Going ‘Beyond Allies’

BY KAREN JONES, NETWORK OF EXECUTIVE WOMEN

One of the most common things we hear at the Network of Executive Women (NEW), particularly from men, is that they just don’t know where to begin supporting women — or how to go about it in ways that really make a tangible di erence.

There’s always more to learn about allyship, and the conversation is changing all the time. What we do know is how important allies are to advancing women’s equity. Allies can become sponsors and mentors, and create change in policy and culture that have vast ripple e ects on the lives of working women. We developed our own allyship program, Beyond Allies, to meet this key need.

“Research reveals that men often struggle to recognize gender discrimination and harassment in real time,” noted Beyond Allies Facilitator Tom Foley. “While 77% of men report doing ‘everything they can’ to support gender equality at work, only 41% of women agree. … Men often remain on the sidelines rather than being true advocates and allies. Situational awareness is key, and demands training and preparedness.”

NEW piloted Beyond Allies in 2020 and early 2021 with 276 men and women of all seniority levels and across many organizations. To say it “hit the spot” for participants is an understatement. One VPlevel participant told us that it “gave [them] as a veteran leader the inspiration to coach and develop the next generation.” An HR partner stated that “the content and small group discussions were valuable in gaining insight into how I can e ectively be an ally. ... It also gave me great perspective on how my male colleagues could be thinking about allyship and how I can support them.”

Participants consistently mentioned how immediately actionable program content was — that they could take what they learned into the workplace and start making tangible change immediately. One manager stated that, immediately following the program, it “already has helped give me the language for a pay equity issue and [I am] looking forward to helping others in the future.”

Creating strong allies takes more than a single conversation. Our programming has been built to support men and women who want to do what they can at every step of their journey to taking real action. To build a network of strong allies at your organization, start with education, but make sure that education is backed up with real conversations and ongoing learning. One DEIB session won’t be enough to create momentum — it takes continuous pushing and learning, and a lifetime of listening.

For more information about NEW’s Beyond Allies program, keep an eye on NEWOnline.org/BeyondAllies for news on our next cohort, and follow us on social media: @newnational. IQ

Karen Jones has more than 15 years of experience in organization e ectiveness, leadership development, talent management, inclusion strategy design, and execution, change leadership and organizational process improvement. She serves as Head of Learning, Development, and DEI for the Network of Executive Women.

Retail innovation agency and provider of custom merchandising solutions, Outform, recently launched PodDrop, an in-store discovery experience that allows brands to dispense product samples and gather shopper data, even after they leave the store. The platform creates a digital trail for every sample and integrates shoppers’ in-store experiences with their unique data. After consumers obtain a sample, brands can retarget ads or engage these consumers with a higher level of authenticity and targeted accuracy.

PodDrop is a sleek, automated sample dispenser customizable to any type of brand and aesthetic. Shoppers simply scan a QR code depicted on the machine to share their contact information or their social media pro les. Information is veri ed to prevent one person from obtaining multiple sample giveaways. The machine then dispenses the product sample in a pod. Later, brands can retarget ads through the same precision as customer data acquired through online shopping.

Marketing services rm Merge acquired operations company Perkuto to expand its platform capabilities and o er more managed services. As a major investment in customer relationship management, marketing automation and marketing operations, this deal enhances Merge’s martech platforms o ering and ability to drive tra c and transactions for clients by orchestrating the rhythm of various platforms.

Based in Montreal, Perkuto helps enterprise and high-growth organizations, such as Facebook, Adobe, Sony Biotechnology and Siemens, expand marketing capacity, resolve integration challenges with Workato software and implement Marketo software-as-a-service best practices, so organizations can accelerate the value of marketing operations. The merger adds to Merge’s substantial growth, including its August acquisition of Blue Moon Digital.

Inmar Intelligence made a deal to acquire San Francisco-based digital marketing company Aki Technologies. The move will expand its retail media and personalized advertising capabilities for retailer and brand partners alike.

In light of the pandemic and other recent catalysts for improved customer-centricity, consumers increasingly expect “aboveand-beyond” convenience and relevance from retailers and brands they engage with. The booming retail media category boasts superior consumer data as one of its foundational advantages. However, according to Inmar, most o erings lack the technology required to create personalized experiences at scale, especially when it comes to digital engagements like paid media and o ers.

The consummation of this strategic acquisition will enhance Inmar Intelligence’s retail data media solution with the addition of Aki’s patented personalization technology, designed to use rich media to create more relevant experiences, including personalized contextual advertising, personalized virtual circulars featuring digital coupons and price promotions, and personalized o er-based advertising. More importantly, Inmar’s o erings will enable the real-time measurement of these tactics in terms of their impact on in-store and online sales. Aki holds four personalization technology patents and does not rely on personally identi able information. The company will arm Inmar with additional contextual advertising solutions for a privacy-compliant world.

