Asda is to debut a new dedicated retail media unit in partnership with software company SMG.
The new offering, dubbed LS Eleven Media Services, will form a “fully integrated media services business”, having first been introduced to major suppliers earlier in the year.
The new initiative will use first-party customer data, offering brands a more “customer-centric media planning” for retail media campaigns and a “more connected omnichannel experience.”
The LS Eleven Media Services team consists of Asda VP of customer Matt McLellan, who previously worked at Tesco and Dunnhumby, alongside Jon Beill, also formerly of Dunnhumby, who joined as the unit’s chief growth officer in December.
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McLellan said: “We are proud of what we have achieved in Asda Media Partnerships over the last decade, but our partnership with SMG and the launch of LS Eleven Media Services is a step-change in our media offering for our brand partners,”
“Asda has a clear strategy for growth and the combination of our growing proposition across large stores, convenience and food partnerships, alongside our leading rewards programme, offers us an incredibly exciting opportunity to work with brands to deliver even more relevant campaigns for our customers.”
SMG CEO Sam Knights added: “The launch of LS Eleven Media Services comes at an exciting time in our journey with Asda.
“Asda’s strong brand partnerships and loyal customer base offers us the opportunity to develop a sophisticated, innovative retail media network at scale. Using Asda’s rich first-party data and our innovative Plan-Apps technology, brands will be able to connect with customers across every stage of the customer journey in a way that always puts the customer first.”
The new unit follows in the wake of the retailer first appointing SMG as its retail media partner in January, as it looked to expand its network across more UK stores.
