Walmart Connect’s Khurrum Malik: Branded Content Series Drives 37% Sales Lift for Participating Brands
CANNES, France — Integrated commerce programs combining branded content, connected television, in-store marketing, and search are generating measurable sales impact that points toward a broader industry shift from one-time performance captures toward durable brand growth.
“One of the big trends we’re seeing here at Cannes is creativity powering commerce more and more,” Khurrum Malik, vp of business & product marketing at Walmart Connect, told Beet.TV Editorial Director Lisa Granatstein at Cannes Lions. “If you’re an advertiser and you come to Walmart, you now have the opportunity to do branded content, distribute that on our Vizio televisions, invest in search and display and invest in store marketing.”
Walmart’s Patio and Garden “Backyard Escapes” branded content series — distributed across CTV, website, and stores — demonstrated this integrated approach’s potential, generating a 37% sales increase for participating brands.
The omnichannel opportunity
Walmart’s scale creates unique visibility into consumer behavior across 4,600 stores and digital touchpoints, with customers moving fluidly between CTV discovery, online search, and in-store purchase in patterns that require advertisers to maintain presence across every touchpoint.
“We see 150 million customers every week engage with us online and in store. We see customers walking across the omnichannel footprint we have looking to discover new brands and of course purchase,” Malik said.
Delivery infrastructure now reaches 95% of the United States within three hours, adding convenience as a third behavioral dimension alongside omnichannel shopping and digital discovery.
Magnite and Yahoo DSP partnerships expand CTV reach
New programmatic partnerships enable advertisers to purchase Vizio inventory through established buying platforms, reducing operational complexity while expanding access to Walmart’s connected television audiences.
“One of the partnerships we just announced was with Magnite and Yahoo DSP. Now through Magnite and Yahoo DSP, you can buy Vizio inventory and reach those audiences through CTV,” Malik said.
This expansion provides advertisers more efficient pathways to connect with omnichannel customers across preferred buying workflows rather than requiring dedicated direct relationships.
Incremental ROAS raises measurement bar
Walmart Connect’s measurement framework addresses advertiser demands beyond standard return on ad spend, launching incremental ROAS for search in January to demonstrate investment impact beyond baseline sales performance.
“Advertisers are not just asking for sales. They want incremental sales. We provide measurement that provides both of those answers, but also return on ad spend and incremental return on ad spend,” Malik said. “That’s a really high bar and we’re open to that high bar and we want to hold ourselves to that high bar.”
Driving durable growth
CMO demand for sustained brand development rather than isolated performance campaigns drives Walmart Connect’s evolution toward combined brand-building and lower-funnel capture strategies that create lasting consumer relationships.
“What we hear from CMOs, their agencies, is to help us build durable growth. Can you build my brand over time so people trust me? And can I have repeat purchases?” Malik said. “We believe all of media is going to align on lifetime value over time, which is brand and performance together.”
You’re watching Beet.TV coverage from Cannes Lion 2026. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
CANNES, France — Integrated commerce programs combining branded content, connected television, in-store marketing, and search are generating measurable sales impact that points toward a broader industry shift from one-time performance captures toward durable brand growth.
“One of the big trends we’re seeing here at Cannes is creativity powering commerce more and more,” Khurrum Malik, vp of business & product marketing at Walmart Connect, told Beet.TV Editorial Director Lisa Granatstein at Cannes Lions. “If you’re an advertiser and you come to Walmart, you now have the opportunity to do branded content, distribute that on our Vizio televisions, invest in search and display and invest in store marketing.”
Walmart’s Patio and Garden “Backyard Escapes” branded content series — distributed across CTV, website, and stores — demonstrated this integrated approach’s potential, generating a 37% sales increase for participating brands.
The omnichannel opportunity
Walmart’s scale creates unique visibility into consumer behavior across 4,600 stores and digital touchpoints, with customers moving fluidly between CTV discovery, online search, and in-store purchase in patterns that require advertisers to maintain presence across every touchpoint.
“We see 150 million customers every week engage with us online and in store. We see customers walking across the omnichannel footprint we have looking to discover new brands and of course purchase,” Malik said.
Delivery infrastructure now reaches 95% of the United States within three hours, adding convenience as a third behavioral dimension alongside omnichannel shopping and digital discovery.
Magnite and Yahoo DSP partnerships expand CTV reach
New programmatic partnerships enable advertisers to purchase Vizio inventory through established buying platforms, reducing operational complexity while expanding access to Walmart’s connected television audiences.
“One of the partnerships we just announced was with Magnite and Yahoo DSP. Now through Magnite and Yahoo DSP, you can buy Vizio inventory and reach those audiences through CTV,” Malik said.
This expansion provides advertisers more efficient pathways to connect with omnichannel customers across preferred buying workflows rather than requiring dedicated direct relationships.
Incremental ROAS raises measurement bar
Walmart Connect’s measurement framework addresses advertiser demands beyond standard return on ad spend, launching incremental ROAS for search in January to demonstrate investment impact beyond baseline sales performance.
“Advertisers are not just asking for sales. They want incremental sales. We provide measurement that provides both of those answers, but also return on ad spend and incremental return on ad spend,” Malik said. “That’s a really high bar and we’re open to that high bar and we want to hold ourselves to that high bar.”
Driving durable growth
CMO demand for sustained brand development rather than isolated performance campaigns drives Walmart Connect’s evolution toward combined brand-building and lower-funnel capture strategies that create lasting consumer relationships.
“What we hear from CMOs, their agencies, is to help us build durable growth. Can you build my brand over time so people trust me? And can I have repeat purchases?” Malik said. “We believe all of media is going to align on lifetime value over time, which is brand and performance together.”
You’re watching Beet.TV coverage from Cannes Lion 2026. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
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