CHICAGO — After almost eight years in leadership roles at 84.51° — Kroger’s data science, insights and media company — Cara Pratt has been named president of global retail and media at Circana. When she starts work in the newly created position at the end of the month, her charge will be to strengthen Circana’s standing as a strategic partner for companies in the retail sector, leveraging the full range of Circana’s capabilities.
“It is a really phenomenal time for thinking through the role that really strong data signals, market intelligence and consumer understanding have to play strategically for retailers, brands, publishers and ad tech companies, all to place the right bets,” says Pratt, who currently is senior vice president of media, insights and loyalty at 84.51°.
“I’m really drawn to Circana’s balanced focus, on both measuring and accelerating demand. At the end of the day, how do we help companies and brands grow in really sustainable, responsible ways? I don’t think there’s any other organization as well equipped with the right tech, talent, capabilities and relationships to revolutionize the retail industry.”
At Circana, Pratt will team up with Stuart Aitken, who served as chief merchant and marketing officer at Kroger before becoming Circana’s president and chief executive officer five months ago.
“Cara joining Circana underscores the immense opportunity we see for our retail and media businesses, and our commitment to delivering innovative growth and media solutions that best serve our retail partners,” he notes. “Cara brings proven innovation and expertise, and we’re excited to partner with her and our clients to improve their business outcomes.”
Pratt is ready to tackle the type of challenges she took on at 84.51°, where she oversaw Kroger’s integrated retail media, consumer insights and loyalty marketing efforts, and spearheaded development of the supermarket operator’s precision marketing tools. The platform links media exposure with in-store sales, thus enhancing the shopping experience while at the same time enabling brands to maximize the impact of their marketing dollars. She is also eager to resume her partnership with Aitken, whom she characterizes as a catalyst for change.
“Stuart has pioneered customer insights being the bedrock for decision making for well more than 20 years,” explains Pratt. “That is the common currency between Circana’s retail relationships and brand relationships. It’s all about clients understanding customer behavior and customer intelligence, helping both retailers and brands make better decisions.”
Data-driven insights will not only lead to more effective use of retail media, which is projected to reach $170 billion in 2025, but also open the door to greater personalization.
“Customers want relevance,” Pratt says, “and we need data to bring relevant content forward, which then allows for more convenience in how consumers buy. That chain is very well connected. Retail data will continue to influence that full marketing funnel. It already is, because so many consumers have connection to our own signals through devices and different digital identities.
“That allows personalization at scale. Circana has really rich relationships across the retail ecosystem, including e-commerce. So again, we are very well positioned to focus a wide-open lens on how behavior is changing across different types of retailers and brands.”
