Ace Hardware's RedVest Media Unveils New Measurement, Audience and Social Capabilities at Inaugural Upfront

New solutions help brands build awareness, reach distinctive DIY audiences and connect media investment to measurable business outcomes

OAK BROOK, Ill., Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- RedVest Media, Ace Hardware's retail media network, today announced a slate of measurement enhancements, audience solutions, social and influencer capabilities, and commerce-media innovations at its inaugural 2027 Upfront. Together, the advancements are designed to help brands build stronger connections with Ace customers across the full journey, from inspiration and discovery through purchase and long-term growth.

The announcements advance RedVest Media's evolution as The Helpful Network, pairing Ace's distinctive customer relationships, locally rooted store model and home-improvement expertise with media solutions that are more measurable, more actionable and more relevant to the moments that matter. The inaugural event was supported by DoorDash, Pacvue, Epsilon and In-Store Marketplace, whose partnerships help power the continued evolution of RedVest Media's commerce, measurement, audience and activation capabilities.

"We are expanding RedVest Media thoughtfully in the areas advertisers value most and in ways that lean into the uniqueness of Ace. Our focus is providing even more robust measurement, richer audience intelligence and more ways to activate across the customer journey," said Molly Hjelm, Corporate Vice President and Head of RedVest Media at Ace Hardware. "We're particularly thrilled to announce significant partnerships in Social and Influencer, which will help our vendors engage the Ace customer via trusted, authentic perspectives. Our newly announced DoorDash partnership will help advertisers drive discovery and engage new customers through the DoorDash platform."

More robust measurement and actionable insights
RedVest Media is expanding its measurement suite to give advertisers a clearer view of both immediate campaign performance and broader business impact. Enhancements include incrementality measurement for offsite media, new-to-brand reporting and new ways to share insights and analysis. The expanded approach is designed to help brands better understand the business impact of their media investment, identify what's driving growth and uncover opportunities to optimize future campaigns.

Social and Influencer capabilities officially launch
RedVest Media is officially launching social amplification and influencer marketing capabilities. Social amplification enables brands to extend existing social creative into additional media environments while adding RedVest Media audience capabilities and closed-loop measurement. Through Influential, brands will also be able to work with trusted, Ace-vetted creators to bring products and project ideas to life, reaching customers earlier in moments of inspiration and consideration.

DoorDash partnership creates a new commerce-media touchpoint
Through a new DoorDash advertising capability, Ace vendors can engage customers directly within the Ace Hardware storefront on DoorDash. Sponsored Ads and Sponsored Brands formats are designed to help brands increase visibility and influence purchase decisions while customers are actively building an order. A proud Upfront sponsor, DoorDash is helping extend the RedVest Media ecosystem into on-demand commerce, creating new opportunities for brands to drive visibility and sales in high-intent shopping moments.

A new audience library reflects the distinctiveness of the Ace customer
RedVest Media is building an audience library designed to connect brands with Ace's distinctive base of DIYers, handy homeowners and customers focused on maintaining and preserving their homes. While RedVest has always leveraged first-party data for its targeting, an audience library gives advertisers even more connectivity to custom customer cohorts aligned to their objectives.

Innovation built for home improvement, local relevance and the Ace model
RedVest Media also announced capabilities that lean into the unique dynamics of the home-improvement category, Ace's locally owned store model and the role Ace retailers play in their communities.

• Weather-Triggered Programmatic Advertising: activates campaigns based on local weather conditions, helping brands deliver timely messages when weather creates a relevant project, product or household need.
• RetailerReach: gives eligible vendors new ways to reach Ace and Emery Jensen retailers through retailer-facing banners, emails and educational content, helping brands build consideration and support distribution in partnership with merchandising.
• Category Driver Campaigns: are multi-brand media packages with shared creative aligned to relevant seasonal moments and merchant departmental objectives. These campaigns are eligible for pooled investment across multiple relevant brands, allowing participating brands to get more reach and channels for their investment than if they were to execute their own campaign.

Together, these launches create a more connected RedVest Media ecosystem, one that combines the scale and convenience of digital commerce with the relevance of local communities, distinctive home-improvement audiences and measurement designed to guide smarter investment.

"For more than 100 years, Ace has helped customers care for the homes and communities they value most," said Kim Lefko, Chief Marketing Officer at Ace Hardware. "We've built our reputation by being The Helpful Place and by offering highly desired national brands. Our retail media network reflects that. RedVest Media is a brand-building tool that puts the power of more than 80 million Ace Rewards members, over 5,300 store locations, and Ace's hyper-local relevance in the hands of our vendor community. It's been incredibly exciting to see how rapidly brands have leaned in, using these tools to earn attention and drive growth."

The announced capabilities are available now, and the audience library will continue to develop over calendar year 2027. Some capabilities may require an investment or commitment threshold.

About Ace Hardware
Ace Hardware is the largest hardware cooperative in the world, serving more than 8,950 locally owned and operated stores around the globe, while providing the best products, services, and operating methods to almost 5,300 Ace retail stores in the United States. Ace Hardware's family of brands includes Ace Hardware, Emery Jensen Distribution, and independent retailers worldwide. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace operates an expansive network of U.S. distribution centers, along with international capabilities in Ningbo, China. Since 1924, Ace has been a part of local communities, known as the place with the helpful hardware folks. For more information, visit acehardware.com or newsroom.acehardware.com.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Ace Hardware Corporation