Instacart Brings Novel Advertising Solutions to CPG Brands
Instacart is expanding its advertising product suite with the introduction of shoppable video ads and enhanced shoppable display ads. With the new services, CPG brands will have the ability to storytell, engage and drive sales in a more immersive way.
According to Instacart, advertisers can now promote targeted content to consumers as they shop from various retailers. Companies including Dove, Mondelēz International, PepsiCo and S.Pellegrino are piloting the new products.
"Advertisers choose Instacart because we've built a platform with high-intent consumers, unparalleled scale of retailers, and closed-looped measurement, all of which drives meaningful results for our brand partners," said Ali Miller, VP of ads product at San Francisco-based Instacart. "We designed our new shoppable ad products to create more brand storytelling opportunities for CPGs, help them inspire and reach new and existing consumers, and ultimately drive sales in a singular unit.
“We see that these kinds of shoppable rich media experiences resonate with consumers as well, as we're bringing more discovery and inspiration to the online shopping experience,” Miller continued. “We're grateful to work with brand partners who have been excited to innovate with us and incubate these formats along the way to drive maximum impact."
The new shoppable video ads will allow brands to combine storytelling capabilities with an in-line set of shoppable products, giving them the ability to fuel brand affinity through stories, motion and audio. Instacart will work with its CPG pilot partners to determine best practices.
As for the new shoppable display product, Instacart is creating virtual pop-up shops that are directed at the right customer at the right time. The format includes brand imagery and direct add-to-cart functionality, and brands can pin a bundle of items to help drive complementary purchases and drive routine purchases.
More than 40 CPG brands have worked with the product, including Dove, which used it for its "Nourish Your Beauty" campaign.
"Across all our Dove campaigns, we tell real, thoughtful stories of beauty as a source of confidence, not anxiety, that our audience can authentically connect with and that inspire the next generation," said Leslie Miller, marketing director for Dove, a brand under London-based Unilever. "At the same time, we are constantly looking for innovative platforms to engage with our audience. Working with Instacart Ads has enabled us to try new tools that do just that. Testing Instacart's new shoppable display and shoppable video ads have equipped us to inspire even more people with our brand storytelling and seamlessly drive purchases as they shop on Instacart."
Several PepsiCo brands have also used the platform, said Emily Frankel, SVP and e-commerce marketing head at Purchase, New York-based PepsiCo.
"Partnering with Instacart helps us stay ahead of the curve when it comes to inspiring and engaging consumers along their shopping journey," Frankel said. "Multiple PepsiCo brands have joined the Instacart video and display pilots to test and learn. Shoppable display has proven to be an effective way to drive first-time purchase of our products via the Instacart platform, and while we're just getting started with shoppable video, we look forward to continuing our work to give consumers a compelling omnichannel experience."
