Travel Hub Retail Media with WHSmith North America Media Network's Allison O'Keefe

Summary

Podcast Summary: Travel Hub Retail Media with WHSmith North America Media Network's Allison O'Keefe

Podcast Information:

• Title: The CPG Guys
• Hosts: Peter V.S. Bond & Sri Rajagopalan
• Episode: Travel Hub Retail Media with WHSmith North America Media Network's Allison O'Keefe
• Release Date: May 10, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The CPG Guys, hosts Peter V.S. Bond and Sri Rajagopalan delve into the evolving landscape of retail media within travel hubs. The spotlight is on Allison O'Keefe, Partnership Director for WHSmith North America Media Network, who discusses the launch and strategic vision of WHSmith's new media network in partnership with SMG.

Overview of WHSmith North America Media Network

Allison O'Keefe introduces WHSmith Media as "the first ever in-store travel retail media network that connects brands with their customers and travel hubs across North America" [04:52]. Leveraging over 350 WHSmith stores located in airports, rail stations, and resorts, the network aims to engage the 900 million travelers passing through these venues annually.

Key Points:

• In-Store First Approach: Focuses on physical retail spaces to create meaningful brand experiences.
• Partnership with SMG: Utilizes SMG's expertise in running profitable commerce media networks, bringing over 16 years of industry knowledge.

Challenges in Engaging Consumers in Travel Hubs

Allison highlights the primary challenge brands face in travel hubs: cutting through the clutter of competing advertisements and distractions. With numerous screens and marketing messages vying for travelers' attention, standing out is difficult.

"The big challenge for brands is going to be just how much, how many different things are kind of vying for customers' attention in airports." [06:46]

Solution: WHSmith Media employs a cohesive omnichannel strategy that spans the entire travel experience—from trip planning to in-store interactions—ensuring brands can effectively reach consumers at multiple touchpoints.

Role of Physical Retail in a Digitally Driven Landscape

Peter asks about the evolution of physical retail amidst digital advertising's rise. Allison responds by emphasizing the enduring significance of in-store purchases.

"Over 90% of purchases are still happening in store." [07:43]

Insights:

• Integration of In-Store and Digital: While digital media dominates, physical retail remains crucial for actual sales.
• Future Trends: Larger retail media networks are beginning to incorporate the in-store landscape, a transition that's complex but necessary for comprehensive consumer engagement.

Partnership with SMG

Allison explains why WHSmith chose to partner with SMG, noting SMG's strong background in in-store retail media networks, particularly in the UK and Europe.

"They just bring a wealth of knowledge when it comes to that space that they're able to translate into, you know, really exciting and fast-paced entrance into the market for WHSmith." [08:46]

Advantages:

• Expertise: SMG's proven track record in retail media networks enhances WHSmith's capabilities.
• Market Entry: SMG's experience facilitates a smooth and effective launch of WHSmith's media network in North America.

Differentiation of WHSmith's Media Network

When asked how WHSmith differentiates its media network from others in the travel space, Allison points to WHSmith's extensive in-store footprint and multi-touchpoint approach.

"WH Smith really has that broad in-store footprint that we're really able to leverage for all of our brands." [09:49]

Unique Selling Propositions:

• Comprehensive Reach: Access to a wide range of touchpoints, from airport terminals to in-flight spaces.
• Diverse Partnerships: Opportunity to collaborate with various partners beyond traditional competitors, enhancing brand visibility and consumer engagement.

Core Solutions for Brands

Allison outlines the diverse range of solutions WHSmith Media offers to brands aiming to engage travelers:

• Storefront Signage & Digital Screens
• Shelf and Point-of-Purchase Displays
• Experiential Parks: Large spaces within airports where brands can create immersive experiences.
• Digital Out-of-Home Screens: Partnering with third parties to maximize digital advertising reach.

"Where really the sky's the limit on how we kind of make your brand come to life in these spaces." [11:03]

Highlights:

• Versatility: A wide array of advertising formats tailored to different brand needs.
• Experiential Marketing: Emphasis on creating memorable, interactive experiences that resonate with travelers.

Types of Successful Brand Advertisers

Allison notes that while endemic brands (those sold in WHSmith stores) perform exceptionally well, there is significant potential for non-endemic advertisers to benefit from the network.

