Walmart has entered into a strategic partnership with Disney to leverage shopper data for targeted advertising on Disney’s streaming platforms, Disney Plus and Hulu, as reported by Adweek.
This collaboration, announced on Wednesday between Disney Advertising and Walmart Connect, aims to utilize Walmart’s extensive shopper data alongside Disney’s Audience Graph tools. The initiative will enhance targeted advertising capabilities by merging datasets using clean-room technology, which ensures user data remains private and is not shared with external entities.
Ryan Mayward, Senior Vice President of Retail Media Sales for Walmart Connect, highlighted the scale of Walmart’s customer base, noting that about 145 million customers shop online and in stores weekly. This vast dataset will now empower marketers to refine their advertising strategies across Disney’s streaming services, enhancing the precision of audience targeting and the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns.
Additionally, the partnership will incorporate Disney into Walmart’s Partner Lab, a collaborative testing ground for new advertising formats and measurement methods that already includes major players like TikTok, Roku, and NBCUniversal. This inclusion promises to foster innovation in advertising practices across various platforms.
The implementation of this partnership is scheduled to commence testing in the second quarter of this year, with a focus on several consumer categories including electronics, automotive, and apparel. This move is part of a broader strategy by Walmart to strengthen its advertising capabilities, as evidenced by its recent agreement to acquire smart TV manufacturer Vizio for around $2.3 billion in February.
However, the acquisition is still pending approval, with privacy and competition advocates calling for a governmental review due to concerns that it could unfairly monopolize Walmart’s position in advertising and content distribution.
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