-
Let's Talk About Stuff.
Our Blog
Our goal in posting our blogs is three fold: To introduce timely industry news that is relevant to our clients; to post items we find interesting and entertaining, and finally, to give you a glimpse of TSW US “Behind the Curtain”. We take the business aspects of what we are doing very seriously, but we like to have fun, hopefully that shines through here.
Our Blog is a puzzle being assembled. Sometimes the individual pieces of the puzzle don’t look like the whole picture once completed – You have to keep adding pieces one at a time to make the image clear. We hope you keep coming back to see how the TSW US puzzle takes shape.
Package Insert Survey Part 4: Brand Trust
81% of Shoppers Are Open to Trying New Brands Through Package Advertising
In a recent survey we asked shoppers: How likely are you to try a new brand if it’s featured inside a trusted retailer’s package?
The results speak volumes:
✅ 81% said very or somewhat likely
🤔 14% said unlikely
❌ 5% said not at all
This is the power of trust transfer. When a brand appears inside a retailer’s package, it benefits from the credibility of the retailer the shopper already chose.
And it works because of where it happens: in the home. Nearly 90% of purchase decisions are made there, where attention is focused and decision-makers are engaged. Package media captures that moment, creating a direct and lasting impression.
For retailers, package inserts and samples do more than monetize e-commerce inventory. When executed well, shoppers view them as added value, not ads.
In a world where digital alone is not enough, package advertising is a proven omnichannel tool that builds trust, drives trial, and delivers moments that matter.
👉 Let’s talk about how your brand can join the 81 percent.
Reach out to Ryan Rager (ryanrager@exactconnections.com) for the full survey results.
Connections joins B-Corp status
We’re excited to share some good news from our parent company, What's Possible Group. They’ve officially been awarded B-Corp status!
At Connections, we’re proud to be part of an organization that puts purpose and responsibility at the heart of how it operates. It’s a reminder that doing great work and doing the right thing can go hand in hand.
Congratulations to everyone at Whats Possible Group who made this possible. We’re looking forward to continuing to part of a business that’s good for our clients, our people, and the wider community.
✈️ Next stop: New York.
Our own Richard Downey will be in the city next Tuesday and Wednesday (Sept 23rd and 24th) and is looking forward to connecting.
If you’re an advertiser eager to reach highly engaged, purchase-minded audiences through our exclusive media opportunities, or a retailer exploring how to monetize outbound packages as a powerful channel, Richard would love to meet. (We just crossed $85 million in incremental revenue generated for our retail partners!!!!)
Let’s talk about how we can turn everyday customer touchpoints into measurable growth.
📩 Drop Richard a message to set up time while he’s in town. (RichardDowney@exactconnections.com)
3 reasons why it is best to launch a package insert program with one agency partner
-
Different sales teams going to market with the same program causes confusion, duplication of work, and often leads to lower yields as potential advertisers can simply play the multiple sales agencies off against each other.
-
Any revenue expectation or targets set by the retailer become impossible for an agency to be measured against if one team is not fully responsible for all the campaigns and revenue generated.
-
The retailer themselves has more work to do! Rather than just dealing with one partner agency, they will have two or three times as many contacts and interactions. And the more of those they have the less time the retailer has to focus on their core areas of focus.
Package Insert Survey Part 3: Drive action
📦 Do package inserts drive action? Absolutely.
In part 3 of our survey of US Consumers: nearly 1 in 2 consumers say they always or often take action on promotional content found inside a package. Whether it’s scanning a QR code, redeeming an offer, or exploring a product, this is high-intent engagement.
That’s not just awareness. That’s conversion-ready attention right at the moment of unboxing.
Print media isn’t old school. It’s effective. In a cluttered digital space, it’s tangible, targeted, and trusted.
If you're not tapping into package-based media, you're missing a direct line to action.
Want to turn boxes into brand-building moments? Let’s connect.
If you interested in the full survey data contact Ryan Rager.
Package Insert Survey Part 2: Trust and relevance
Part two of our survey reveals how US consumers feel about package inserts compared to traditional direct mail.
Consumers trust what feels relevant — and package inserts deliver that trust.
In our latest survey, over 80% of shoppers said they find a printed offer from a brand they just purchased from trustworthy and relevant. This includes 55% who chose it outright and another 28% who rated it as equally trustworthy.
By contrast, only 10% favored generic direct mail.
That’s the power of context.
📦 When an offer arrives inside a package, it’s tied to a brand experience the shopper already trusts.
💡 It doesn’t feel like advertising — it feels like a reward.
