Some planners, buyers and visiting reps may take media department receptionists for granted, but that’s now almost impossible to do at UM’s West 33rd Street offices, where the agency unveiled a new, state-of-the-art commerce lab dedicated to beloved UM receptionist Marva Sealy.
The lab is named Marva’s and dedicated to Sealy, who has been the agency’s receptionist since 1999, and it offers the UM staff, clients, reps and even some trade reporters an opportunity to have a hands-on experience with the rapidly evolving technologies — and interfaces — influencing consumers’ retail path-to-purchase.
To outfit Marva’s, UM’s commerce unit partnered with Cooler Screens, Aki, Inmar and Flowcode to showcase both in-store and digital media, including Grocery TV, Instacart’s AI-powered “Caper Cart,” Amazon’s “Astro” delivery robot, and iHeartRadio’s in-store radio station and future podcasts live inside the facility.