"It's not all about endemic advertising brands that you're selling in your stores, is it?" [12:22]

Successful Advertisers:

• Endemic Brands: Categories include food & beverage, health & beauty, tech, travel, and fashion.
• Non-Endemic Brands: Brands outside the typical retail categories that can leverage the broad reach and high visibility to drive awareness and consideration.

Success Stories

A notable success story involves a partnership with Pepsi during the Super Bowl. By promoting Mountain Dew Baja Blast and Doritos Golden Sriracha across WHSmith's digital screens, the campaign achieved a 10% incremental lift in sales.

"We saw an over 10% incremental lift from that campaign." [13:23]

Implications:

• High Impact: Effective targeting in a high-traffic environment can lead to substantial sales boosts.
• Creative Integration: Aligning campaigns with major events maximizes visibility and consumer engagement.

Getting Started with WHSmith Media Network

Allison advises brands to:

1. Partner Collaboratively: Understand each brand's objectives to create tailored, strategic solutions.
2. Think Big: Utilize the platform's full potential to craft innovative and impactful activations.
3. Leverage Expertise: Utilize SMG's creative and strategic resources to enhance campaign effectiveness.

"I would really encourage the brands that we partner with to like, think really big." [14:34]

Steps for Brands:

• Consultation: Engage with WHSmith Media specialists to develop bespoke strategies.
• Activation: Implement creative and large-scale experiential campaigns to maximize impact.

Measurement and Incrementality

Measurement is critical for demonstrating campaign effectiveness. WHSmith Media focuses on incrementality—the additional value generated by the campaign beyond baseline sales.

"We're looking at incrementality, and that's how we want to look at every single campaign." [15:48]

Measurement Strategies:

• Store-Level Analysis: Grouping similar stores and comparing control vs. exposed groups.
• Incremental Lift: Quantifying the direct effect of media campaigns on sales.
• Comprehensive Reporting: Providing brands with detailed insights to inform future campaigns.

Appeal to Brands:

• High Margins: Travel retail is a high-margin channel, making incrementality even more valuable.
• Proven ROI: Demonstrated success in driving additional sales enhances the attractiveness of investing in WHSmith's media network.

Conclusion

The episode concludes with a strong endorsement of WHSmith North America Media Network as a lucrative platform for both endemic and non-endemic brands seeking to harness the high-traffic, high-margin environment of travel hubs. Allison O'Keefe's insights shed light on the strategic advantages and innovative solutions WHSmith offers, positioning it as a formidable player in the retail media landscape.

Final Thoughts from Hosts: Peter encourages listeners to explore partnership opportunities and engage with WHSmith Media for tailored advertising solutions. He also invites potential contributors to reach out via email for participation in future episodes.

"If you're an endemic or non-endemic brand and looking to drive some incrementality in a very margin-rich channel, this could be a valuable platform for you to invest against." [18:06]

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Connect with WHSmith North America Media Network: To learn more or to partner with WHSmith Media, visit the digital liner notes of the episode for contact information and additional resources.

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This comprehensive discussion provides valuable insights for brands and advertisers looking to navigate and leverage the dynamic environment of travel retail media, highlighting the strategic innovations WHSmith and SMG bring to the table.

Transcript

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[Allison O'Keefe]

Hi, I'm Allison o' Keefe from WH Smith North America Media Network. Powered by SMG and you're listening to the CPG Guys Podcast.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

