Joe Zappa runs Sharp Pen Media, a marketing and communications firm for ad tech companies. On a recent episode of the AdTech God Podcast, he laid out a framework for how companies should think about their narrative—not their product announcements, their narrative.
And it made me think about how badly many players in the retail media ecosystem need to hear this: both the networks themselves and the tech and services vendors who service the space.
Start With What's Broken
Joe's framework is simple. Don't lead with what your company does. Lead with what's wrong with the status quo.
"You need to ask, not just what are your products and features—what is your company doing? What is wrong with the status quo? Whom are you championing? How are they being screwed over? How are you changing the industry to their benefit? And what does the future of the industry look like if you win?"
Joe shares an example of a client, TV Scientific, who build their messaging around the narrative that we've been living in an era of unaccountable advertising.
"If we could make TV, which is actually the most incremental advertising channel, accountable, it would be not just a $60 billion industry if it ate all the dollars from linear, but it would be a multi-hundred billion dollar industry by bringing in performance marketers and SMBs. They told that story very effectively." TV Scientific was acquired by Pinterest.
That example is from CTV, but the lesson applies directly to retail media. TV Scientific didn't pitch "we have a new attribution feature." They pitched "TV advertising is broken, and we're the ones fixing it."
Mirakl Ads is the ad-tech solution trusted by Rakuten and 50+ global enterprise retailers.
That’s because Mirakl Ads was built with both 3P marketplace sellers and 1P suppliers in mind. Both advertiser audiences demand a seamless advertising journey from onboarding to reporting.
You can offer everything from Sponsored Products to video all in one solution.
I get pitched a lot of retail media announcements. Feature updates, new measurement tools, rollouts, partnerships, pilots. And honestly, a lot of them sound very similar. The problem isn't always the product. It's the way it's communicated. Too many announcements tell me what launched but only slightly different flavors of why advertisers should care.
As a commentator, I'm left trying to work out: is this genuinely additive to the ecosystem, or is it a me-too feature? Is this something brands have actually been asking for, or is it just a reason to be in the news cycle? It's ultimately the reason why I don't cover a lot of product announcements.
Share Learnings, Not Press Releases
Later in the podcast, Joe made a point that this isn't just the job of the marketing team or comms agency. It's particularly effective when executives put themselves out there and humanize the narrative.
"What people respond to is when you [as an executive] just share your learnings about the industry and how to approach the job and do it better."
Joe broke break down executive-led LinkedIn content into four buckets:
- Commentary on the news
- Building in public
- Case studies
- Proprietary data and trends
And here's the link back to what we often see in retail media:
"If your business is somewhat undifferentiated, especially if you are like one of 20 DSPs or SSPs, it is all the more important to be out there sharing your message because in those cases, it is the people who drive the business forward. It's often not some granular difference in technology that isn't even perceptible to your target audience."
Many networks and vendors are pitching the same or similar capabilities. So what cuts through? The people and the narrative.
Think about who actually stands out in this space. Andreas Reiffen at Pentaleap (a former client) publishes benchmark data and argues publicly that sponsored and organic search should merge. That's a narrative. It's opinionated, it's backed by data, and it gives people something to react to.
Contrast that with a typical announcement: "We're excited to launch a new self-serve platform with enhanced targeting capabilities." Fine. But what problem does that solve? For whom? Why now?
Now What
A stronger pitch would start with the user's problem. What's frustrating them today? What's broken or inefficient? What decision does this help them make? What does this unlock that they couldn't do before?
You probably don't need to be louder. You need to be clearer.
Joe Zappa is the Founder and CEO of Sharp Pen Media. You can hear the full conversation on the AdTech God Podcast.
In Atlanta? Join the Commerce Media Happy Hour on May 20!
This monthly gathering brings together commerce media professionals in Atlanta who want to connect, share, and build community.
Join us for a relaxed, Happy Hour where the focus is on conversation, camaraderie, and real connections. Whether you’re new to the industry, a seasoned expert, or working remotely and craving IRL banter, this meetup is your chance to be part of Atlanta’s growing retail media community.
Why join?
- Meet fellow retail media professionals in a casual, welcoming setting
- Build authentic industry relationships (without the sales pressure)
- Unwind with a drink and good conversation after the Wednesday workday
Come grab a cocktail, trade stories, and be part of a community that supports and inspires one another. RSVP here!
This happy hour is proudly sponsored by GrowthLoop. Monetize your first-party data with a cloud-powered retail media network.
