Why Do Brand Marketers Love To Hate On Retail Media?

There’s a new beef in marketing, and this one hits close to home: can retail media actually build brands, or is it really just trade promotion with a fancy name and a dashboard? Mark Ritson kicked off the debate by arguing that retail media is fundamentally a bottom-of-funnel, defensive investment. Andrew Lipsman pushed back, making the case that retail media can do something brand marketers have wanted for decades: reach people who aren’t currently buying your brand.

In this episode, I dig into both sides of the argument, including the role of retailer data, off-site audiences, CTV, incrementality, ROAS and brand lift. I also look at some fresh Kantar data and ask a bigger question: are we actually debating what retail media is, or are we debating how marketers are choosing to spend their retail media budgets?

This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop

Timeline

[00:00] - The new marketing beef over whether retail media can actually build brands

[01:47] - Mark Ritson’s case against retail media as a brand-building channel

[02:28] - How retailer data can reach lapsed, competitive and completely new buyers

[05:45] - The surprising truth about where retail media budgets are really coming from

[06:20] - What Kantar’s 1,500+ campaign analysis says about retail media and brand lift

[07:30] - Why search and branded search dominate retail media spending, and why that matters

[08:09] - The measurement question: ROAS vs. holdout studies and incrementality

Links & Resources