Albertsons launches sitcom-style retail ads
Albertsons has launched a scripted, episodic ad campaign for in-store screens, changing how retailers use media to engage shoppers.
A taco stand becomes a marketing experiment
The series, called “Rico’s Tacos”, follows a multigenerational Southern California family building a taco business outside an Albertsons location near Venice Beach. It includes 22 episodes, each under three minutes, and was produced with Procter & Gamble and Minivela, a studio focused on short-form content for U.S. Hispanic audiences.
The campaign started in June, releasing two new episodes every Tuesday. It plays on in-store screens, the company’s e-commerce site, and social media. Brian Monahan, senior vice president of retail media at Albertsons Media Collective, said the aim was to create an “upper-funnel” campaign that attracts consumers to specific product categories, especially targeting Hispanic shoppers.
Monahan called the project “soap opera 2.0,” referencing Procter & Gamble’s history of sponsoring daytime dramas. The difference is that the content is now short, vertical, and made for digital and in-store displays.
Retail media grows beyond price-and-item ads
Retail media networks have long used simple, transactional ads showing products with prices. Albertsons’ campaign shows a move toward more engaging, story-based content. Executives say this reflects a shift: brands no longer see retail media as just another ad channel but as a way to influence shoppers earlier in their decision-making.
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Marlow Nickell, founder and CEO of Grocery TV, said brands creating custom content for in-store screens get much better results than those repurposing ads from other platforms. His company found that shoppers are 2.5 times more likely to consider a brand when the creative matches the store environment and nearby products.
Monahan said the campaign came from shopper insights. Albertsons learned that 8% of grocery trips happen because someone forgot one ingredient, like avocados. One episode of “Rico’s Tacos” focuses on that situation.
Screens expand, but sales data remains private
Albertsons has been running the campaign since June. Monahan said the company doesn’t yet have resulting sales numbers it can share publicly, but that the company has made some interesting findings about how shoppers consume content in stores. The retailer will launch more similar campaigns but won’t produce the content itself. Instead, it provides the platform, data, and distribution, while brands handle the storytelling.
For now, Albertsons’ campaign serves as a test for whether story-driven ads work in grocery stores. Success could lead other retailers to move beyond static product ads and adopt more creative marketing strategies that cover the full purchase journey. Similar efforts have shown promise in functional snacks, where brands use targeted content to connect with younger shoppers.
