Instacart launches Ads Studio for CPG marketers

SAN FRANCISCO – Instacart is expanding its retail media capabilities with the launch of Instacart Ads Studio, a new full-service, in-house creative marketing offering that provides consumer packaged goods brands with access to the company's award-winning creative team, first-party purchase data, and closed-loop measurement.

Unveiled at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Instacart Ads Studio enables brands of all sizes to either integrate into Instacart's existing marketing campaigns or develop fully customized campaigns tailored to their objectives. The offering is powered by Local Produce, Instacart's in-house creative agency, which was named Ad Age's 2026 In-House Agency of the Year.

The company said the program has been tested over the past two years, supporting nearly 200 CPG partners across more than 420 campaigns. Participating brands have included major manufacturers such as Kraft Heinz, Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo, as well as emerging brands such as BrightFarms, Kettle & Fire and Mighty Spark.

“Instacart Ads Studio really shows how we believe brand marketing and commerce should work together. When we integrate CPG partners into our campaigns, or build something entirely new around their brand, we can close the loop between brand love and purchase,” said Laura Jones, chief marketing officer at Instacart. “We've spent years building one of the most creative, culturally engaged marketing programs in grocery, and now we're formally opening that capability to our brand partners in a way that's scalable, flexible, and differentiated.”

Instacart Ads Studio offers two partnership models. Brands can participate in Instacart-led campaigns through integrated marketing tied to seasonal, cultural, or regional moments, or they can work with the company's creative team to develop custom campaigns that include strategy, creative development, influencer partnerships, and measurement.

Past campaigns have included Oscar Mayer's Clio Award-winning "Sing to Pay" promotion, BrightFarms' National Quitters Day campaign, and Instacart's "Summer Like It's 1999" campaign, which culminated in a live New York event featuring product sampling from participating CPG brands.

The company said its campaigns are driven by first-party purchase data, enabling advertisers to target shoppers based on purchasing intent and local events. According to Instacart, brand integrations in seasonal campaigns reach an average of 93% of new-to-brand audiences and extend reach to 77% of consumers not reached through auction-based advertising. Custom campaigns also generate an average of 93% new-to-brand engagement.

Instacart cited several campaign results, including Kerrygold achieving double-digit year-over-year sales growth on the platform after participating in a full-funnel holiday campaign. Kraft Heinz saw double-digit new-to-brand customer growth through the company's "Summer Like It's 1999" campaign, which earned a Silver Clio Award for branded content.

Stephanie Paturzo-Swingle, senior director of commercial marketing at Instacart, said the offering is designed to serve as an extension of brands' marketing teams.

“A lot of partners can build you a creative asset or spin up a standard campaign, that's table stakes. Instacart Ads Studio was built to do something fundamentally different: think and operate like a member of your own marketing team. That means getting deep on your category, your consumer, the right channels, and the cultural moments worth showing up for — then executing the whole thing end to end,” she said. “This isn't just creative services. It's a full-stack marketing partnership, powered by the data, creative, and cultural instincts that only Instacart can bring. That's what it means to truly grow the pie together.”