Sam's Club names Havas' Arnold, Horizon as new agencies

Walmart sibling Sam’s Club has shifted its creative and media accounts following reviews to Havas’ Arnold Worldwide and independent Horizon Media’s New York-based Horizon Next direct marketing agency. They succeed incumbents WPP’s VMLY&R on creative and WPP-backed Haworth on media.

The shakeup comes despite strong results for Sam’s Club, which saw sales soar 14.5% to $84 billion for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, with record membership and plans to expand by opening 30 new clubs plus new distribution and fulfillment centers over the next few years.

Sam’s media spending also has been soaring, up 89% last year to $268 million, according to Vivvix, including paid social data from Pathmatics. That pales compared to Walmart, which saw spending rise 17% to $2.2 billion, but Sam’s also has been growing faster than Walmart over recent years. It remains to be seen if that pace has been sustained when fiscal first-quarter results are reported on May 18, as normally fast-growing club rival Costco reported a rare same-store sales decline last month.

“We’re transforming the way that we do business and engage with our members through the value we deliver, the purpose we stand for, and the experiences we help create in our members' lives,” said Ciara Anfield, chief member and marketing officer at Sam’s Club. “As we advance our capabilities and value proposition as a membership-based retailer, it’s imperative that we evolve our brand in parallel.”

Anfield thanked VMLY&R and Haworth for their work on Sam’s over the years. VMLY&R declined to comment and Haworth executives didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Both had been on the roster when Anfield took over her position last year following the departure of Tony Rogers as chief member officer in 2022. VMLY&R became the club retailer’s first creative agency of record in 2021, though Sam's had a track record of working with creative shops such as Strawberry Frog, the Via Agency and Mono on a project basis over prior years.

Also read: Walmart data to be used to personalize connected TV ads

Anfield said the Sam’s team was impressed with Arnold for the agency’s creative vision for authentic storytelling that connected directly with the core member base of Sam’s Club. Arnold’s area of focus for the brand will include driving brand affinity, building unaided awareness and effectively communicating the benefits of membership, according to the statement.

“Our partnership with Sam’s Club has been a true collaboration inspired by our teams’ shared ambition to create meaningful work that demonstrates the company’s purpose in a distinctive way,” said George Sargent, CEO of Arnold Worldwide. “We’re proud of our first work together, and we’re excited for what’s to come.”

Sam’s Club worked quickly to onboard Arnold and produce the first creative campaign to come from the new agency.

“The work features a 60-second spot that embodies a message of togetherness,” said Jonathan Stiers, chief creative of Sam’s Club. “Sam’s Club has always helped make the moments in life easier for members, whether they’re celebrating, hosting, or giving back. Our new ad celebrates the beauty of those everyday moments made possible by Sam’s Club.”

The spot will air across connected TV, online video, social, and the brand’s owned channels in a variety of formats beginning May 8.

Horizon Next will focus on ensuring Sam’s is connecting to members through personalization, said Ashley Gibbs, VP of marketing for Sam’s Club, in the retailer’s statement. “Their digital-first approach and ability to deeply customize engagement through precision targeting of our member audiences, as well as their proven ability to utilize data to connect in the right channels at the right time was exactly what we were looking for in an agency partner,” Gibbs said.

“Sam’s Club is the perfect client for Horizon Next,” said Gene Turner, president of Horizon Next. “Their desire to connect with each member and potential member one-on-one, in a real and personalized manner is truly inspiring and should be the goal of every retailer today. Our proprietary ID framework, Blu., will enable Sam’s to engage their current members while driving more membership signups.”