Retail media is in a liminal space.<\/p>\n
WPP\u2019s 2025 forecast has retail media accounting for almost a fifth of total ad revenue by 2030, and the channel has outgrown retail, with financial and travel businesses getting into the space under the broader umbrella of commerce media. Still, the exponential growth seen in recent years may be hard to maintain.<\/p>\n
At the same time, retail media networks have expanded offerings far beyond digital display ads, and making a clear pitch to advertisers and ad buyers is top of mind. That\u2019s a big reason Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media offering for the grocery chain, showed up at the IAB NewFronts this year as a first-time presenter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were there mostly to show all that we have to offer and the breadth and scale of our offering,\u201d Liz Roche, VP of media and measurement at Albertsons Media Collective, told Marketing Brew; the chain has 49.8 million loyalty shoppers. \u201cRetail media isn\u2019t just sequestered to the bottom of the funnel. We really do have a full-funnel brand-building channel, so to speak, and a lot of that is enabled by our scale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Albertsons wasn\u2019t alone in pitching retail media at NewFronts; Walmart also had a presentation at NewFronts that detailed its combined offering with Vizio, the connected-TV company it acquired in 2024. (The Walmart-Vizio deal was something of a bellwether for retail media and a clear sign of the category\u2019s potential to scoop up brand dollars.) As retail media networks jockey for ad dollars, using arenas like NewFronts or creating something new, like Amazon\u2019s unBoxed or Home Depot\u2019s InFront, making the case for a particular network could become all the more important, which may lead to more of an even bigger presence across major industry events.<\/p>\n
Be there or be square<\/strong><\/h2>\nIn the past, much of NewFronts has focused on legitimizing digital platforms as well as \u201cstorytelling, reach, and content partnerships,\u201d Mike Feldman, SVP of commerce at Flywheel, told us in a LinkedIn message. \u201cRetail media has historically been about lower-funnel conversion and ROAS. Those worlds have been pretty separate.\u201d<\/p>\n
But that has begun to change. With retail media evolving beyond lower-funnel, it\u2019s not surprising that those retail media platforms would make a play for brand dollars where other media businesses do, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are media businesses, and they need to be where media people who buy into media businesses congregate\u2014the upfronts, the NewFronts, the big industry events, whether it\u2019s Shoptalk, whether it is broader, like Cannes [Lions], CES, New York Advertising Week,\u201d Quentin George, partner at McKinsey & Company, said. \u201cThose are the places that it would be smart for you to have some representation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The need for representation is obvious. Media networks seeking ad dollars are working to be in the room where ad buyers and advertisers are hearing pitches to get on their radar. One particular benefit for retail media networks that are early movers in getting into industry events is that they can clear up any confusion about offerings or availability for advertisers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fragmented,\u201d Ashley Hutchings, VP, head of digital and partnerships at media agency KSM, said. \u201cWe are able to access that data and inventory directly through them, through social media platforms, through programmatic buying systems, and DSPs. So I think it makes sense for them to showcase all of the different ways in which you can leverage their data and inventory, because you can access it through really any technology these days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Planning season<\/strong><\/h2>\nHaving some clarity about the pitch is just one reason why retail media networks may start showing up at events like NewFronts even more regularly. As retail media networks seek to continue driving growth, that will likely require even more advance planning to get brand dollars from advertisers.<\/p>\n
While there\u2019s already some advanced planning built into the retail media buying process for endemic advertisers with joint business planning sessions, the broader effort in further planning is likely necessary for continued growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe low-hanging dollars are pretty much all mopped up now,\u201d Sean Crawford, managing director, North America for connected commerce company SMG, told us. \u201cThe way for growth is going to be not just about sponsored search and sponsored ads on your site. It\u2019s gonna be a much more omnichannel approach.\u201d<\/p>\n
That means that retail media networks will look to \u201cwork further out with brands and create holistic campaigns that work in a store, onsite, and offsite,\u201d Crawford said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a case of clicking some programmatic on. It\u2019s going to require a little bit of further-out planning, further-out commitments. That\u2019s actually a good thing for the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Get marketing news you’ll actually want to read<\/h5>\n
Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The need for representation is obvious. Media networks seeking ad dollars are working to be in the room where ad buyers and advertisers are hearing pitches to get on their radar. One particular benefit for retail media networks that are early movers in getting into industry events is that they can clear up any confusion about offerings or availability for advertisers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fragmented,\u201d Ashley Hutchings, VP, head of digital and partnerships at media agency KSM, said. \u201cWe are able to access that data and inventory directly through them, through social media platforms, through programmatic buying systems, and DSPs. So I think it makes sense for them to showcase all of the different ways in which you can leverage their data and inventory, because you can access it through really any technology these days.\u201d<\/p>\n