Media that Drives Retail Sales with Costco’s Mark Williamson

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Jun 4, 2025

Mark Williamson, AVP of Retail Media at Costco, shares his insights on the evolving landscape of retail media. With a rich background from Sam’s Club and Ahold Delhaize USA, he discusses why retail media is essential for brands today, surpassing traditional advertising methods. Mark highlights Costco's unique offerings and how their transparent measurement strategies enhance brand performance. The conversation also delves into balancing advertising options, leveraging data for audience targeting, and the innovative growth management strategies driving success in retail.

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ANECDOTE

Mark's Costco Retail Media Journey

Mark Williamson joined Costco due to its strong brand and the curiosity about the company's retail media strategy.
He saw retail media as a catalyst to strengthen member value and omnichannel transformation at Costco.

INSIGHT

Retail Media's Digital Promise

Retail media thrives because content consumption is digital and personalized, allowing precise targeting and measurement.
It promises more transparency, efficiency, and better performance than traditional linear ads.

INSIGHT

Costco's Unique Onsite Media

Costco offers more homepage ad space than many retailers, merchandised like their physical warehouses.
Email placements and sponsored product ads supplement, focusing on driving awareness and discovery for members shopping their website.

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In this episode, the CPG Guys are joined by Mark Williamson, AVP of Retail Media at Costco, the world’s largest club format omnichannel retailer.

Follow Mark on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkwilliamson/

Follow Costco on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/costco-wholesale/

Follow Costco online at: https://www.costco.com/f/-/company-information

Mark answers these questions:

Mark, you have a rich professional background working at Sam’s Club, Ahold Delhaize USA and Citrus Ad recently rebranded as Epsilon. What was it about the opportunity at Costco around retail media that made you make this move and what were your objectives coming into the role?
Why is retail media an important mechanism for brands to engage with shoppers and what makes it so appealing compared to the last century driven by linear TV and print media? What is the promise of retail media in your opinion?
What do you see as the key attributes of Costco’s retail media offering that should drive brands to leverage it in engaging your members?
What are the core onsite ad unit offers that brands can leverage and which ones drive the most application from your suppliers?
How about offsite and instore ad units? How is Costco affording quality offerings to brands in these areas?
Why is transparent measurement of retail media performance marketing an essential component of brands moving their budgets into closed-loop measurement ecosystems and how is Costco ensuring that their platform succeeds in providing brands with the necessary omnichannel measurements?
How does Costco make these solutions available to brands? Is it managed service, self-serve, ad tech partnerships with agencies?
What are some of the industry trends that you are focused against for platform improvement and supplier adoption of Costco’s RMN?

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