Welcome to the CPGuys podcast. Your hosts, Sree Rajagopalan and Peter Vs. Bond explore how brands and retail retailers engage consumers in an increasingly digitally driven world. And now, here are the CPG Guys. Hello and welcome to the CPG Guys Podcast. I'm PVSB Co host and co Founder. I also serve as Head of Industry and Client Engagement at Flywheel, the E Commerce Accelerator division of Omnicom. My co founder and co host is of course the Chief Revenue Officer at Think Blue Consulting. He's the patriarch of the Raj family media empire between his daughters Ria and Laura, who are certified pop stars, and his wife Kavita, who has her own podcast on iHeartMedia called Lights, Camera Conversation and His Three Cats that frankly have more Instagram followers than the CPG Guys. It is a true media empire. Most recently served as the Chief Customer Officer at General Mills. He's the man known as Sri. He's unable to join us for today's recording, so I am managing the hosting responsibilities myself as we record today's episode. We're less than two weeks away from Shop Talk. Sri and I will be together in Las Vegas at our big kickoff party on Monday and we'll be recording episodes and conducting meetings over the three day event. If you're planning to be at Shop Talk and you see us loitering around Mandalay Bay, please come up and introduce yourselves. We love meeting our industry contemporaries and followers of our podcast. Before we introduce our guest. Few housekeeping details, please make sure you're subscribing to our podcast on your favorite platform by clicking the Follow option. And if you listen to us on Apple or Spotify in particular, please, please please leave us a rating because it helps feed the algorithm that makes this podcast more discoverable by people like you who in this industry want to be both educated and entertained when you're doing that. Also write us a little review. We can tailor the content of this podcast to your interest. We do want to be an audience driven podcast and it's important that we hear what you're looking for us to talk about. And we'll remind you that today's episode is part of our Women's Month series where each guest this month is an accomplished leader in our industry. So let's get to our special guest today. Over the past five years, retail media has been the fastest growing channel within the media industry. Seemingly every week a new RMN is launched offering brands many more ways to connect with consumers in a closed loop marketing system. One such new entrance is from. Let me restart that, Brandon. One such new entrant is from a name very familiar to book lovers and travelers of all kinds. WH Smith, which operates 350 plus stores in North America, travel hubs including airports, rail stations and resorts has launched a new media network. The stated goal of the WH Smith North America Media Network is not about overwhelming consumers with advertising. It's really about building memorable brand experiences that drive sales and build loyalty. Here to help us understand how brands are able to to create memorable experiences through their network is my friend Allison o' Keefe. She's the partnership director for WHSMITH North America Media Network. Alison, greetings. Welcome to the CPG guys.

[Allison O'Keefe]

Hey Peter, thanks so much for having me.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

We are very happy to have you. You and I have known each other for a couple years. We tend to frequent a lot of the same industry trade shows and I was so excited when I saw that you were launching this new media network and it's in partnership with smg. I can't wait to learn more about this before we get to the questions that we have prepared. Why don't you tell our audience about both WHSMITH and SMG which is powering the network?

[Allison O'Keefe]

Yeah, happy to. So WHS Media is the first ever in store travel retail media network that connects brands with their customers and travel hubs across North America. We're using an in store first approach to reach the over 900 million customers that go through airports every year. And really our overarching goal is to bring the fun back to travel retail and we can talk a little bit more about that and then SMG. So SMG is powering the WHSmith media network. It's a global connected commerce agency that's been empowering retailers for over 16 years to run profitable commerce media networks through consultancy, in house solutions and proprietary tech platforms. SMG Currently runs seven different retail media networks that sponsors the grocery, vertical, department stores, drugs and now of course, travel.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

Thank you for that, Alison. That's really terrific. A very succinct yet comprehensive description of what these two businesses are. So we're going to direct our audience to the digital liner notes of this episode where they can find a link to your LinkedIn profile, the LinkedIn pages of both WHSMITH and SMG, and of course the website for the WHSMITH media network. So let's get on with our conversation. I prepared a bunch of questions and I'm looking to hopefully answer what a lot of our audience is hoping to learn about this new venture. So let's talk more at a very high level. What are some of the biggest challenges brands face when trying to engage consumers in travel hubs? Because you've indicated a very large number of people are going through these venues at a very fast pace. What do brands face if they want to try and harness this, these kinds of venues to talk to consumers?

[Allison O'Keefe]

Yeah, I think, you know, prior to WHS media coming into the space, the big challenge for brands is going to be just how much, how many different things are kind of vying for customers attention in airports. I mean, we all are in airports. You probably more than, than most people. And you know, there's like I said, tons of people, there's tons of different screens and different things that they're focusing on. And so I think in the past the challenge for brands was how do we cut through all of that clutter? And I think that was one of the things that really prompted WHS Media to kind of step into the space because we're able to sort of take the full travel experience from planning to actually going in through your gate to actually being in store and make sure that we're sending out like a cohesive omnichannel message that really is going to help brands cut through all of that clutter.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

So then how do you see the role of physical retail evolving in this increasingly digital driven advertising landscape?