As part of its omnichannel growth, The Giant Co., in partnership with on-demand grocery service Instacart, has launched “Instant Delivery,” providing shoppers with convenience delivery in as little as 30 minutes. Launched across Giant stores, the service is known as “Giant Instant Delivery” or “Martin’s Instant Delivery,” depending on the chain. Giant and Martin’s Instant Delivery join Instacart’s convenience hub, a new product feature aimed at streamlining the shopping experience. Approximately 20,000 items are available via Instant Delivery with a focus on convenience items, such as prepared foods, snacks, beverages, and other last-minute home items such as paper goods, cleaners and baby products.

Shoppers can place orders on respective dedicated chain shops within Instacart.com. In the coming months, shoppers will also be able to access convenience delivery via Giant or Martin’s Instant Delivery’s web and mobile platforms, both of which are powered by Instacart’s Enterprise services.

Since launching in August of 2020, media market platform Adsta has facilitated several successful campaigns with major CPGs. The joint venture from Webstop and ShoptoCook has partnered with brands such as Kraft Heinz, Quaker Oats, Kellogg’s General Mills, Clorox and Nestle.

The partners say they use Adsta to place their products in front of millions of shoppers from independent grocery stores and expand their reach outside of major retailer networks. Adsta has gained more than 200 million digital impressions. In the remaining months of 2021, its leaders plan to further advance integration with third parties to enhance ad o erings and continue its mission to connect the biggest CPG brands with more than 40 million shoppers.

Shopping list marketing and insights platform AdAdapted has launched AdAdapted Direct. It is an on-demand, self-managed advertising solution created to help CPG companies understand what drives consumer decisions at grocery stores.

AdAdapted Direct enables companies to develop creative ad types and choose targeting and track performance to take aim at current challenges marketers are facing, according to the company. This includes the availability of actual purchase results or self-serve ad options.

Brands can track campaign performance daily via the “intuitive” dashboard by seeing what else is on the list with their products while viewing alignment and the strength of relationships between any two products, brands, aisles or even the various departments.

AdAdapted Direct enables brands and retailers to reach veri ed shoppers to drive purchase intent and build awareness. It does this by serving targeted mobile ads to AdAdapted’s exclusive network of millions of shopping list app users, while they are actively building their grocery lists. The ads include a frictionless button that adds branded products to their list via AdAdapted’s Add-It technology. The solution is designed to get branded products onto shopping lists, referenced in stores and into consumers’ shopping carts without interrupting the user experience.

Data science technology company dunnhumby is expanding its partnership with Southeastern Grocers to power SEG Connects, the regional grocer’s retailer media network. SEG Connects, powered by dunnhumby, will help CPG companies connect with SEG’s Fresco y Mas, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie shoppers across channels.

By tapping into dunnhumby’s customer data science, SEG Connects aims to provide brand partners with data-driven shopper insights and the ability to understand marketing activity and sales attribution. Additionally, its closed-loop measurement performance system aims to drive return on advertising spend for long-term media buys.

First launched in 2019, SEG Connects has continued to grow and evolve each year, developing new capabilities across the customer journey. This augmented partnership with dunnhumby will enable SEG Connects to create “connected personalized marketing” solutions to help brands meet their objectives more “efficiently and effectively” through channels their shoppers respond to most, at the right time, with relevant offers to fit their needs, according to a release from dunnhumby.

Shopper insights will power the grocer’s media planning process to ensure the most is gained out of each campaign touchpoint.

NewsBreak Media Networks, a digital shopper marketing platform for the fuel and convenience channel, has rebranded to Shep Digital Solutions and launched a new website.

The name and branding change better represents the company’s expanded portfolio of customizable digital merchandising services for convenience stores and other retail businesses, the company said in a release. Evolving where NewsBreak started, Shep aims to o er a more comprehensive eet of digital shopper marketing solutions. Shep new website highlights the company’s core services, including point-of-purchase marketing automation and content procurement and production. Shep automates the media process and integrates it into the overall shopper marketing strategy with targeted messaging. IQ

Kimberly-Clark, Irving, Texas Doug Cunningham, managing director of Kimberly-Clark Australia and New Zealand, was promoted to president of its Europe, Middle East and Africa consumer business. He is responsible for one of the company’s most dynamic and diverse regions, serving consumers in 120 countries with iconic brands across developed, developing and emerging markets. Cunningham joined the company in 2019.

Cunningham’s increased role comes after a series of other key executive appointments earlier in the year, which included its first chief R&D officer. He will report to CEO Mike Hsu.

