Retail Media Therapy

Retail Media Therapy – EP38Open Letters, Big vs Small Networks & The In-Housing DilemmaWelcome back to the couch. In this episode of Retail Media Therapy, Viv and Colin tackle three topics that are dominating boardrooms, conference stages and LinkedIn threads:The measurement obsession in retail mediaWhether size really matters for retail media networksThe rise of in-housing – and what it means for brandsExpect metaphors. Mild football confusion. And a lifetime supply of Berocca at stake.🧨 Topic 1: An Open Letter to Bayer on MeasurementAfter comments from Bayer’s retail media lead suggesting retail media must improve measurement before budgets increase further, Viv responds with an open letter.The central question:Why are we holding retail media networks to a higher measurement standard than the rest of advertising ever faced?Key discussion points:Retail media now commands 25% of some brand media budgetsCalls for “holistic measurement” and cross-retailer comparisonsThe industry's obsession with incrementalityWhether measurement is genuinely the blocker - or just the latest conference clichéColin’s take?No TV network in history was ever asked for perfect incrementality modelling before getting a budget.Viv’s take?We’ve confused efficiency with effectiveness.And yes, there may be aspirin involved.📏 Topic 2: Does Size Matter in Retail Media?Two case studies spark the debate:A UK Co-Op retail media network launching with ~500 stores and 1 million membersAustralia Post launching a network with limited rolloutSo how big is “big enough”?Is scale essential?Or is audience quality and retailer relationship what really matters?Key considerations:CPM economics at smaller scaleRegional strength vs national reachSpecialist audiences vs mass audiencesThe myth that “more networks” equals “too many networks”Conclusion?Size doesn’t automatically determine value. Relevance does.🏠 Topic 3: In-Housing – Retail Media’s Next ShiftIn-housing is accelerating – particularly driven by retail media.Why?Speed requirementsExponential growth in creative demandCost pressureNeed for commercial alignmentAI enabling scaleColin shares examples including:P&G dynamically optimising sponsored products every 15 minutesArla’s “The Barn” in-house modelL’Oréal’s Retail team moving to 100% programmatic in-houseBut it’s not all upside.Viv raises the key risks:Talent churnCultural clashCreative stagnationOwning underperformance internallyThe likely answer?Hybrid models. Keep strategic creativity external. Bring operational scale closer.💡 Episode TakeawaysRetail media measurement is improving – but the narrative is exaggerated.Smaller networks can still offer meaningful value.In-housing is accelerating – but managing talent and performance is complex.The future likely belongs to hybrid models.🛋️ Join the ConversationIs measurement really retail media’s biggest problem?How big is big enough?Would you in-house retail media?Lie down on the couch and let us know. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iceland Retail Media’s 5,000 Screen Rollout & The Future of Measurable In-Store MediaThis week on Retail Media Therapy, Viv Craske and Colin Lewis sit down with Adam Smith from Iceland Retail Media to unpack one of the most ambitious in-store retail media projects in the UK.Iceland isn’t just refreshing its network - it’s rolling out up to 5,000 in-store screens across in under a year. And they’re not just adding screens - they’re transforming measurement.What You’ll LearnResetting a Retail Media NetworkIceland Retail Media relaunched in 2025 after restructuring its agency model.Screens have been part of the business for years - but this rollout takes them to an entirely new level.A fast-moving, privately owned business means rapid execution.Why Screens? Why Now?Every major UK retailer is investing in in-store screens - the question is how well they measure.Iceland chose to double down on screens as a core channel of its retail media strategy.The rollout could become one of the largest non-London-centric in-store networks in the UK.Clickstream for the StoreAdam describes the ambition as bringing “clickstream media to bricks and mortar.”Key elements include:Real-time in-store impression measurementDwell time trackingViewable impression dataClosed-loop attribution linking media exposure to EPOS salesThe goal? Prove that £1 spent in-store can outperform £1 spent elsewhere.Privacy-First MeasurementInstead of cameras or facial recognition:Iceland is using millimetre-wave sensorsTracking is based on water-content scanningEach shopper is anonymised via temporary RFID taggingFully GDPR compliantNo personal identification or ongoing trackingThis approach delivers measurable impressions without compromising shopper trust.Beyond Media: Operational InsightsThe data doesn’t just power media measurement. It also enables:Live footfall trackingCustomer flow mappingHotspot identificationSmarter merchandising decisionsBetter labour planningRetail media becomes infrastructure - not just advertising.The Mustard Case StudyA standout example with McCormick:AB test: stores with screens vs. withoutNon-promoted EDLP product10% sales upliftCategory share increaseClear link between impressions and salesAnd this isn’t just a one-off - this level of reporting is now standard for Iceland suppliers.The Operational RealityInstalling thousands of screens is no small task:Overnight installations in live retail environmentsInfrastructure challengesStore team coordinationRetail media isn’t just marketing - it’s operations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 36 – Is ChatGPT Getting Greedy? Diageo Gets Data-Savvy & AI Traffic ExplainedIn this episode of Retail Media Therapy, Viv Craske and Colin Lewis dive into three of the hottest topics shaping retail media, marketing, and advertising right now.First, they unpack the launch of ChatGPT advertising, questioning whether reported $60 CPMs are sustainable — or whether they’re a deliberate premium strategy driven by FOMO, brand signalling, and future valuation considerations.Next, the conversation turns to Diageo’s retail media strategy, where the global drinks giant positions retail media networks as a full-funnel channel. From leveraging retailer first-party data to activating campaigns offsite via CTV and sponsorships, Diageo shows how retail media can connect brand building directly to purchase behaviour.Finally, Viv and Colin explore the rise of AI-driven shopping traffic. With millions of referrals now flowing from AI tools to marketplaces, they debate whether this represents net-new demand or potential cannibalisation — and why RFM-based targeting could be the key to turning AI disruption into growth.A must-listen for anyone working in retail media networks, marketing strategy, or digital advertising. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Making Retail Media Work Inside and Outside of JBPsIn this continuation of the Show Me the Money special, Viv Craske and Colin Lewis tackle one of the toughest challenges facing brands today: extracting real value from retail media spend locked inside Joint Business Plans (JBPs).From FMCG vs CPG debates to Beatles metaphors (John, Paul, George & Ringo = marketing, shopper, digital & ecommerce teams), the episode unpacks why retail media budgets are fragmented, hard to track, and often inefficient. Viv and Colin explore how brands can regain control, align media spend to business objectives, and negotiate smarter retail media agreements that go beyond “promised spend” toward measurable impact.This episode is a practical guide for brand, sales, and marketing leaders navigating the tension between commercial commitments and media effectiveness.Key topics covered:Why JBPs are one of the hardest places to unlock retail media valueThe “four Beatles” problem: fragmented media budget ownershipWhy brands often don’t know who is spending what—and whereThe tension between commercial teams committing media and marketers needing flexibilityA simple 3-part retail media budgeting framework:Goal-driven budgetingSpending effectively (incrementality & measurement)Being “always on”How brands can negotiate flexibility, transparency, and insights from retailersThe rise of joint marketing agreements and retail media-specific JBPsWhy marketing teams must be in the room - not just sales Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the return of the Retail Media Therapy podcast Celebrity Deathmatch Live edition – this time, live from NRF in New York.The Retail Media Therapy podcast Celebrity Deathmatch is brought to you by Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy, alongside event sponsors QSIC and Zitcha.It's a rowdy Oxford style debate with 3 rounds, where one of our fighters will be for the motion and one will be against the motion – they have to make their point and trash their opposing fighter.Our fighters are: Colin ‘The Crusher’ LewisOf Retail Media Therapy Podcast and consultant at Grace & CoClaire ‘Whiplash’ Wyatt from The Trade DeskKiri ‘The Killer’ Masters Host of the Retail Media Breakfast ClubSarah ‘The Mauler’ Marzano from EMarketerYour judges are:Steve Biddle from ZitchaMark Walkin from QSICAnd your host is:Viv Craske host of the Retail Media Therapy Podcast and consultant at Grace & CoAre you ready to do battle?Round 1 - Colin vs ClaireUSA Vs the rest of the world. The USA sucks at Retail MediaRound 2 - Sarah vs KiriAgentic commerce: friend or foe to retail media?The Grand Final - TBC vs TBCApocalypse Now: is retail media doomed?Join the rowdiest, most debauched and most brutally honest event at NRF, and see who wins the debates and survives the insults. