If you're getting this weekly recap, it might be because you found my daily 6AM newsletter a little too much Kiri Masters to have in your week.
Good news! eCommerce Comedian Chris Perry has just announced Retail Media Brunch Club, for the late risers among us. This is among a cadre of other fictitious second mover shows in the lineup, along with "A CPG Guy." Check it out here.
As Chris notes at the end of that parody piece, being a copycat doesn't cut it. That's why Chris' ecommerce education company is called firstmovr (as in, first mover advantage) and as he says in his wrap-up: "That's what being a firstmovr is all about. Not necessarily always being first to do something, but being willing to think differently, challenge the status quo and lead change."
Those words are ringing loud in my ears as I pulled together what I published this week, in a news cycle that was unusually chaotic, even for this industry. It reminded me that whoever owns the shopper's attention, and the data and context behind it, owns the ad business. So retailers need to work out what's actually theirs to protect.
Now onto what I published this week...
Gopuff's head of ads: "I'm a realist" I spoke with Gopuff's head of ads, Michael Peroutka, about why it handed its onsite ad tech to Instacart, and what makes Gopuff unique as an advertising partner for brands. Note that this ran before news broke that DoorDash, which many see as a Gopuff competitor, has acquired Instacart. Read here
Is MTA past its expiration date? (Part 3) The third part of my multi-touch attribution series, which has drawn plenty of pushback on LinkedIn. I make the case for MTA in its newest, retailer-built forms, including the versions Albertsons Media Collective and Best Buy Ads launched in September. I also ask whether media buyers could even act on perfect information. Read here
Why AI Agents Will Be Monetized With Ads This is the first edition of AdGentic, my new newsletter and podcast on ads in AI interfaces, reproduced on RMBC. After setting up my own personal AI agent, I noticed that part of what made it feel so good was what was missing: ads. I explain why they're coming to personal AI agents and what they could look like. Read here
If DoorDash Buys Instacart, Who Wins in Retail Media? In 2020 I co-authored Instacart for CMOs, and DoorDash is now reportedly in advanced talks to buy the company. The headlines will be about delivery, but the real money is in the ads. I give three reasons a combined company would be a net benefit for the retail media ecosystem. For advertisers I'm less sure, and so was my network: this week's LinkedIn poll split almost exactly 50-50. Read here
The Drum: Retail media was built on the keyword search bar. Its days are numbered Forrester expects conversational search to bring the first big change to retail websites in decades. Sponsored product ads are sold against keywords, so retail media has the most to lose from that change and will probably pay for the rebuild. Read here
SKIT: The retailer midlife crisis [LINK]
Retailers are having a massive identity crisis right now, launching media networks left and right just to sound cooler than a "boring retailer"... Why sell burgers when you can sell ad space? 😉 😚
This skit first appeared on Episode 4 of the Basket Case Podcast from The Drum & QSIC.
Have a great weekend!
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