🚀 And it converts, because it reaches consumers at their most receptive moment: unboxing.
For brand managers, package inserts are a smarter alternative to direct mail:
✅ Built-in credibility
✅ Targeted by recent purchase behavior
✅ Delivered at scale through premium ecommerce partners
Direct mail interrupts. Package inserts connect.
If you’re looking to invest in channels that consumers actually welcome, it’s time to own the unboxing moment.
Package Insert Survey Part 1
How do people really feel when opening an ecommerce package?
Connections recently conducted a national survey of US consumers to understand emotional engagement at the exact moment a package is opened.
The headline?
74% of consumers said they feel excited.
Not neutral. Not distracted. Excited.
Compare that to traditional direct mail—often lost in a stack of bills or non-relevant mail—or digital ads that are a scroll away from being forgotten. Package insert media reaches people in a moment of joy, when they’re highly engaged and emotionally open.
This data reinforces what our partners already know:
If you want attention, go where the excitement lives.
This is part 1 of a 5 part survey series to share our findings around Package Inserts.
💍 Big news from the Connections team — we’ve just welcomed David’s Bridal to our portfolio of retail partners!
New Retailer Alert: Petco Joins Connections Portfolio of Exclusive Programs! 🐾
We’re thrilled to welcome Petco as our newest—and exclusive—package insert partner.
For brands looking to engage high-intent shoppers at home, this is a powerful moment: Petco packages are landing in the homes of devoted pet parents who spend with purpose.
📬 Why it matters:
Petco buyers are emotionally invested. They’re purchasing essentials for the furry (or scaly) members of their family. That moment of delivery? It’s joyful, intentional, and distraction-free—exactly when your brand should show up.
✨ Package inserts are:
• Hyper-targeted—based on real purchase data
• High-impact—directly in hand at the point of unboxing
• Trusted—endorsed by a retailer the shopper already loves
• Efficient—delivering ROI at scale across 1B+ packages annually
🎯 Great Fit for Petco’s Package Insert Audience:
• Subscription meal kits (for humans!)
• Home cleaning & organization brands
• Fitness & wellness programs
• Insurance providers (home, life)
• Travel & pet-friendly lodging
• Lifestyle boxes and gifting services
• Credit card and financial services
• On-demand delivery & convenience services
If you're looking for meaningful engagement and a strong conversion driver, Petco just became your next best channel.
Let’s talk about owning this in-home moment.
Target Media Solutions, Inc. and Connections announce merger to create family lifestage retail media marketplace.
We’re excited to share the press release below announcing our merger with Target Media Solutions.
------------------------
Target Media Solutions, Inc. and Connections announce merger to create family lifestage retail media marketplace.
The combined business represents some of the most-loved life- stage retailers, spanning bridal, pregnancy, young and growing families. This merger brings together two of the most established and respected players in the offline media, and in particular, the package insert sector into one united team harnessing many years of category experience, contacts and know how.
Richard Downey, SVP of Connections, says “We are beyond excited to announce this merger. We have been working with the TMS team for many years and have always admired their knowledge, tenacity, and helpful nature. Earlier in 2025, we started tentative conversations about joining forces, and those early conversations have led us to this fantastic conclusion. The whole Connections team looks forward to getting to know the TMS client and customer base, and we are honoured to get the chance to work with great people such as Ingrid Brown and Joe Fitzgerald.”
Connections is an Atlanta, Georgia-based business specializing in the management and monetization of retail media programs for companies such as Carters Inc., Shutterfly, and Saks OFF 5TH. The merger with TMS adds the retail programs of Similac, Petco, David's Bridal and many more to the united portfolio making the collection of programs the largest collection of Mom and family focused retail programs to be found in North America.
Joe Fitzgerald, EVP Operations & Business Development of Target Media Solutions, says, “We couldn't be more excited about our merger with Connections, another respected leader in the lifestage marketing space. This strategic union enhances our capabilities in insert media and allows us to leverage additional innovative ideas and cutting-edge technology.
Having collaborated closely over the past several years, it became clear that we are stronger together than as separate entities. By combining our advertiser and marketing program relationships, decades of industry expertise, and technological strengths, we are creating a more powerful, synergistic organization—one that will deliver even greater value to our clients.”
The merged agency, operating under the name Connections, is eager to engage with retail programs interested in generating significant incremental revenue by leveraging their e-commerce or digital inventory through complementary, non-competitive advertising partnerships.
Please reach out to Richard Downey at richarddowney@exactconnections.com