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP33 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.In this episode of Retail Media Therapy, the focus is on the intricacies of building a successful retail media sales team and effective strategies for maximizing revenue. The discussion reveals:• The importance of mastering the basics• Creating compelling sales presentations,• The benefits of selling media packages to manage margins and simplify decision-making for clients. The conversation also covers the critical role of sales team management, including motivation, tiering clients, and the crucial distinction between hunters and farmers in sales roles. Stay tuned for the next episode, which will shift the focus to the buy side and the navigation of JBPs by CPGs and suppliers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP32 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.In this special Crystal Ball Predictions for 2026 episode, Grace & Co team Michael Islip and Lucy Bugler join us to discuss:Reflecting on 2025: Realities and Surprises• Amazon DSP's integration of the connected TV world • Criteo ads in Google 360. • Slower-than-expected influx of brand budgets• Consolidation in retail mediaPredictions for 2026Colin Lewis aka "Madam Zelda" turns the crystal ball towards the future. • The myth of a singular, comprehensive AI solution. • AI's integration into agencies involves strategic application rather than mass replacement. • Creativity in retail media campaigns.• Will Google become a major player in retail media, via AI search?Wild and Crazy Predictions• Could Tesco purchase ITV?• The unlikely but exciting prospect of an Amazon and Walmart merger• Will retai media hasten the Dead Internet Theory and agents click on retail media ads for rewards? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP31 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.In this special holiday episode, we ask the BIG questions:• Who’s on Santa’s naughty list in Retail Media?• What do you get the retail media network that has everything (hello Amazon and Walmart)• Are Colin and Viv being fired? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP30 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.In this episode:• Is Walmart really a retailer anymore and should your board stop thinking like a retailer?• We deep dive into the huge value of in store screens and how each screen location needs to be considered differently to give suppliers the best opportunities.• The latest from the Ascendant network event in London Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP29 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.In this episode:• The Incrementality Myth • Winning With Media AgenciesThe podcast unpacks why the retail media industry has become overly fixated on incrementality, arguing that while measurement matters, it shouldn’t overshadow broader brand objectives or practical decision-making. We then dives into how retail media networks can effectively work with agencies to unlock brand budgets, emphasizing the need for a clear USP, clean audience data, and a long-term engagement strategy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP28 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.In this episode:• Atlas Vs Google – Is the browser from ChatGPT a Google Ads killer?• Amazon no longer want to own shopping, they want to own advertising. That's the claim Viv makes as Colin explains what AWS RTB Fabric is• Media Upfronts are appearing more and more in the retail media world - what are they and why does every Hot Shot Retail Media Network need one? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP27 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.This episode: OpenAI announces Instant Checkout partners – is it friend or foe to retail media networks?The Trade Desk’s online gamble – partnering with Koddi and GoPuff to make Sponsored Products available on its platform. On The Couch: Are you doing Sponsored Search right? JamesTaylor, CEO, Particular Audience – an AI-native retail media and personalisation company – joins us to discuss the nerdy world of relevance gradients and getting the balance between organic products and sponsored ads right for shoppers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP26 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.It's the episode where Colin calls Viv sexy and Viv makes a £5,000 bet over Criteo and Google.There's also talk of advertisers using Amazon DSP will have direct access to Netflix’s premium ad inventory, as well as Disney, HBO, Hulu etc and why Amazon DSP is the No.1 place to buy TV now.There's an interesting UK story of Snappy Shopper - first UK quick commerce platform fully integrated with Google Shopping, giving local convenience stores the same digital shelf space as the biggest online players.And we talk about Google and Criteo, who have announced a new partnership allowing advertisers to buy Criteo powered sponsored products directly in Google's SA360 platform... and is this really a prelude to Google making an acquisition offer for Criteo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Retail Media Therapy is brought to you by Grace & Co, the marketing and commerce consultancy.This episode s an AI Special.Our 2 big AI topics are;1) WPP’s view of creative agencies in an AI world: what it means for retail mediaJoin Colin, Viv and our guest, Matthew Kershaw, a former Ad Agency man turned AI consultant to discuss WPP’s new white paper and the ad agency's a vision of what an AI-powered agency will look like. We discuss:● Data ● Creativity at scale ● New models of value and why people still matter2) AI search & LLMs In our 101 introductory session on all things agentic, LLM and AI search, we look at how retail media networks and advertisers need to be thinking about getting found in AI search engines and chatbots.