[Allison O'Keefe]

Yeah, I think, you know, being in the retail media space for many years, it's just been digital first, right? In America. That's what we focused on. We focus on on property and then, you know, taking that first party audience and going off property. But it's all centered around digital. And so I think that's why it's so exciting for me with WHS media is to really be focused and in store. I mean, we know that over 90% of purchases are still happening in store. And so I Think, you know, we're already seeing some of the larger retail media networks start to fold the in store landscape underneath the retail media network umbrella. I think we're just going to continue to see that. But it isn't, it isn't the easiest thing to do. Right. You're kind of separating two pieces of business that have been kind of operating separately for so long. So we feel like we're really in a good space to be able to enter the market with that already completed and be able to really focus on the in store piece where the people are actually making their purchases.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

So Alison, tell me why WHSMITH chose to partner with SMG in launching this media platform.

[Allison O'Keefe]

Yeah, so SMG as a business started over in the UK and I think it's pretty well known in our industry that UK and just Europe as a whole is much further along long when it comes to sort of the in store space. And so a lot of the retail media networks that they run and have run in the past have been also in store first networks. And so they just bring a wealth of knowledge when it comes to that space that they're able to translate into, you know, really exciting and fast paced entrance into the market for WHSmith. And then we're really able to be able to benchmark and have amazing results for the brands that we work with. Kind of just hit the ground running as they say. SMG moved over into the American market about two years ago and so, yeah, that's brilliant.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

So how does WHSMITH seek to differentiate its media network from other networks that are in the travel space or in adjacent spaces? What do you see as being superior in terms of its offering?

[Allison O'Keefe]

So when you look at the other partners in the travel space, I think around 2022 we started to see Marriott Travel, we saw Uber and Lyft, and now we've got United Airlines. And they're also all really digital first travel networks. And again that, you know, WH Smith really has that broad in store footprint that we're really able to leverage for all of our brands. But I think that the travel network space is really unique in the sense that, you know, it's different from the grocery industry where they're all competitors. I really think there's an interesting opportunity here across the travel retail media network space to kind of partner, you know, W. Smith. W.H. smith, as it stands sort of reaches, has the most access to the most touch points. Right. So I kind of talked about the planning phase, the trips to the airport, being in the airport and then being at the point of purchase. But if we have these other partners that could even expand that even further to in flight. You know, I think that there's just a lot of really great partnerships that could happen in that space. So it's exciting. We'll, we'll have to see what happens.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

All right, so why don't we go through, what are the core solutions that you're offering brands to engage consumers in your physical retail locations?

[Allison O'Keefe]

Yeah, so we have a lot of really great products. We start anywhere from storefront signage to digital screens. We've got shelf at shelf we have at the point of purchase. But another really exciting piece and element to our offering is this larger experiential park where we're able to partner with the actual airports. We have these large spaces where brands can come in and this is kind of where that kind of bringing the fun back into travel retail comes in. Where really the sky's the limit on how we kind of make your brand come to life in these spaces. And then we also have lots of digital out of home screens as we partner with some third party partners. So a lot of different ways to reach the travel customer.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

You're not a one trick pony. You've got a lot of different experiential solutions to help brands however they're seeking to engage with consumers. That sounds certainly very interesting and very intriguing. A follow up question to that. What types of brand advertisers do you see the most success when partnering with WHSmith Media Network? It's not all about endemic advertising brands that you're selling in your stores, is it?

[Allison O'Keefe]

You know, it's not. I mean, W.H. smith, the actual brands that are in their stores span multiple categories. Right. So you have food and beverage, you have health and beauty, you've got tech and travel and even fashion. And so those brands are obviously brands that we're already partnering with and are going to see really great results from our network. But the interesting thing about WHSMITH spanning across all the different airports and just that really high level of over 900 million people that are traveling through airports, they're almost this really large digital out of home network which creates this really interesting opportunity for non endemic partners to come in and get in front of all of these travelers. And we're really excited to start to kind of measure what does that mean for those types of non endemic advertisers from just a halo effect. Right. Just the awareness and the consideration that could come from partnering with WHS Media.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

All right, so any recent success stories of brands Leveraging your media network effectively that you'd care to call out.

