Walmart Connect Showcases a New Era of Creativity-Powered Commerce at Cannes Lions

CANNES, France, June 23, 2026 — At Cannes Lions, where creativity sets the agenda for the industry, Walmart Connect and VIZIO are showcasing the next evolution of commerce media, advancing a creativity-powered commerce strategy that helps brands move beyond traditional advertising to deliver fully integrated, shoppable experiences on the biggest screen in the home.

Turning Cultural Moments Into Measurable Growth

Walmart Connect helps advertisers engage with customers during the moments that matter most. From the Big Game and Summer of Soccer to Back to School and the holiday season, these high-impact cultural and shopping moments are brought to life through One Walmart Integrated Marketing Programs by bringing together media, merchandising and in-store experiences that place advertisers at the center of these moments. These programs drive engagement and conversion wherever Walmart customers are, online and in stores, helping brands create more connected customer journeys while delivering measurable business outcomes.

At the core of this approach is Lightbox Creative Solutions, Walmart Connect's in-house creative solutions studio. Lightbox develops immersive, omnichannel experiences that connect inspiration to purchase through interactive in-store activations, social-first storytelling and premium connected TV experiences. With VIZIO now part of Walmart's ecosystem, Walmart Connect can extend brands’ reach to the largest screen in the home, helping advertisers bring branded storytelling into the living room while maintaining a direct connection to commerce.

Extending Storytelling Into the Home: Backyard Escapes

Backyard Escapes, developed and distributed via a joint partnership between Walmart Connect and VIZIO, is the first premium branded content special to bring Walmart’s content-to-commerce strategy to life for advertisers. Launching alongside Walmart's annual Patio & Garden Event and featured prominently on the VIZIO Home Screen and within WatchFree+, Backyard Escapes blends inspiration and shopping in a seamless customer experience. Hosted by Tan France and featuring influencer-led design guidance, Backyard Escapes is a VIZIO program that organically integrates supplier products into the storytelling, while creating a direct path to purchase. The experience extended beyond the screen through real-world activations in key markets including West Palm Beach, Charlotte, Austin and Bentonville. Amplified through social, influencer and live experiences, Backyard Escapes connected customers back to Walmart's Patio & Garden destination, demonstrating how Walmart's ecosystem can support full-funnel engagement from discovery through purchase.

Walmart’s content-to-commerce strategy is already driving successful results for brands. During Walmart’s Patio & Garden Event, Backyard Escapes helped drive a nearly 40% year-over-year GMV for the event.¹ Digital sales increased over 50% year-over year,² and nearly half of purchasers were new shoppers to the category,³ highlighting the program's ability to both drive demand and expand category reach. Total ROAS for advertisers participating in Backyard Escapes was nearly $3.⁴ The premium branded content experience on VIZIO reached nearly 30% of American households and achieved a 67% completion rate. Participating advertisers included ScottsMiracle-Gro, Spruce, Zevo, Blackstone, Keter, Aiper, Pennington, Clorox Pool&Spa/BioLab and Perdue, demonstrating the effectiveness of Walmart Connect's ability to activate Walmart's broader content-to-commerce ecosystem.

This evolution of commerce media builds on Walmart Connect’s broader content-to-commerce strategy,⁵ enabled by the acquisition of VIZIO in 2024 and first introduced at IAB NewFronts earlier this year. As the commerce media platform bringing this strategy to market, Walmart Connect helps advertisers activate across Walmart's growing ecosystem of media, commerce and content experiences. By combining Walmart's scale, customer reach and omnichannel ecosystem with first-party insights, closed-loop measurement and creative capabilities, advertisers can connect storytelling directly to business outcomes across every touchpoint, from in-store and digital experiences to social and connected TV.

"For too long, the advertising industry has treated storytelling and commerce as separate disciplines," said Courtney Naudo, senior vice president and general manager of VIZIO, Walmart. "We're changing that. Walmart is creating a new model where content, media and commerce work together as one connected experience. At VIZIO, we have the expertise to find, create and produce entertaining premium branded content that resonates with our customers. And with the added power of Walmart Connect, we can activate these entertainment experiences so brands can build new, meaningful and measurable relationships with customers.”

Scaling the Model Across Key Annual Moments

Building on the success of Backyard Escapes, Walmart Connect and VIZIO are expanding premium branded content opportunities into additional high-impact moments such as Back to School, one of the year's most important shopping seasons for families. Join The Club is the latest premium branded content jointly created by VIZIO and Walmart Connect. Join The Club will be promoted and distributed across VIZIO and WatchFree+ and timed to coincide with Walmart's annual Back to School event. Hosted by award-winning actor Josh Gad, Join The Club is designed for college-bound students and their families as they prepare for campus life, with Josh joining four different college clubs in humorous and heartfelt “fish out of water” situations. Join The Club premieres on VIZIO WatchFree+ on Monday, August 3rd.

A New Standard For Creative Effectiveness in Retail Media

Across every touchpoint—from in-store to streaming—Walmart Connect is helping redefine how advertising works in today's marketplace: integrated, immersive and built for outcomes. Powered by Walmart's omnichannel ecosystem and strengthened by VIZIO's content and connected TV capabilities, Walmart Connect enables advertisers to move beyond siloed campaigns and create connected experiences that engage customers throughout their shopping journey.

As Walmart continues to expand its content-to-commerce offerings, Walmart Connect will continue to help brands activate across those experiences—reaching customers more meaningfully and turning engagement into measurable growth.

1. Walmart First Party Data [ 03/09/2026 - 04/30/2026 vs. 03/10/2025 - 05/01/2025]

2. Walmart First Party Data [ 03/07/2026 - 04/24/2026 vs. 03/08/2025 - 04/25/2025]

3. Walmart First Party Data [ 03/07/2026 - 04/24/2026]

4. Walmart First Party Data [ 03/07/2026 - 04/24/2026]

5. Walmart + VIZIO Newfronts Announcement, March 2026