Sam Walton, meet Mickey Mouse. Mickey, Sam.
Walmart and Disney have announced an advertising partnership that will utilize Walmart Connect data to target advertising on the Disney+ and Hulu networks, the two companies announced last week.
Disney Advertising will use Walmart Connect, Walmart’s retail media platform, to enable targeted advertising using Walmart's shopper data. This collaboration aims to provide advertisers with more precise targeting, as approximately 145 million customers shop at Walmart stores or online weekly.
Combining Walmart’s unique omnichannel customer insights with the incredible scale and reach of Disney+ and Hulu content is a huge unlock for marketers,” said Ryan Mayward, Walmart Connect’s SVP of retail media sales.
The Disney deal is the first major partnership announced since Walmart integrated their Luminate category performance metrics into the Connect platform last month.
Walmart’s collaboration with Disney is the latest move in an ongoing effort to close the market share gap with Amazon. PYMNTS Intelligence’s “Whole Paycheck Report” revealed Amazon holds a 10% share of total consumer retail spending, compared to Walmart's 7.3%.
Walmart has also explored a purchase of Vizio to gain access to the television manufacturer’s built-in streaming network.
Amazon announced new ad formats on its Prime Video streaming service last week, including shoppable carousels and pause ads that let viewers add items directly to their Amazon cart.
Other companies are also eyeing the potential of streaming ads. Bryan Quinn, president and co-founder of Shopsense AI, which recently partnered with Paramount, emphasized the growing competition for TV and movie viewers’ multitasking spending, underscoring the broader push among retailers to capture streaming viewers’ shopping loyalty.