[Allison O'Keefe]

Yeah, we actually did. So one of the fun things about travel is all of the events that are kind of really travel focused. So we are in the process right now of planning for like Formula One out in Las Vegas. And so there's all these different events that we can kind of tack onto, obviously one of them being the Super Bowl. And so in February, we partnered with Pepsi. They wanted to drive purchase of two products, so Mountain Dew, Baja Blast, and then Doug Doritos Golden Sriracha, which is one of their newer flavors. And so they partnered with us across our digital screen network and had a very engaging and creative Super Bowl. Creative. Obviously Pepsi has been a partner of the super bowl for a long time, so we were able to leverage that in our creative and we saw an over 10% incremental lift from that campaign. So really exciting.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

That's. That's terrific numbers. So how does a brand get started? Like, what advice would you give to companies looking to create a meaningful customer experience through the platform you've created? How do they, how do you get started? How do you develop it? How do you make it the most compelling result possible?

[Allison O'Keefe]

We really want to partner with the brands, really understand what they're trying to drive, what their objectives are, so that we can put a really strategic end to end solution together for them. But on top of that, I would really encourage the brands that we partner with to like, think really big. Right? Like we can do so much from an experiential perspective to, you know, driving awareness and consideration and be able to measure every part of the funnel for them. So I think really the sky's the limit. I mean, we are open to any sort of fun, big, exciting activations that brands can think of. And we also have an amazing team at SMG that has all these exciting creative and strategic ideas that we can leverage for all of our brand partners too. So it's really just all about partnering together and figuring out what the best way to reach their target customer is.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about measurement because I think we both know for brands to invest in retail media, getting a measurement aspect for performance is critically important in this day and age. So what are you doing to offer meaningful measurement of your campaigns to your brand advertisers?

[Allison O'Keefe]

I think that the most important part of measurement is always going to be focusing on incrementality, and that's how we want to look at every single campaign. So we're looking at it at a store level. So we're making sure that we are grouping like stores together. We're pulling a control and exposed together. And then we're making sure that we look at that incremental lift, isolating what media was running and making sure that we're showing how effective that was so that we can use that not only to tell the brand how a previous campaign performed, but to also help them plan more effective future campaigns.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

And I have to imagine that given that this is travel retail, that the margin appeal of this channel to most of your endemic advertisers is, Is fairly strong. Yes. Oh, I'm sorry, I. I wanted. What I want. Brandon, just pause a second. What I wanted to ask you was travel retail is. Is. Is a high margin business for, for brands. And I. That's what I was trying to get at.

[Allison O'Keefe]

Oh, I see what you're saying. So like how they're selling their product for like more.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

I was saying I've got. So if they can get incrementality in a high margin business, it's particularly appealing.

[Allison O'Keefe]

Gotcha. Gotcha. That. Sorry, yeah, I wasn't following for a second.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

So, Alison, I've got to imagine what makes incrementality particularly appealing in this channel is that above many other channels, it's. It's a higher margin that brands are realizing. Would that be a safe assumption on my part?

[Allison O'Keefe]

Yeah, 100%. It's just a very. Makes WHSMITH a very lucrative media network for brands to partner with because the results that they're going to see are going to drive even more incrementality for their brand than say, another channel like in grocery.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

Brilliant. Brilliant. So, Alison, how do brands get in contact with WHSMITH Media Network to start these conversations? What's the best way for them to do. Do that?

[Allison O'Keefe]

Yeah, just reach out to. Hello. HS Media team. That will go to the entire team. We have specialists that are assigned to each vertical that can meet with you and make sure that we put together the most strategic and fun recommendation.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

All right. We're going to include that in the liner notes of this episode. Allison, always a pleasure to spend time with you. Thanks for taking time out of your day to introduce us to this fascinating new media channel for brand advertisers. This is great. Thank you so much.

[Allison O'Keefe]

Thanks for having me.

[Peter Vs. Bond]

So that was a great conversation with our friend Allison o' Keefe. She gave us an overview of the media network that's been created in the 350 plus WHSmith stores that are found primarily in destination hubs. I think if you're an endemic or non endemic brand and looking to drive some incrementality in a very margin rich channel, this could be a valuable platform for you to invest against. Again, I'd recommend you check the liner notes for how to connect with Allison and the team at WHSMITH North America Retail Media Network. As for us, I want to remind you, please follow us on your favorite podcast platform. If you think you have something to contribute to the conversation and maybe you can appear on this podcast, reach out to [e-mail] sorry sri wasn't able to join this week. We look forward to speaking with you on the next episode of the CPG Guys Podcast. Goodbye.

[Sree Rajagopalan]

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