• How your brand can be found by AI Search and LLM shopping chatbots as regular search is changing (Hello ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude etc)• How to make sure you are SEO’d well on Bing. (Popular LLMs ChatGPT and Microsoft Co-Pilot pull info from Bing) and why this matters in your organic and paid SEO strategy.So strap in for this epic AI podcast special.... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP24 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.Happy birthday to us! The Retail Media Therapy podcast is 1 year old.So Colin and I take a moment to reflect on the huge changes that have happened in retail media since July 2024.This episode, we talk about:Huge grows of RMNs - RM has gone from a quirky side note to the main event. Less retailers look only to Amazon and Walmart - more are looking to adtech, capability and innovation, and not just at the big bucks.Next phase of growth: Less walled gardens and more a realisation that growth comes from partners and the long tail of advertisers.Screens are everywhere and make the High Street/Main Street come aliveCreativity as a THING in retail media and a huge opportunity (and frustration for some) And finally, we look ahead into 2026 and ask, what does the retail media crystal ball see…Perplexity, OpenAI etc - at least one AI search platform will launch an ad networkCollaboration and consolidation - think about your partnership strategy with agencies, CTV, content platforms, etcReally understanding 1st Insights - the value of retailer data -> Data and tech strategy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP23 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.This episode, we talk about:Cindy Rose, the ex-Microsoft COO and now WPP's new CEO, and we ask are the global advertising agencies about tech not creativity?Linda Yaccarino has stepped down as CEO of X. And it got us thinking, where is Twitter/X in the retail media conversation?Ocado comes clean about it's latest clean room innovation. We chat to Jack Johnson, Head of Retail Media & Data, Ocado Retail and Joe Root, Co-founder of Permutive. We probe their new partnership and ask: 'What's Ocado Retail doing, partnering with publishes such as News UK, The Independent and Immediate Media?' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP22 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.This episode: Hot partnerships:Channel 4, ITV and Sky with Comcast AdvertisingAmazon Ads and Disney AdvertisingAmazon's DSP and Disney+Instacart & PinterestPayPal & OMGCVS & Reddit:DoorDash gets cooking and spends $175M on Symbiosis' adtechAI utopia - what the rise of AI platforms means for Retail Media Networks - we take a look at what Nectar 360 (Sainsbury’s), WPP and Dunnhumby are up to as well as argue about Meta, Google and Amazon - are they still on the cutting edge of adtech anymore/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cannes Deathmatch Live - Part 2The Retail Media Therapy podcast goes live at the Cannes International Festival of CreativitySo strap in to live to Retail Media Therapy Live: Celebrity Deathmatch Edition.→ Featuring the experts: Kiri Masters vs Andrew Lipsman vs Colin Lewis→ Judged by Mario Mijares (Gulp Media by 7-Eleven), David Clark (Elevate by Frasers Group) and Stacy Gratz (Tesco Media and Insights)Hosted by Grace & Co' MD Michael IslipAnd featuring Zitcha and QSIC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cannes Deathmatch Live - Part 1The Retail Media Therapy podcast goes live at the Cannes International Festival of CreativitySo strap in to live to Retail Media Therapy Live: Celebrity Deathmatch Edition.→ Featuring the experts: Kiri Masters vs Andrew Lipsman vs Colin Lewis→ Judged by Mario Mijares (Gulp Media by 7-Eleven), David Clark (Elevate by Frasers Group) and Stacy Gratz (Tesco Media and Insights)Hosted by Grace & Co' MD Michael IslipAnd featuring Zitcha and QSIC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to EP19 of the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Retail Media Therapy comes from Grace & Co - the marketing and commerce consultancy.This episode:We invite you to join Retail Media Therapy live in Cannes on June 17th 2025 – to join the event, sign up here: https://lu.ma/cffr9bysTikTokification and what it means for Retail MediaWPP’s AI magic – is advertising and retail media – about to have it's Chat GPT moment? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.