Hy-Vee Deal to Fuel More Growth for Vibenomics

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 06:30 AM EDT Updated: Wednesday, January 19, 2022 07:36 AM EDT
By Alex Brown, Assistant Managing Editor
(photo courtesy of Vibenomics)

The chief executive officer of Fishers-based Vibenomics says the addition of its Audio Out-of-Home advertising platform to Hy-Vee supermarkets is another example of the company’s continued growth. The company’s software combines licensed music playlists and commercial spots that can be targeted to specific store customers at a variety of retailers. “The more density and the more impressions and listeners that we can talk to, the better it is for Vibenomics to continue to scale,” said Brent Oakley.

In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Oakley said 64% of the U.S. population hears Vibenomics on a monthly basis.

“What that also equates to is 22 million listeners a day listen to Vibenomics. So, the scale has been just continuing to grow and grow,” said Oakley. “The amount of advertisers that we work with now – we have over 150 of the Fortune 100 CPGs in the country working with us, which is fantastic and it’s fun to think about we’re doing all of this out of Fishers, Indiana, connecting brands and networks together at point-of-sale and we’re doing it across the country.”

Vibenomics says its platform will be heard in more than 400 Hy-Vee locations, in addition to the 2,500 Kroger stores it is already in, thanks to a deal inked last July.

“Hy-Vee’s got such a great name as a brand themselves,” Oakley said. “They’re not the size of Kroger and Publix and Meijer, but they have such a great, unique brand for people who have had the opportunity to visit their stores. So, having them believe in Vibenomics and what we do for the shopper experience really makes a difference, and it gets other retailers excited about what we’re doing.”

Oakley says the platform allows users to customize the music and advertisements heard at a single store or among a group of stores that could be in the thousands based on the demographic data it receives from third-party aggregators.

Hy-Vee itself is in growth mode, recently announcing an expansion into four new states, including Indiana, by 2023.