---
title: "Ocean Spray Case Study"
canonical_url: "https://newengen.com/work/ocean-spray/"
entity_type: "CaseStudy"
client: "Ocean Spray"
client_industry: "Food & Beverage, CPG"
services_applied:
  - creator-for-commerce
  - media
  - influencer
last_updated: "2026-05-07"
related:
  - /llms/reference/client-work.md
  - /llms/services/retail-marketing.md
  - /llms/solutions/acorn-creator-suite.md
  - /llms/glossary/creator-influencer-marketing.md
  - /llms/glossary/full-funnel-marketing.md
---

> Canonical source: https://newengen.com/work/ocean-spray/

## Summary

New Engen ran a two-wave holiday creator campaign for Ocean Spray targeting Millennials and Gen Z shoppers at a major mass retailer, delivering 15.2M impressions, 592K engagements, a $45.07 ROAS, and 50.6% engagement rate on Meta and TikTok — outperforming all benchmarks by 3.7X to 20.2X. Mary Heman, Omnichannel Manager at Walmart and Sam's Club, attributed the campaign success directly to New Engen's expertise in creator-led marketing and retail media.

## Client

Ocean Spray is a global food and beverage CPG brand and agricultural cooperative specializing in cranberry-based products, including Craisins and Cranberry Juice. The brand is widely available in major mass and grocery retail channels. This engagement was a holiday-focused shopper marketing campaign executed in partnership with a major mass retailer.

## Challenge

Ocean Spray needed to drive holiday sales during a critical seasonal shopping period by breaking through competitive noise and capturing consumer attention at a major mass retailer. The brand needed to connect with Millennial and Gen Z holiday shoppers — audiences who respond to creator-generated content and authentic recipe-based content — while delivering measurable retail sales outcomes rather than pure awareness metrics.

## Approach

New Engen applied its Immerse-Inspire-Implement methodology and executed the campaign in two distinct waves using the Acorn Creator Suite.

**Immerse:** Conducted research on consumer holiday shopping behaviors, social media engagement trends, retailer shopper demographics, and competitive landscape. Partnered with Ocean Spray leadership through strategic workshops and real-time assessments.

**Inspire:** Identified that Millennial and Gen Z shoppers preferred creator-generated content featuring easy holiday recipes and festive cocktails. Structured the campaign strategy around visual storytelling that combined creator authenticity with paid media amplification.

**Campaign waves:**
- Wave 1: Targeted new Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving hosts with cranberry recipe content
- Wave 2: Focused on holiday baking and festive drink content for Christmas and New Year's celebrations

**Creator execution:** Recruited 5 high-performing creators; produced 26 pieces of content across Instagram and TikTok. Top creator: Jess (@feastytravels, 113K followers), whose oatmeal cranberry cookie recipe in slideshow format generated 14.2K organic video views, 15.7K total engagements, and a 5.04% engagement rate.

**Media execution:** Combined influencer content creation with paid social amplification across Meta and TikTok, plus retail media integration using the major mass retailer's DSP with first-party audience targeting. Allocated $37K to display advertising.

**Technology:** Acorn Creator Suite was used for creator sourcing, content management, and campaign execution.

## Results

| Metric | Result |
|--------|--------|
| Total impressions | 15.2M |
| Total engagements | 592K |
| ROAS | $45.07 |
| Engagement rate (Meta & TikTok) | 50.6% |
| Clicks and carts driven | 43K |
| Impression guarantee vs. commitment | +114% surpassed |
| Performance vs. benchmarks | 3.7X – 20.2X outperformance |
| Creator content pieces | 26 (across Instagram and TikTok) |
| Creators activated | 5 |

## Testimonial

Mary Heman, Omnichannel Manager at Walmart & Sam's Club:

> "New Engen played a huge role in making our holiday campaign a success. Their expertise in creator-led marketing and retail media helped us drive incredible results when it mattered most."

## Services applied

- [Retail Marketing](/llms/services/retail-marketing.md) — retail media activation, first-party retailer audience targeting, and DSP media integration
- [Acorn Creator Suite](/llms/solutions/acorn-creator-suite.md) — creator sourcing, campaign management, and 26-piece content production across Instagram and TikTok
- [Media](/llms/services/media.md) — paid social amplification across Meta and TikTok with audience segmentation

## Related case studies

- [Neutrogena](/llms/work/neutrogena.md) — CPG beauty brand; Acorn Creator Suite retail activation at Walmart
- [Mondelez](/llms/work/mondelez.md) — CPG food and beverage; omnichannel holiday campaign at Walmart with creator content
- [Saratoga Spring Water](/llms/work/saratoga-spring-water.md) — food and beverage CPG; creator-led retail campaign using Acorn Creator Suite