Ahold Delhaize USA, New York Dave Bass was named managing director of FreshDirect. He succeeds Farhan Siddiqi, Ahold Delhaize’s chief digital o cer, who served as interim CEO since May. Bass is tasked with continuing to drive FreshDirect’s growth as a key pillar of the retailer’s omnichannel strategy. He recently led omnichannel merchandising support for the company’s Peapod Digital Labs division.

Walmart, Bentonville, Arkansas CFO Chris Nicholas was promoted to COO. He is responsible for all aspects of Walmart’s U.S. store operations and supply chain. This includes strategy, innovation, automation, store operations, distribution center and ful llment center operations, last-mile delivery capability and real estate. Nicholas has more than 20 years of broad retail experience working in nine countries and serving in leadership roles with companies such as Tesco, The Salling Group and the Coles Group.

Whole Foods, Austin, Texas COO Jason Buechel will succeed John Mackey as CEO once the co-founder retires in September 2022. Buechel joined Whole Foods in 2013 as global VP and chief information o cer and was promoted in 2015 to EVP before being named COO in 2019. While being responsible for the operations of all Whole Foods stores and facilities, Buechel also currently oversees technology, supply chain and distribution, and team member services.

Catalina, St. Petersburg, Florida Stacey Hawes was hired as U.S. chief revenue officer of direct and channel sales. Hawes served as president of data practice at Epsilon for the last five years, during which time her team drove significant revenue growth for current and new digital product lines. She spearheaded the practice’s digital transformation, creating new marketing touchpoints, deploying new AI and machine learning algorithms, and establishing strong market distinctions for Epsilon’s data solutions. Hawes will report to Kevin Hunter, CCO and head of innovation. IQ

1010data .................................................21 3M .............................................................32 7-Eleven .................................................10 84.51 .........................................................22 AB InBev ................................... 28-29, 31 Acorn ................................................17, 42 AdAdapted.............................................40 Adsta ........................................................40 Ahold Delhaize USA............................39 Aki Technologies ..................................39 Albertsons Cos. ...................... 28-29, 32 Amazon ...........................................21, 33 AnyRoad ................................................12 Avocados From Mexico ....................10 Badger Technologies ..........................34 Bardstown Bourbon Co. ....................28 Binny’s Beverage Depot ....................31 Boston Beer Co. ....................................31 Breaktime Media .................................17 Cardinal iOS ...........................................33 Chandon .................................................29 Chewy ......................................................21 Circle K .....................................................29 Coca-Cola Co., The .......................14, 31 CoolHaus ................................................37 Danone North America ..............16, 42 Diageo ....................................................31 DoubleVerify ........................................13 dunnhumby ..........................................40 E. & J. Gallo Winery .......................28, 31 Ferrero USA ............................................13 Fifth Generation ...................................29 Firework ..................................................32 FlytBase ...................................................34 Food Lion ...............................................10 Foresight ROI ........................................13 Form .........................................................34 Foxtrot ....................................................35 GE Lighting ...........................................13 GSK Consumer Healthcare ..............13 GroundTruth ........................................12 Harvest Market .............................. 28-29 Hugs CBD ...............................................36 Ibotta ......................................................14 Inmar Intelligence ...............................39 Instacart ..................................................39 IRI .......................................................14, 20 Jackman ..................................................20 Jeni’s .........................................................37 Johnsonville Sausage ........................10 Kroger .......................................16, 27, 31 La Marc ....................................................29 Lieutenant Blender’s Cocktails in a Bag .................................................31 Marpipe ...................................................32 Mars Agency, The ..........................8, 12 Mars Petcare .........................................19 Meijer .......................................................31 Merge .......................................................39 Michaels .................................................12 Molson Coors ........................................29 Mondelez International ....................17 Mosaic ....................................................14 Not Pot ....................................................36 Outform ..................................................39 Oveit .........................................................33 Perkuto ....................................................39 Petco ........................................................20 Procter & Gamble ................................27 Proximo Spirits .....................................29 Puppy .......................................................33 Recess ......................................................36 Reebok ....................................................32 RobotLAB ..............................................34 Roundel ..................................................17 Sam’s Club ..............................................31 Schnuck Markets ..........................31, 34 ShelfWise ................................................34 Shep Digital Solutions (formerly NewsBreak) .....................40 Southeastern Grocers ........................40 Stillwater Brands ..................................36 Target .................................17, 20, 29, 42 TPN ..........................................................42 Valassis ....................................................14 VMLY&R Commerce ....................14, 17 Walgreens...............................................29 Yes Way Rose .........................................29 Zebit .........................................................33