ADVERTISING

There’s an Ad for That

Advertising can get pretty niche. For instance, here’s an entire agency dedicated to helping supermarkets transition from print to digital marketing.

There’s also IndoorMedia, a company that helps small businesses advertise within their local grocery store, whether at the checkout stand or on grocery dividers. One of its divisions, Cartvertising, focuses specifically on shopping cart ads.

Rebeka Kasle, a sales rep for Cartvertising, talked to Marketing Brew about the virtues of advertising on the mighty shopping cart, as well as why she thinks (aside from it being her job) it’s a worthy investment for local business owners.

Ads in the aisle

Cartvertising has contracts with chains like Kroger, which utilize their carts as out-of-home ad space. For Kasle, who lives and works in Tucson, AZ, her job involves identifying local businesses that might be interested in running an ad campaign in their nearest grocery store(s).

Kasle said insurance agents, loan officers, and realtors are some of Cartvertising’s most popular customers, as they want locals to know who they are and what they offer.

• When it comes to ad space on the cart, there are options: the baby seat, behind it, or on the “nose” (aka front) of the cart. Or all three.
• Companies can also choose how many carts they’d like to place ads on per store. According to Kasle, a store typically carries anywhere between 100 and 500 carts. Her clients must buy at least 25% of the fleet. 
• As far as pricing goes, Kasle said a campaign that runs on 50% of a store’s carts for one year can cost around $5,000. And Cartvertising handles the creative elements as part of the deal. 

But does it work?

Let’s face it: The idea of advertising on a grocery cart sounds quaint in 2021, especially as digital media continues its rise. 

Biased as she may be, Kasle argues that it’s effective. She points to the fact that people make regular trips to the grocery store, sometimes more than once a week. In other words, the repeated exposure gets in shoppers’ heads. 

• “When you see that realtor’s face every time you go to the grocery store, you start to feel like you know her,” Kasle said.
• Even so, Kasle admits that it takes time for these campaigns to work; she said many clients report noticing zero changes after a year’s worth of ads. The key is renewing campaigns year after year to “build the momentum” over time.

Looking ahead: Kasle said she’s not worried about the growth of online grocery shopping as a threat to Cartvertising’s business. A recent eMarketer study found that online grocery sales in the US made up just 7.4% of all grocery purchases in 2020.

“There’ll always be people who want to do online shopping—it's so easy. But there's always going to be enough people that will go to the grocery store,” she concluded. — MS

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UPFRONTS

Broadcasters to Nielsen: Get Checked

Just weeks before this year’s upfronts, broadcasters are getting . NBCU announced this morning that it has hired Kelly Abcarian, a former Nielsen exec, to help measure its ad reach and effectiveness.

This comes as tensions between networks and Nielsen have gone from a simmer to a boil. The Video Advertising Bureau (VAB), a broadcast trade group representing the likes of NBC, CBS, and Disney, sent a letter last week to Nielsen’s CEO urging the measurement firm to undergo an audit. 

The beef? VAB doesn’t trust the data Nielsen collected over the course of the pandemic. 

• “The networks allege Nielsen let its system, which is the bedrock of advertising deals for TV programs, degrade as the nation went into lockdown, and undercounted TV viewership,” reported Variety. 

 Nielsen says its data is still legit, but the VAB isn’t convinced. 

Nielsen says nah

More drama: Nielsen rejected the VAB’s audit request, blaming a change in customer habits for falling viewership. It also pointed out that it already undergoes an annual audit from the Media Rating Council.

Barry Lowenthal, CEO at ad planning and buying agency Media Kitchen, told Marketing Brew that this “tit for tat has been going on for decades. The broadcasters can’t do anything, [and] the advertisers can’t do anything if they want to know what Nielsen has to say about the size of their audience. They don’t have a choice.”

Zoom out: As TV ratings continue to slip, every eyeball is precious. Any discrepancy could have ripple effects as media buyers jockey for the best terms during the upfronts. — RB

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INTERNSHIP GUIDE

All About Networking

Last year, many students struggled to keep or find marketing internships in an industry that, at the time, was dealing with pandemic-related layoffs and other stressors. While some companies cobbled together virtual internships, others canceled theirs altogether.

But this year is shaping up to be better. “Fortunately, the labor market is seeing signs of recovery, presenting opportunities for workers early in their careers to not only find internships at top companies but also earn a hefty paycheck,” Amanda Stansell, Glassdoor economic data scientist, said in a recent report from the company.

If you’re still looking for an internship, we’ve got your back. The first chapter of Marketing Brew’s four-part internship guide came out today...and it’s all about networking. 

In it, find tips on:

• How to connect with the right people
• Ways to get noticed before you even apply
• Resources that can help you find an internship

Read chapter one here. Next week, we’ll look at putting together an eye-catching resume and cover letter. — MS

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• McDonald’s is bringing on the mega-famous K-pop band BTS for its next Famous Orders campaign. It includes McNuggets, fries, a drink, and Korean-inspired sauces.
• Nike and the estate of Kobe Bryant have ended their 18-year relationship.
• Denny’s picks Anomaly as its next creative agency, midway through a brand overhaul.
• Procter & Gamble will raise prices on baby care and toiletry products, citing inflation. 

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FRENCH PRESS

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren't those.

B2B: Maybe we're not so different? Here are five lessons B2B marketers can learn from their consumer-facing peers.

Hear it: Why active listening is the most important skill you’ll need when you’re working from home.

WFH: You can still take the team out! Here’s how to host a virtual offsite in a remote world.

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JOB POSTING

For everyone who’s been asking us to add a job board to Marketing Brew, we have a job posting just for you. It’s for a Senior Associate for Integrated Marketing and Content Strategy at...drumroll please...Morning Brew.

See the full job description here. All Marketing Brew readers are encouraged to apply. For whatever reason, the JD doesn’t mention the number one perk of the role—that you’d get Ryan and me as coworkers—but we’ll let it slide.

ICYMI

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• How brands are prepping for Earth Day
• How Crunch is getting Americans back in the gym
• United takes a swipe at Southwest in new regional campaign

SPONSORED BY TUBI

FREEEDDDOOOMMM (from subscriptions). Tubi is the free streaming service that lets you break free from subscriptions and access thousands of movies and TV shows. You can still watch all your favorite stuff, but you pay nothing. Blockbuster movies. Nostalgic favorites. Binge-worthy reality shows. Black cinema. LGBTQ films. FOR FREE. Download Tubi now.