Cassandra Sperry

Marketers don’t need to wait for the cookie to crumble. LiveRamp's Travis Clinger breaks down how authenticated identity is already enabling seamless, scalable, and responsible engagement across display, CTV, commerce media, and more.

6

Advanced measurement is moving from a “nice to have” to a requirement for brands that want to prove how marketing drives real business outcomes.✅ Nowhere is this more visible than in Retail Media Networks. RMNs like Instacart give brands access to closed-loop performance data tied to actual purchases. That data is powerful, but it also raises an important question for marketing leaders: How do we validate results beyond platform-reported metrics and understand true incremental impact? This is why third-party measurement is becoming a critical part of the RMN conversation. Circana has emerged as a leading independent measurement partner for retail media performance, including Instacart. By combining retailer point-of-sale data with broader market and category intelligence, Circana helps brands understand not just what sold, but what actually changed because of advertising. https://lnkd.in/gp4CghWf For food and beverage brands, this matters because RMN performance rarely exists in isolation. Retail media influences household penetration, repeat rates, brand switching, and category growth, not just attributed sales within a single platform. Third-party measurement helps separate signal from noise by providing a consistent view across retailers, channels, and time. The broader industry trend is clear. As RMN budgets grow, marketers are being asked to answer harder questions around incrementality, brand impact, and long-term growth. Platform dashboards alone are no longer enough. At Effective, we see advanced media performance reporting as a layered system. Platform data shows what happened. Third-party measurement helps explain why it happened and whether it was truly incremental. Together, they create a clearer connection between media investment and business results. This is how performance reporting evolves from tracking activity to proving impact. Jeff O'Shaughnessy Joelle Kaplan #MarketingMeasurement #RetailMedia #MediaPerformance #Incrementality #F&B #MarketingEffectiveness

2

Retail media is moving beyond the shelf. DSP, CTV, and social commerce are becoming standalone growth engines powered by commerce data according to Skai & Stratably's 2026 State of Retail Media Report. But as industry leaders told us, this requires dedicated strategy, expertise, and investment. Explore what this means for you: https://okt.to/SN9Jnd

5

New ARF report: Retail Media Networks are booming — $82B in 2025. Advertisers chase #CTR & #ROAS, agencies use advanced analytics. #CTV & in-store formats rising, bridging performance + brand goals: https://ow.ly/wfrl50WGhtE #RetailMedia #MarketingMetrics #ARFResearch

2

The rise of retail media networks (RMNs) has been meteoric. By 2028, it is expected to account for almost a quarter of all U.S. media spend, according to eMarketer. As RMNs position themselves as media companies, making them both performance and brand marketing channels, advertisers are debating who holds the purse strings. The approach today is mostly trial and error. Some brands are using existing budgets, while others are testing brand awareness through retail media. Even with rapidly growing demand, RMNs still lack standardization in measurement and budget allocation. As these networks push for more brand dollars (and likewise brands increasingly concentrate spend), establishing transparency in pricing and measurement will be crucial to the success of both RMNs and brands. #Marketing #Adtech #Advertising

16

Until recently, channels like Roku, Paramount, Pandora, or iHeartMedia were reserved for enterprise-scale advertisers with advanced programmatic infrastructures. For emerging and mid-sized CPGs, these platforms were too complex, too fragmented, or too expensive to navigate. Some recent announcements from Kroger Precision Marketing have changed that. Service-Led Activation Model: KPM provides a managed-service approach - handling all the technical complexity of programmatic buying on behalf of the brand. This removes the barrier of entry for brands lacking in-house programmatic expertise. Data-Powered Precision: Campaigns are entirely fueled by Kroger’s massive first-party data set (over 60 million households), ensuring that ads on CTV or audio platforms are precisely targeted to verified, high-value shoppers. Closed-Loop Accountability: KPM is not just selling reach; it’s selling a measurable outcome. The managed service is tied directly to Kroger’s sales data, allowing brands to prove that an ad seen on a streaming platform led directly to a product purchase in a physical or digital store. #RetailMedia #CommerceMedia #CPGMarketing #AdTech #KrogerPrecisionMarketing #ConnectedTV

13

1 Comment

RMNs are repositioning themselves as one-stop ad shops via partnerships with off-site channels like social media and CTV. Partner insights from Instacart Ads. https://lnkd.in/eMQNcwZR

3

1 Comment

Erin Everhart talks with Glenn Oyoung, Director, Marketing Divisiom & CMO at Covered California about How Covered California & Stella Rising Built a Smarter Media Mix Model at MediaPost’s Data & Programmatic Insider Summit. #MediaPostInsiderSummits

29

6 Comments

Turning transactions into loyalty. 🤝 In this episode of LiveRamp's "Here’s the deal...", Lori (O'Neal) Johnshoy shares why commerce media networks are redefining how brands connect with customers, and why any company with rich first-party data should get in on the action.

