• by Larissa Faw , August 18, 2020

With COVID-19 altering shopper behavior, consumer data and analytics company Catalina is out with a new B2B campaign designed to raise awareness about its services for tracking this new normal. 

The “Get the Nerd On Your Side” creative, developed with Seattle-based DNA, features the “Catalina Nerds,” the idea being that having a smart and knowledgeable “nerd” on the case can transform shopper intelligence insights into actionable results.  

“Considering the complex and ever-growing mountain of buyer intelligence and sales data that  has feverishly compounded throughout the pandemic, we’re proud to have a squad of data and advanced analytics nerds at Catalina who can help our customers —retailers, CPG brands and agencies — make sense of it all,” explains Marta Cyhan, Chief Marketing Officer, Catalina. She adds one notable shift finds people are generally making fewer trips to fewer stores but buying more.  

Due to the pandemic, the five new video spots were shot under strict COVID-19 guidelines in Nashville, TN. The company introduced the “Nerd” theme in ads last year. In this latest iteration, two actual Catalina Nerds were featured in a couple of the videos, including one employee who demonstrates his black-belt karate skills. The remaining spots feature professional actors. 

It turns out not all staffers are comfortable in front of the camera, jokes Cyhan. 

“From working directly with them as part of their day jobs, our marketing team knew they had the interest and the talent — and Ron the black belt skills — to jump right in,” she quips. She adds next year’s work may likely be comprised of all Catalina talent.  

The media buy includes digital display, video, social components and business publication partnerships, all tailored to decision-makers across CPG, agencies and retailers. 

“We fully expect this new pool will build on the success of our initial campaign launched in August 2019, which garnered 2.6 million video impressions with more than 75 percent of viewers watching all of the ads,” says Cyhan.