50 • November / December 2026• abasto.com From the Mic to the Kitchen: The New Holiday Influencer Instead of another commercial announ- cing lower prices, show consumers the meal. Share the recipe. Tell the family story behind it. Then show what it cost— and what was saved by choosing private label. Suddenly, value becomes tangible. The idea can travel across platforms. Radio creates mass awareness and invites listeners into the experience. Short-form social video brings the recipe to life. The personality provides familiarity and trust. Retailers can extend the experience with digital recipes, QR codes, shoppable in- gredient lists or even personality-curated holiday collections. For private-label marketers, this is an opportunity to move the conversation be- yond price. A store brand can become part of so- meone’s traditions if marketers give con- sumers a reason to try it first. And during the holidays, food offers the perfect invi- tation. Consumers don’t need another message shouting about what’s on sale. They need ideas, inspiration and ways to celebrate generously while spending wisely. This holiday season, don’t just advertise what’s on the shelf. Give consumers a reason to put it on the table. • ADVICE BY GRACE AGOSTINO SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT (SVP) OF SALES AND CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AT NUEVA RED T he battle for the holiday basket doesn’t begin in the aisle. It begins in the consumer’s mind. Long before shoppers walk into a gro- cery store, they’re thinking about what they’ll cook, what traditions they’ll keep and, increasingly, how much it will all cost. That creates a unique opportunity for private-label brands. Value matters, especially when holiday shopping lists get longer. But saving mo- ney doesn’t have to mean sacrificing tra- dition, quality or the joy of putting some- thing special on the table. The marketing challenge is showing consumers that— not simply telling them. Enter the modern radio personality. Today’s DJs and hosts are more than voices behind a microphone. They are influencers with audiences that follow them from broadcast to Instagram, YouTube and other social platforms. That combination offers brands so- mething particularly powerful: mass reach paired with intimacy. Imagine a favorite personality taking listeners into their kitchen through a short vertical video to make the flan their mo- ther served every Christmas, their family’s tamales or the dish that simply has to be on the Nochebuena table. Now make private-label products part of the recipe.