AdExchanger ROAS? Nah. The Home Depot’s All About ROMO
Aug 26, 2025
Melanie Babcock-Brown, VP of Media and Monetization for The Home Depot’s Orange Apron Media, discusses the shift from ROAS to ROMO as a smarter measurement approach. She shares insights on evolving audience strategies, the importance of first-party data, and innovative marketing practices. With humor, she connects family anecdotes about Girl Scouts with the pursuit of customer engagement. Topics also include managing retail media networks, sustainability challenges, and practical home improvement hacks for new residents.
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From Social Commerce To Retail Media
- Melanie described building Home Depot's social commerce and personalization from scratch using partnerships with Facebook and Pinterest.
- She used those experiences to shape audience marketing and later launch Orange Apron Media.
Project Signals Beat Demographics
- Home Depot uses product and project signals rather than demographics to identify in-market customers.
- Predictive models combine clicks, baskets and recency to find shoppers mid-project.
Timing Windows Inform Targeting
- Timing windows differ by category: refrigerators need immediate action, washers take days, and other projects take months.
- Home Depot tailors marketing cadence to those decision timelines.