Stuart Schwartzapfel

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

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As brands and agencies brace for economic volatility, proactive steps are essential for ensuring media investments remain effective. From scenario planning and prioritizing transparency to competitive intelligence, it’s vital to prepare for varying economic conditions. Historical insights show that brands maintaining advertising spending fare better and recover faster. Marketing leaders must keep tone sensitivity in mind as consumers become more deliberate about spending. Adaptation is key. #MarketingStrategy #EconomicUncertainty #Advertising #BrandGrowth #MediaInvestments #Leadership #ScenarioPlanning

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Dollar General has served rural customers for 80 years—and now it’s enhancing the customer experience with its media network. See how LiveRamp is helping DG Media Network close the digital gap between brands and remote communities with privacy-focused data collaboration.

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2026 PREDICTIONS Digitas North America's "The Social Shift" explores how community and creators will redefine the brand landscape by 2026. From the rise of intimate "dark social" spaces to the explosion of niche subcultures like BookTok and women’s sports, this report breaks down how influence is shifting from top-down ads to lateral co-creation. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e-xAeeF8

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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

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Horizon and Havas have formed a media joint venture in order to chase larger clients. Together, they hope to exploit market disruption. https://lnkd.in/egzx3QK8

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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

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New podcast episode featuring Brian Ames, and Bob Rapp of General Motors.️‍🔥   This week on The Agentic Insider podcast, Phillip and Alistair sit with two leaders of AI at General Motors - Brian Ames, Senior Manager of Transformation and Enablement: Production AI and Data Products, and Bob R., AI Data Scientist, to discuss:   ✅How agentic tech is streamlining workflows ✅Why AI “hallucinations” might actually fuel creativity ✅Using AI for meeting prep and task coordination ✅The value of learning from industry trailblazers   🔗 Catch the full episode now with the links in the comments! How fitting that Bob would be joining us from his GMC Sierra Denali!   #AI #ResponsibleAI #TheAgenticInsider

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For years, digital advertising has claimed to be “contextual,” but most solutions have relied on keywords, not a true understanding. That approach overlooks nuance, culture, and emotion, particularly in non-English-speaking markets. AI is finally changing that. By reading meaning, tone, and context, AI-powered tools allow brands to engage audiences with relevance and respect, not just data points. This is how we move from talking at people to speaking with them and why OOH and premium media can lead the way in human-centered advertising.

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As brands demand clarity and media owners seek control, the rules of the digital supply chain are shifting. Teads' Heather R. explains how #SupplyPathOptimization is helping the industry build trust and transparency.

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Josh Brown reveals that local retail advertisers are turning away from social media because it has "become crowded, chaotic," packed with so many ads that consumers don't notice and pay attention. New research from Adelaide, the attentiveness measurement firm, finds that $1,000 of AM/FM Radio ads requires $2,635 worth of Facebook ads to achieve the same level of attention. Adelaide also found that audio platforms generate nearly the same attentiveness as TV.

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If you haven't had a chance to check out this breakthrough report, please do so! Smart brands are prioritizing the #AANHPI consumers, and here's why: 43% of AANHPI shoppers have clicked on a link from a social media ad, compared to 36% of the total U.S. population. That's higher engagement and higher potential ROI! #DigitalMarketing #RetailMedia #AANHPI Nielsen

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Only 15% of marketers are confident in their retail media measurement. The barrier isn’t data. It’s ownership. My quote in @Skai’s 2026 State of Retail Media report says the rest. 👇

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On this first day of #RampUp2026, very excited about our work with LiveRamp! This is the shift from insights to outcomes: AI agents that can read the signal, recommend the next move, and take action inside the workflow.

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I got quoted in Skai 2026 State of Retail Media report this week - this one is all about measurement. According to Skai, only 15% of brands say they're highly effective at measuring retail media performance. From all my conversations... that sounds about right. But the tools are out there, and the agencies to support you are out there (hint... we do this extremely well). It's not because the tools or the knowledge don't exist. It's not because the methodology is too complex. It's not even a data access problem. The real barrier? People and ownership. 56% said they lack internal analytics or data science resources. Nearly 1 in 5 said there's no clear cross-functional ownership between sales, media, and analytics. In my opinion lack of analytics access is the excuse. Lack of ownership is the problem. I stand by that. Here's what I see constantly with brands: the retail media budget grows, the channel count grows, the retailer portals multiply and the analytics infrastructure stays exactly the same. We keep pouring spending into the machine and then wonder why we can't explain what it's doing. And the incrementality gap is brutal. 75% of brands say incrementality measurement is their #1 challenge. But only 20% are actually good at both measuring AND applying those insights to decisions. Everyone knows it's the north star. Almost no one has operationalized it. The aspirations vs. reality data were the most telling part of the whole report. Brands hope incrementality will unlock profit margin improvements (68% said so). Only 24% have actually achieved that. That gap isn't a measurement problem. It's an organizational design problem. If you're a Head of #eCommerce staring down a budget conversation right now, here's the honest takeaway: You don't need another dashboard. You need to invest in this and give authority to someone who owns #incrementality end to end, standardize definitions your media, finance, and analytics teams all agree on, and a decision cadence that actually changes what you do next. As always, I'm here to help. DM me with any questions.

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Some key takeaways from Walmart Connect’s kickoff to the ANAs Masters of Marketing last week. Our massive out of home footprint (in-store screens, fuel stations and self check out) coupled with Vizio’s dominance in CTV reach and integrated marketing capabilities allow for a full funnel solution powered by accountable measurement and first party data. Three points jump out for me…  1. Retail media can now power holistic media strategies. 2.Uneven Adoption/application means early movers can seize a stronger share of voice more efficiently and 3. Maturing measurement solutions- including with CTV- are helping brands harness retail media’s full- funnel potential. #ana #walmartconnect #letssparksales

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AI can get users to your site, but the real challenge begins after the click. Discover how to optimize your site for success in an AI-driven future in this clip with Merkle's Davis Grietens:

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Marketing budgets aren't coming back. Yet tech stacks keep growing. 62% of teams now use more tools than two years ago. The result? More complexity, less pipeline impact. Smart CMOs are rethinking their approach—prioritizing integration, automation, and measurable ROI over hype. See the principles separating high-performing teams from overwhelmed ones. https://bit.ly/49FPhUe

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