Looking closer: Unlocking opportunity for Tom’s of Maine at Walmart

The Colgate Palmolive team started with two simple questions about the Tom’s of Maine brand: Who are the Walmart shoppers purchasing Tom’s of Maine, and how can we connect with them more effectively? To find the answers, they turned to Scintilla.

See how Colgate Palmolive used Scintilla insights to reassess and retarget their audience, leading to enhanced media efforts and stronger returns.

The opportunity: Shift Walmart Connect media toward hyper-targeted advertising

Colgate Palmolive had long regarded Walmart shoppers who buy Tom’s of Maine like the other Tom’s of Maine customers from around the country: They led outdoorsy, health-focused lifestyles and favored eco-friendly products. Media for Tom’s of Maine at Walmart reflected those assumptions and targeted an audience with the same traits.

But when Colgate-Palmolive found that Tom’s of Maine media was underperforming at Walmart, they realized that perspective was based on outdated data. They needed an updated view of the brand's audience.

The approach: Rethinking assumptions about the shopper

The Colgate-Palmolive team turned to Scintilla Shopper Behavior for insights into their audience. They used the Cross-Shop, Basket, and Customer Decision Tree reports to understand how customers shopped and evaluated options, then added insights from the Best Customers report Migration Matrix to understand brand loyalty.

They found that Tom’s of Maine shoppers at Walmart were different than expected. Rather than being primarily outdoorsy, they were predominantly health focused and highly engaged with natural wellness. And as a largely male audience, they also tended to purchase Tom’s of Maine alongside other men’s personal care products.

A strategy to match the new reality

This discovery prompted the Colgate-Palmolive team to rethink how they connected with shoppers both in store and online. They launched new Walmart Connect audiences based on these new traits, focusing more on men and organic food shoppers.

The team also launched separate creative strategies for the brand’s toothpaste and deodorant lines. They used a new Insights Activation feature to translate data from the Brand Loyalty Matrix into Walmart Connect audiences, enabling more specific targeting.

The results: Refocusing on core audience boosts results

Colgate-Palmolive's revamped media approach resulted in improvements across the board. In marketing performance, the brand experienced higher return on ad spend, Online Pickup & Delivery conversion, and new buyer growth.

Shoppers also responded well—sales cannibalization dropped, loyalty increased, and cross-shopping between toothpaste and deodorant increased.