Albertsons wants its grocery stores to be more than places where shoppers stock up before entertaining — thanks to the addition of its own scripted branded entertainment to the grocer’s retail media network.
Albertsons Media Collective is moving beyond traditional ads and into story-driven entertainment. The retail media arm of Albertsons Companies launched what it calls an industry-first branded entertainment model. Albertsons co-developed the concept with Procter & Gamble, using shopper data to shape original scripted content. The first project, a drama created with the content development studio Minivela, is called “Rico’s Tacos.” It was filmed inside Albertsons stores and is scheduled to debut June 23.
Albertsons is No. 17 in the Top 2000 Database. The database ranks North America’s top online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales. It owns and operates its namesake store, Albertsons. In addition, its portfolio encompasses the brands Carrs, Haggen, Jewel Osco, Lucky, Safeway and more.
How Albertsons is introducing scripted entertainment to its retail media network
“The idea for ‘Rico’s Tacos’ emerged directly from the shopper insights and cultural intelligence shared by Albertsons Companies and P&G,” said Manny Ruiz, CEO of Minivela and showrunner of “Rico’s Tacos.” “Those insights became the creative spark that shaped the franchise from the very beginning and continued to inform its development throughout the process.”
Ruiz explained that Albertsons’ use of data is important for the show. Traditionally, retail media would use customer data to target ads. Instead, in this case, Albertsons leveraged data to inspire entertainment.
“By bringing together retail media, consumer understanding, creators, brands, and storytelling, we’ve created a new model for developing and distributing original content,” Ruiz said.
He suggested that more such projects are in the works.
Where ‘Rico’s Tacos’ takes place
Minivela set the show in a Southern California neighborhood near Venice Beach. Designed for mobile viewing, each one-to-two-minute episode follows a widowed father, his teenage daughter, and her abuela (grandmother). Together, they work to build a family taco business while navigating questions of identity, resilience and legacy. The series launches June 23 on Albertsons’ YouTube account, social channels and in-store platforms. Albertsons plans to release new episodes weekly through the end of August.
“Retail media is evolving beyond placements toward work that drives brand love, commerce, and measurement,” said Brian Monahan, senior vice president of retail media at Albertsons Media Collective.
Monahan joined Albertsons last year to help expand its retail media ecosystem and has since been developing new ways to measure return on ad spend (ROAS) and collect customer data.
P&G sees the project as a new way to connect with shoppers.
“The brands that will win are the ones that connect with shoppers in relevant, everyday moments,” said Lela Coffey, vice president of user growth acceleration at P&G. “What makes this collaboration notable is that the creative was developed with Albertsons Cos. using shopper insights at the outset, rather than applying data only after the work is made. That creates a closer link between the story, the audience, and the commercial outcome.”
What Rico’s Tacos shows about the future of retail media
Industry observers see the project as a glimpse of next-generation advertising.
“‘Rico’s Tacos’ is truly something new. It’s a scripted, episodic entertainment series created specifically for the Albertsons Media Collective platform,” said Marty Bauer of Omnisend, an email and SMS marketing platform for ecommerce businesses.
He added that Albertsons’ approach to customer data in this case is important to watch.
“What’s impressive about this is not so much the content itself, but the way shopper data is used in the creative process,” he explained. “While typically the idea comes first and data is used to modify it afterward, in this case the data was used as a tool to develop the story ideas.”
Albertsons noted that the inspiration for every episode comes directly from shopper insights and cultural intelligence. Albertsons and P&G gathered that data. Ultimately, “Rico’s Tacos” can be watched on YouTube, social media and Albertsons’ in-store screens.
“This kind of reach is a significant opportunity for CPG brands, because if your products are sold through a retailer with a robust media network, you gain access to a content distribution infrastructure and first-party data that was previously unattainable,” Bauer said.
Bauer also said the scripted content gives a competitive edge to a chain that has struggled to define its lane.
“Historically, Albertsons was sandwiched between Walmart and Amazon at the top and Kroger at the bottom,” Bauer said. “Retail media is something Albertsons can build on top of its existing infrastructure. The goal is to transform from a grocery chain that sells ad space into a store media company that happens to sell groceries.”
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