Sam's Club is deploying its Member Access Platform (MAP) to execute experiential retail media activations that combine in-person events with performance marketing. The company sponsors major events, holds master sponsorships like with Andretti Autosport, and organizes participation opportunities for supplier brands including Member's Mark, Vizio, Tyson, Fanttik, ePro Select, and Clearly Canadian. The approach places advertising dollars at racetracks, concerts, county fairs, and mobile showrooms, generating immediate purchases and measurable outcomes. The retailer acts as an orchestrator, coordinating multi-brand activations rather than single-brand sponsorships. Leadership frames the strategy as 'experiential meets performance' and is making significant investments to scale the model.
Standing in the parking lot of a Sam's Club store in Murfreesboro, TN last Friday, I watched something unusual unfold at what the company calls "Race to the Club"-one of several dozen local activations they've run this year. While a country band played nearby, a family was inside a mobile Vizio showroom, not just looking at TVs but actually buying them. Four units sold that afternoon alone.
Two days later, Sam's Club activated its sponsorship of Andretti Autosport at the INDYCAR season finale in Nashville-the company's first retail media activation of this scale. While most retail media networks battle for digital shelf space and sponsored product placements, Sam's Club is taking its advertising dollars to racetracks, country music concerts, and county fairs. Harvey Ma, who leads Sam's Club's Member Access Platform (MAP), calls it "experiential meets performance," and he's betting big on it.
Collection
[
|
...
]