In this episode, I take you inside one of the most innovative retail media activations I’ve seen yet: Sam’s Club’s “Race to the Club” and their bold sponsorship at the IndyCar season finale. Instead of focusing solely on digital shelf space like most retail media networks, Sam’s Club is leaning into live experiences—concerts, county fairs, racing events—and turning them into opportunities for real-time sales, membership growth, and unforgettable brand engagement.

I’ll break down how Sam’s Club is flipping the traditional sponsorship model on its head by orchestrating multi-brand activations under its own umbrella. From live demos that actually sell products on the spot to data-powered membership sign-ups that tie every moment back to performance marketing, this episode explores why Sam’s Club may be redefining the future of retail media.

This episode is sponsored by Connected Commerce at Acosta Group

Timeline

[0:15 ] - Experiencing Sam’s Club’s “Race to the Club” event in Tennessee
[1:00 ] - How Sam’s Club brought retail media to the IndyCar finale in Nashville
[1:46 ] - The unique “retailer as orchestrator” sponsorship model
[2:37 ] - Creating purchasable moments through live demos and product showcases
[3:28 ] - Why experiential engagement goes beyond impressions to drive conversions
[4:45 ] - Membership acquisition tied to retail media activations
[5:15 ] - Closed-loop measurement and connecting experiences to actual purchases
[5:42 ] - Scaling big: Sam’s Club’s ambition to 5x events by 2026

Links & Resources

• Read my Forbes article Sam's Club Bets On Experiential Media With IndyCar Sponsorship
• Read my article Sam's Club RMN: Notes from my interview with GM Harvey Ma
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn