The agency expands its use of PINATA’s AI-powered platform to track, automate, and optimize thousands of retail merchandising executions annually for global brands including Campari.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

A.P. Keaton, a full-service marketing and experiential agency supporting globally recognized spirits portfolios including Campari Group, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Bacardi, and Edrington, is expanding its use of PINATA, the AI-powered operating system for brand execution, to manage and verify retail merchandising programs at national scale.

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As beverage alcohol brands face increasing pressure to prove ROI on trade investment, the ability to track in-store compliance and execution quality has become mission-critical. Authorizations do not equal sales. Displays do not equal visibility. “Perfect Store” initiatives (where brands define exactly what execution should look like at the shelf and verify it location by location) only drive velocity when they are consistently executed and measured. The partnership between A.P. Keaton and PINATA underscores a broader shift within the alcohol and CPG industries: field execution is no longer anecdotal. It is data-driven, photo-verified, and increasingly powered by AI and automation.

In this new retail reality, A.P. Keaton has partnered with PINATA to centralize field reporting, automate merchandising workflows, and deliver verified documentation of in-store execution to brand and distributor stakeholders, replacing the manual tracking processes that have long consumed significant time and resources across the industry.

A.P. Keaton uses PINATA to organize and track retail and experiential activations across its national programs. The platform supports shelf audits, display documentation, POS compliance checks, and account visits tied to national and regional campaigns. As the agency’s footprint has grown, PINATA’s AI-driven workflows, built-in automation, and real-time field reporting have helped ensure that campaigns are executed consistently across markets.

The platform also enables A.P. Keaton and its brand partners to analyze the performance and impact of large-scale retail display installations and merchandising initiatives, automatically translating field activity into structured, photo-verified records that support brand accountability and AI-driven program measurement.

“Execution is everything,” said Ryan Goldstein, Founder and CEO of A.P. Keaton. “When you're running thousands of retail executions across markets, you need more than people in the field… you need structure, visibility, and proof. PINATA allows us to track what’s actually happening in-store and give brand partners real accountability around execution.”

Through PINATA, A.P. Keaton tracks display installations, competitive set conditions, product positioning improvements, and field team activity across national programs. The platform’s AI-powered reporting automatically translates field execution into measurable, documented outcomes that brand teams and distributor partners can act on.

Across its customer base, PINATA powers over 100,000 users in thousands of organizations, processing more than three million verified execution touchpoints monthly across all 50 states. Every report, photo, and interaction feeds a continuously enriched, AI-ready data layer: a structured foundation that enables pattern recognition, automated insights, and intelligent recommendations across programs and markets. For customers, the platform routinely reduces manual tracking and report verification time by over 95%, redirecting the equivalent of multiple full-time employees from administrative reconciliation to higher-impact work, while dramatically improving data accuracy and consistency. This is the essential foundation for unlocking AI-powered decision-making at scale.

“A.P. Keaton represents the modern evolution of trade and experiential marketing,” said Ian Ferguson, CEO of PINATA. “They are operating at the intersection of fabrication, field marketing, retail execution, and experiential… and they do it at serious scale. PINATA’s AI and automation ensure that every activation, display install, and Perfect Store visit is captured, verified, and visible across the entire ecosystem.”

By combining A.P. Keaton’s creative, fabrication, and field expertise with PINATA’s AI-powered execution platform, global brands gain both breakthrough retail presence and the operational infrastructure (and intelligence) required to sustain it across markets.

About PINATA

PINATA is the AI-powered operating system for brand execution, purpose-built for industries that rely on front-line teams. From alcohol to CPG and retail, PINATA connects brands, distributors, agencies, retailers, and field teams on a single platform. PINATA replaces manual processes with AI agents, automated workflows, and real-time reporting. Field reps submit photo-verified reports, document visits, and get paid through PINATA’s mobile portal with no app download or password required. Corporate and regional teams get real-time dashboards, automated compliance tracking, and AI-driven insights. The platform powers over 100,000 users in thousands of organizations nationwide.

About A.P. Keaton

A.P. Keaton is a full-service marketing and experiential agency specializing in brand strategy, retail marketing, fabrication, field marketing, digital campaigns, and large-scale activations. The agency partners with globally recognized brands including Campari Group, Diageo, Bacardi, Pernod Ricard, and Edrington to deliver synchronized, high-impact programs across the consumer journey.

For more information, visit www.apkeaton.com.

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Source: PINATA