognized this year during Amazon’s Partner Awards Gala at AWS re:Invent event taking place Nov. 27-Dec. 1 in Las Vegas. The recipient companies were recognized for having business models that embraced specialization, innovation and cooperation over the past year and continue to evolve and thrive on AWS, according to a media release from LiveRamp.

LiveRamp received Global Industry Partner of the Year in Advertising and Marketing, which recognizes top AWS Partners who collaborate alongside top brands, media publishers, agencies and technology companies.

Advertisers, marketers, publishers, media companies and platforms use LiveRamp’s embedded solutions on AWS to amplify the value of their first-party data and enhance their data infrastructure in the cloud. LiveRamp says its technology allows these companies and their data teams to build an enterprise identity foundation, engage in privacy-centric data collaboration and enhance activation, media measurement and ecosystem connectivity within their cloud environment.

“We are deeply honored by this recognition from AWS,” Noel McMichael, vice president of commercial cloud at LiveRamp, said in the release. “It reflects the caliber of our team, strength of our collaboration with AWS, and exceptional value we are delivering to our joint customers.”

The APN is a global program focused on helping companies build successful AWS-based businesses or solutions by providing business, technical, marketing and go-to-market support. The APN includes independent software vendors (ISVs) and systems integrators (SIs) around the world, with AWS Partner participation growing significantly during the past 12 months, per the release.

A panel of AWS experts selected the winners based on strict criteria with third-party audit conducted by Canalys, and selected with a special emphasis placed on customer success use cases presented in the nomination form, according to AWS.

LiveRamp is an AWS APN Partner and an AWS Clean Rooms Partner.

See the full list of honorees here. 

Music, media and advertising technology company Stingray has launched 18 new audio and video channels on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s free ad-supported streaming TV and advertising-based video on-demand (AVOD) service. These channels are now live and available to users in the U.S. on Samsung Smart TVs, Galaxy devices, Smart Monitors, Family Hub refrigerators and on the web.

The new audio channels on Samsung TV Plus cater to a broad spectrum of musical tastes and genres, such as Hot Country, Remember the 80’s, Nothin’ But 90’s, Flashback 70’s, Smooth Jazz, Easy Listening, The Spa, Today’s K-Pop, Today’s Latin Pop, Romance Latino, Classic Rock, Hip-Hop and Greatest Hits, according to a media release.

[Also Read: Stingray Grows Streaming Partnership with TCL in U.S., Canada]

Stingray also launched video channels on Samsung TV Plus. These are available on both FAST channels (i.e., free connected TV streaming services like Samsung TV Plus, Roku and YouTube) and as collections via AVOD. These include:

• Stingray Holidayscapes offer themed holiday backdrops set to uplifting season-based music.

• ZenLIFE by Stingray promotes daily wellness with guided meditation, tranquil sounds and easy-listening music.

• Qello Concerts by Stingray presents full-length concert films and documentaries about popular artists.

• Stingray DJAZZ offers jazz concerts, films and documentaries from top venues and festivals.

• Stingray Classica highlights classical music concerts and ballets from venues around the world.

"We are incredibly excited to join forces with Samsung TV Plus, a leading FAST service with unparalleled reach in delivering free premium entertainment, to showcase our diverse portfolio of audio and video channels," Jim Riley, president, U.S. division at Stingray, said in the release. "This collaboration underscores the appeal of high-quality music experiences and significantly broadens our audience to millions of Samsung TV Plus users across the U.S."

Insticator, a provider of advanced engagement solutions for publishers, has launched its services in Australia following its acquisition of Australian managed-service media solutions provider Balihoo earlier this year.

Founded in 2009, Balihoo provides multi-location marketing and digital advertising solutions to online publishers and ad buyers.

The acquisition helped bring Insticator’s expansion in connected TV (CTV, also known as BVOD – broadcaster video on demand – in Australia) and advertiser solutions to fruition by connecting Insticator's publisher clients directly with demand from top franchisors and multi-location clients in the U.S. and North America, according to a media release.

This combined company, now rebranded as Insticator Australia, partners with the region's independent media agencies to deliver ROAS for end clients. Insticator Australia's CTV Attribution Dashboard addresses challenges facing the CTV industry today by providing clients access to real performance metrics, according to the release.

The merger also positions Insticator to bridge the gap between supply and demand. Insticator says these demand-side acquisitions empower the company to offer comprehensive solutions across CTV monetization, content engagement, commenting, video on demand, display advertising and website monetization.

In addition to enhanced digital media solutions, the acquisition also onboarded Balihoo’s team of media experts that help clients navigate the complexities of the rapidly evolving CTV marketplace.

"The opportunities from bringing together demand-side CTV innovators with our leading CTV publisher capabilities are limitless," Insticator CEO and founder Zack Dugow said in the release.

CTV/BVOD enables advertisers to place their messaging in premium content through streaming apps. This industry has experienced significant growth in recent years as more consumers "cut the cord" with linear television and consume content exclusively through streaming.