The world of retail media has two interesting new entrants — the Chuck E. Cheese chain of family entertainment centers and campus retailer Follett Higher Education. These new offerings highlight the growing breadth of the retail media landscape, which increasingly encompasses much more than just traditional retailers.
Chuck E. Cheese Aims to Become a ‘Family Media Platform’
Chuck E. Cheese has launched the CEC Media Network to enable brands to connect with the more than 40 million guests that visit its 500+ locations every year. Companies can now advertise on Chuck E. Cheese’s network of more than 3,000 large-format video walls and television screens, appearing alongside the venue’s regular family-friendly content featuring the iconic Chuck E. Cheese characters that children of the ’80s and ’90s know well. With visitors to the brand’s fun centers regularly spending one-and-a-half to two hours per stay, the CEC Media Network represents an opportunity to connect with a captive audience of both kids and their parents.
In tandem with the launch of its retail media network, CEC also has partnered with video on-demand solution Future Today to launch a branded streaming network across on-demand apps and FAST (free, ad-supported streaming TV) channels. The network will be aimed at kids ages 3 to 8 years old and their co-viewing parents, and will place original Chuck E. Cheese content alongside top kids’ channels like CoComelon, Blippi and Ryan and Friends via platforms such as HappyKids.
“The CEC Media Network represents a perfect blend of premium family content and strategic distribution that aligns seamlessly with Future Today’s mission to deliver quality streaming experiences,” said Vikrant Mathur, Co-founder of Future Today in a statement. “By partnering with Chuck E. Cheese, we’re creating a powerful ecosystem that delivers engaging, brand-safe content to families across multiple touch points — whether they’re enjoying time together at entertainment centers or streaming at home. This collaboration exemplifies how trusted family brands can reach audiences in a fragmented digital media landscape while maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety that parents expect.”
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CEC Media’s ad inventory is optimized for national, regional and hyper-local campaigns via the Panasonic ClearConnect content management software, and it can be placed by advertisers directly with CEC or through their regular platform partners. Programmatic advertising capabilities also are available through direct supply-side integration, enabling access to a portfolio of omnichannel demand-side platforms (DSPs).
“With the launch of the CEC Media Network, we’re creating a new family-first media experience — one that blends safe, entertaining content for kids with parent-targeted messaging in an environment where families are already making joyful memories,” said Melissa McLeanas, VP of Global Media, Licensing and Entertainment for Chuck E. Cheese in a statement. “By partnering with fellow industry leaders, we’re bringing advertisers a premium opportunity to reach families through a dynamic, data-driven ecosystem built for scale, relevance and brand safety. Chuck E. Cheese is more than just an entertainment destination — we’re becoming one of the most powerful family media platforms in the country.”
Follett Takes Online Campus Bookstore Experience to the ‘Next Level’
Campus retailer Follett Higher Education has teamed up with commerce media solution Koddi to offer product advertising within its online campus stores. Koddi’s commerce media technologies provide sponsored product ad tools to enhance online merchandising capabilities, including automated optimization and targeting to deliver personalized experiences.
“It’s incredibly important to our campus partners that they offer customized, student-centric online shopping experiences, and Koddi’s technology is proven to deliver highly relevant content to the right audiences,” said Jeremy Bare, Chief Merchandising Officer at Follett Higher Education in a statement. “Over the past decade, the traditional campus bookstore has evolved into a destination for students, faculty and fans seeking more options and greater convenience, and Koddi is helping us take the campus store experience to the next level for those shopping online.”
To learn more about retail media, check out our full guide here.
