Gabby HouckHave you ever been shopping and felt compelled to buy something you had no intention of purchasing?
If you have, you most likely have a great in-store marketing campaign to thank for it. But that’s the beauty of in-store marketing, and brands should be taking advantage of it any way they can.
To truly enhance the in-store marketing experience, brands should consider Audio Out-of-Home (AOOH) technology.
At the Path to Purchase Live: Digital Experience in November, brands like Heineken discussed how adult beverage brands can benefit from partnering with retailers and use AOOH technology to increase activation at the point-of-purchase.
To better engage its customers, Heineken teamed up with Vibenomics, a location-based AOOH advertising and experience company.
“AOOH technology is a new form of advertising that plays premium music and programmatic advertisements in-store. It creates a unique opportunity for retailers to engage their consumers directly along the path to purchase, offering several benefits when deployed as part of a retail media strategy,” said Paul Brenner, CSO and president of AOOH at Vibenomics, in an email interview.
According to Brenner, in-store marketing influences 68% of consumers to switch to a different product or brand. The creative, strategic approach of AOOH messaging prompts consumers to leave their comfort zones and try new products. It can serve as an additional reminder for a forgotten item on a shopping list, further impacting sales.
René Robers, the senior manager, eCommerce at The HEINEKEN Company, explained in an email interview how Heineken incorporated AOOH technology into its marketing campaign.
“Heineken introduced Canijilla, a new line of alcoholic beverages inspired by classic Mexican flavors. We ran English and Spanish audio spots in-store across retailers, including Ralph’s and Food 4 Less in the designated Los Angeles market area,” Robers said.
Robers explained that the campaign was a success, and since completing it Heineken has ran additional AOOH advertising campaigns with Vibenomics.
Considering the Benefits
According to Robers, additional data found when running the campaign included:
- 71% of consumers say they frequently purchase adult beverages at a grocery store
- 32% of consumers say they have increased their purchase of adult beverages since the start of COVID-19
- 41% of consumers say that in-store ads (display and audio) are helpful when making purchase decisions
However, to support the launch of AOOH, Robers said it was essential to build connections with Heineken’s target customers as close to the point-of-purchase as possible because the hard seltzer category has exploded, and shoppers are often overwhelmed with options.
“As we built out our larger retail media plan surrounding the launch, we immediately recognized the significance and impact of audio within the retail environment. We needed Canijilla to be top-of-mind at the moment of truth when shoppers were making their final purchase decisions. Vibenomics worked with us to achieve our brand messaging and we quickly integrated impactful, shopper-influencing ads in-store. We have run multiple campaigns with Vibenomics and will continue to leverage the channel because of the highly targeted contextual relevance and ability to reach our consumers,” Robers said.
When asked if other brands should consider this technology, Robers gave her insight saying that as the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve and change, brands need to be more thoughtful about how they build connections with potential customers.
“Contextual targeting will become more critical as behavioral targeting tactics deal with the technology changes. We will continue to lean on audio ads in-store as a high-impact way to create awareness for new innovations while at the same time driving sales,” Robers said.
