Unlocking Retail Media

James Avery talks with James Borow, advisor and lead for Universal Ads at Comcast, about the convergence of premium TV and digital self-serve advertising. Borow discusses how Universal Ads is making TV inventory approachable for brands of all sizes by removing traditional barriers like high minimum spends and complex creative requirements. The conversation covers the shift toward incrementality in measurement, the "halo effect" TV has on social media performance, and how retailers can leverage their first-party data for high-performance CTV reach extension. They also dive into the future of agentic commerce and "vibe coding," exploring how AI-driven tools are rapidly expanding digital consumption and creating a new "golden age" for personalized advertising.

James Avery sits down with Ben Johnson, Senior Director of Chewy Ads, to discuss the critical role of product management in building a successful retail media network. Drawing from his experience at both Chewy and Coupang, Ben explains why retailers must move beyond "cookie-cutter" playbooks to develop bespoke ad solutions that reflect their unique customer behaviors—such as Chewy’s high-growth subscription model. The conversation explores how to build internal credibility with established teams, the importance of establishing a "good, neutral, bad" framework for experimentation, and why hiring product leaders with cognitive diversity is more effective than simply sourcing ad tech experts.

James Avery is joined by Sam Wright, Kevel’s strategic advisor, to discuss the essential steps for launching and maturing a retail media business. Drawing from his experience globalizing Klarna Media, Sam breaks down how businesses of all sizes—from small startups to billion-dollar enterprises—can diversify their revenue through targeted advertising. The conversation explores critical growth strategies, including how to align C-suite leadership with product teams, transition from trade dollars to measurable performance media, and leverage granular SKU-level data to create a competitive "transaction graph". Whether navigating the tension between user experience and monetization or evolving into a sophisticated commerce media network, this episode provides a practical roadmap for scaling a modern ad business.Get in touch with us! https://www.kevel.com/contact

In this episode, James Avery talks with Gareth Menton of Carwow about his journey through retail media, moving from the transactional, spur-of-the-moment food delivery space at Just Eat to the high-value, long-consideration automotive marketplace. Gareth shares how Carwow uses rich first-party data for effective offsite advertising, proving sales attribution for brands. A key takeaway for all RMNs is his focus on making ads highly relevant to user intent, which has led to sponsored listings having the same click-through rate as organic listings.

Lee Dunbar, SVP and Head of Retail Media at Starcom, joins the show to provide a crucial agency and brand-side perspective on the evolving retail media landscape. Having seen retail media transform from old-school shopper marketing to a critical part of modern advertising, Lee discusses what major brands like P&G and Kraft Heinz truly seek from Retail Media Networks (RMNs), emphasizing the need for consistency, full-service capabilities, and audience-based incremental reach, especially in non-endemic and in-store environments. He argues that RMNs must mature into a media "layer" that integrates seamlessly with national media plans, rather than remaining siloed "channels". Looking ahead, Lee highlights that the biggest strategic shift for both agencies and brands is managing fragmented ad spend across numerous retailers while preparing for the impact of Agentic Commerce, which threatens to move discovery and media opportunities from retailer sites to AI agents who will act as "super shoppers".

Scot Wingo, a serial entrepreneur and founder of ChannelAdvisor, joins to tackle the impact of Agentic Commerce on Retail Media Networks. He discusses the evolution of large language models like ChatGPT into powerful marketplaces that disrupt traditional shopping channels. Wingo emphasizes the need for RMNs to enhance user experience, fix product catalogs, and rethink advertising strategies, using Instacart's success as a model. He urges retailers to adapt quickly, as even small losses to agentic commerce could lead to significant consequences.

In this discussion, Matt Nichols, a partner at Commerce Ventures and seasoned retail-tech investor, dives into the booming world of retail media and AI's transformative role. He highlights how COVID accelerated the shift to in-house retail media and why executives are prioritizing it as a revenue stream. Topics include AI-driven search optimization to boost ROI, the rise of agile supply chain models, and the creative potential of chat shopping as a future e-commerce frontier. Nichols also shares insights on Amazon's enduring advantage in fulfillment.

Retail media success hinges on giving brands what they truly need: measurable, incremental sales growth. This episode of Unlocking Retail Media with expert Mark Mannino—from VidMob, Amazon Ads, and Flywheel—focuses on strategic RMN packaging and measurement. Key takeaways include moving beyond simple ROAS to prioritize incremental ROAS and new-to-brand metrics. Retailers must clarify how they handle omnichannel attribution and utilize unique first-party data for both onsite and offsite targeting. To scale, smaller RMNs should adopt programmatic practices, like Private Marketplaces (PMPs), to attract demand without becoming commoditized, and all networks must operate with the primary rule: "first do no harm" to the core customer relationship.

In this engaging discussion, Dr. Mark Grether, a leader at PayPal's advertising business, dives into innovative strategies that harness PayPal's unique transaction data from 400 million consumers. He elaborates on the future of commerce media amidst AI advancements and the importance of measurement and incrementality for retailers. Mark also addresses the shift towards commerce media over traditional retail, the role of offers and nudges in boosting conversion, and forecasts industry consolidation, positioning PayPal as a frontrunner in the evolving landscape.