In a world where shoppers are increasingly using their phones to build shopping lists, Newell Brands has found innovative ways to stand out on mobile while keeping the consumer experience front and center.
Making the Mobile Hero Work
Newell recently tackled a challenge posed by Kroger, one of their strategic grocery partners: how to optimize mobile imagery for discoverability. The goal was to ensure that products like Yankee Candle or Rubbermaid were immediately visible and appealing to shoppers in both grocery aisles and online.
Mobile Hero experiences allow Newell to:
- Deliver clear, impactful product imagery
- Align messaging with shopper intent during browsing
- Drive category growth while maintaining brand presence
“Everyone is using their phones when they shop, but it is only a few scrolls before they make a decision. We needed a way to make our products pop, feel relevant, and be easy to find during that critical moment.”
— Michele McNamara, Director of Digital Commerce at Newell
“Mobile Hero is really about driving discoverability and helping shoppers find exactly what they are looking for,” McNamara says. ”It also allows us to optimize content across the portfolio while keeping the consumer at the center of every decision.”
Accelerating Campaign Production with It’sRapid
Newell Brands leveraged It’sRapid creative automation to streamline mobile hero and digital shelf content, giving the team speed and flexibility to iterate campaigns while keeping every brand on-message and retailer-ready. This approach helped Newell ensure that products like Yankee Candle and Rubbermaid stood out to shoppers, improved discoverability on mobile, and drove meaningful results across the portfolio.
Category-First Thinking
Newell applied a category-driven approach to their mobile hero strategy. For example, in the candle category, over 55% of shoppers make impulse purchases—more than candy bars—so visual merchandising on mobile is crucial.
By segmenting products based on scent profiles, shopper preferences, and behavior, Newell ensured that each mobile experience resonated with the right audience. The retailer feedback was overwhelmingly positive: the solution helped drive point-of-sale performance across the category, not just for Newell products.
”This strategy helped us stand out in Q4, not only in candles but across general merchandise,” McNamara says. ”It drove traffic between Yankee Candle, Rubbermaid, and other portfolio brands, setting a blueprint for future campaigns.”
Planning for Growth
Looking toward 2026, McNamara is keeping her focus on consumer insights and business integration.
”It is about understanding what works with shoppers and keeping them at the forefront,” McNamara says. ”We are also exploring ways to deepen integration with retail partners, ensuring our media efforts are meaningful for both the consumer and the business.”
By combining strategic mobile experiences, category-first thinking, and creative automation with It’sRapid, Newell Brands is creating a more seamless path for shoppers to discover, engage with, and purchase products—proving that even in a crowded digital landscape, mobile-first strategies can drive measurable impact.