Albertsons pilots dynamic ads across Facebook and Instagram

July 12, 2023

As featured on Chain Store Age

Albertsons Companies is shaking up its digital circular. The grocery giant is partnering with Meta and digital marketing platform Kargo to pilot the replacement of traditional digital circular ads with dynamic ad campaigns run across Facebook and Instagram.

In a LinkedIn post, Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media arm initially launched by the grocer to deliver branded ad content to its shoppers in November 2021, said its main goal for the pilot is to meet more consumers where they are. The interactive digital experience allows shoppers to clip offers and add products from their local store to their shopping list.

“We are merging product and promotional data to enable advanced targeting, actionable content and measurable performance,” Albertsons Media Collective said in the post. In the future, the grocer plans to roll out the ad campaigns to display and connected TV formats, as well as perform dynamic localization and personalization to better engage shoppers and drive sales.

"We’ve evolved the weekly ad to an interactive and individually personalized digital experience that connects shoppers to their local store and shows localized offers," Mike Shaughnessy, COO, Kargo, said in emailed commentary to Chain Store Age. "With this innovation, Albertsons is driving the future of the circular and engaging online and in-store audiences by combining commerce and advertising.”

Since that time, Albertsons Media Collective has begun collaborating with marketplace advertising platform Pacvue and with global advertising technology platform The Trade Desk. More recently, Albertsons shared a preliminary framework to standardize specifications, methodologies, terminology and disclosures across retail media networks.

Albertsons Media Collective is designed to open up native display and sponsored product inventory throughout the company’s websites. Media opportunities on the platform include advertising placements on Albertsons-owned properties such as its homepage, department, category, sub-category, email, search, app, and pharmacy, as well as on Albertsons’ off-site targeted ad placements.

Brand campaigns provide CPG advertising partners with access to positions across Albertsons Companies’ websites and apps. Total audience includes over 100 million consumers across the country, including more than 2,200 store locations and over 27 million members of the company’s Just for U loyalty program.

As of Dec. 3, 2022, Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos. operated 2,270 retail food and drug stores with 1,720 pharmacies, 402 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers, and 19 manufacturing facilities. The company operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia with 24 banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets, and Balducci's Food Lovers Market.