6

#Walmart is stepping confidently into the TV advertising arena, presenting a powerful new opportunity for marketers. Since closing its $2.3 billion acquisition of #Vizio in December, Walmart has begun testing the integration of its robust shopper data with Vizio’s smart TV platform—and showing promise. For advertisers, the pairing of America’s largest retailer with a leading smart TV manufacturer signals a bold new frontier for precision targeting and performance at scale. The potential to reach audiences in the living room, backed by real-world purchase behavior, is quickly turning heads across the industry. #AVOD #SVOD #CTV #videostreaming #newfront

14

None of us have crystal balls, especially when it comes to Retail Media, but I think Sarah Marzano probably has one of those magic 8 balls and it's pretty accurate....All kidding aside, this report form eMarketer does a phenomenal job at summarizing some of the trends we're seeing relative to offsite growth and the need to invest beyond onsite (despite less favorable revenue share), programmatic and it's role in retail media growth and the opportunity for smaller networks to compete with innovation versus focusing on scale. I've included some thoughts in a companion article alongside this amazing piece and hope you'll download our checklist for Future Proofing RMN strategies. Each recommendation comes from the key takeaways from this eMarketer report. Enjoy! #retailmedia #creatormarketing #socialcommerce

13

🚀 #Retailmedia is evolving fast—and Instacart is helping lead the charge. On the latest episode (https://lnkd.in/gmU69-yn) of The CPG Guys, hosts welcomed Ali Miller (GM of Advertising, Instacart) and Tim Castelli (VP of Ad Sales, Instacart) for a conversation about how the platform is redefining shopper engagement. They shared: ✨ Instacart’s roadmap for immersive brand experiences over the next 1–3 years ✨ The role of AI & machine learning in powering smarter ads ✨ How brands can drive full-funnel impact, from inspiration to conversion ✨ Why measurement, incrementality, and responsible use of shopper data matter more than ever What stood out most? Instacart’s commitment to building advertising solutions that not only capture attention but truly add value to the shopping journey. If you’re interested in where retail media meets technology, creativity, and commerce, this episode is worth a listen. 👉 Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gmU69-yn #RetailMedia #Instacart #CPG #DigitalCommerce #cpgguys

5

Let's dig into some consumer spending data - here's what I saw around BFCM: - CNBC reports that 202.9 million shoppers shopped during the 5-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, up from the previous high of 200.4 million in 2023 - Shoppers spent $11.8B on Black Friday - Buy-now-pay-later usage up 8.9% YoY - Shopify reports that its merchants generated a record $14.6 billion in sales over BFCM, up 24% from last year, currency current - showing continued e-commerce growth. - AI-driven traffic to retail sites rose over 800% CX leaders - check out my #BFCM debrief to stay informed. https://okt.to/qnS3TN

1

Does LiveRamp’s latest move start to close the measurement gap in Retail Media? Retail Media has grappled with a fundamental question: how do we prove off-site advertising actually drives sales without compromising privacy? And I should know I have been doing so for over 15 Years 👴🏼 It's a challenge every network faces, and honestly, one that's been holding back meaningful budget shifts from brands. The Privacy-Performance Paradox Brands want granular, product-level attribution. Retailers need to protect customer data. Meta campaigns drive awareness, but connecting those impressions to customer purchase outcomes? That's where things get messy. LiveRamp's latest Clean Room expansion for Meta attribution is an interesting step forward - Albertsons Media Collective and Target's Roundel are already testing it. What Actually Matters 📊 The real value isn't in any single platform. It's in the principles: 1. Privacy-safe measurement - Non-negotiable in today's regulatory environment 2. Item-level sales data - Moving beyond vanity metrics to actual purchase behaviour 3. Cross-channel attribution - Connecting off-site media to on-site (and in-store) results Even with these tools, we're still dealing with fragmentation. Many networks have their own measurement approach, their own clean room, their own methodology. For brands managing campaigns across multiple retailers, that's not solving the problem - it's multiplying it. What I'm Watching For... True Incrementality analysis and halo effect measurement (both on LiveRamp's roadmap) are critical next steps. But I'm more interested in whether we'll see industry standardisation emerge. With Retail Media spend heading toward $130 billion by 2028, brands will demand consistency across networks, not bespoke solutions. My Perspective... Tools like this are essential, but they're not the finish line. The real opportunity is in how retailers use these insights to strengthen supplier partnerships and demonstrate genuine ROI. The networks that can balance granular measurement with ease of use across their portfolio will be the ones brands stick with. Are we building toward standardised measurement, or do we risk a new form of walled garden fragmentation? #RetailMedia #MarketingMeasurement #DataAnalytics #Attribution #PrivacyFirst

10

2 Comments

Linda Yaccarino's sudden exit as X CEO has made advertisers wary due to ongoing brand safety issues. One digital agency buyer noted that only one client consistently advertised on X, adding: "It didn't seem like [Yaccarino] was actually doing the job she had hoped to: make [brands] feel more comfortable with X." The agency is now advising clients to reduce spending, particularly those using discretionary "slush funds" to test the platform. https://bit.ly/3U0Uizc

10

2 Comments

Super excited to announce this expanded partnership between Instacart and The Trade Desk!  Instacart is the first U.S. retail media network to integrate its grocery selection with The Trade Desk platform for streamlined self-service use cases, enabling approved advertisers and agencies to build first-party custom audiences based on specific product criteria for programmatic campaigns. CPG brands can also access real-time sales measurement signals from Instacart directly in The Trade Desk platform. Here we go! https://lnkd.in/eygGcAJr

123

4 Comments