The CPG Guys

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Adam Silverblatt, Head of Off-Platform Ad Sales & Strategy at Instacart and Andrew Lipsman, Independent Anlayst at Media, Ads & Commerce.
This episode was recorded in Cannes France at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Follow Adam on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-silverblatt-3741362
Follow Instacart Ads online at: https://company.instacart.com/ads
Follow Andrew on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-lipsman-10b2162
Adam & Andrew answer these questions:
In this era of Retail Media 3.0, how is the network escaping the walled garden, and what is the strategic importance of retail media transitioning into a full-funnel, omnichannel commerce engine? 
For emerging and legacy brands listening, how does off-platform retail media structurally change the programmatic playbook? How does targeting a "logged-in" active Instacart shopper compare to buying legacy programmatic audiences? 
Why are brands so frustrated with traditional attribution reporting right now, and how does verifying incremental outcomes protect a brand from double-paying for the same shoppers?  
Can you walk us through the recent McCormick case study, where leveraging off-platform programmatic targeting managed to cut CPMs by 25% with only a 7% audience overlap? What is the structural lesson there?
How must RMNs adjust their data infrastructures to ensure their product catalogs are preferred and trusted by an autonomous AI agent? 
Are we finally at an inflection point where streaming and commerce are genuinely converging, and have you seen any brand executions recently that made it feel real?
What makes grocery purchase data uniquely valuable off-platform, and are there campaign results that have surprised you with how well it translated?
If you could issue a single "reality check" to a CPG Chief Media Officer or Head of Sales who wants to maximize the return on their data and media investments over the next 12 to 24 months, what is the single biggest blind spot they need to fix this quarter? 
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/
DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Anita Watkins, CEO of the Insights Association which empowers more than 30,000 data and insights professionals. Its collective voice fuels growth, strengthens advocacy, and advances careers. Guided by ethics and truth, we bring understanding to an uncertain world.
Follow Anita on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-watkins-8b33224
Follow the Insights Association online at: https://www.insightsassociation.org/
Anita answers these questions:
You spent two decades at Kantar, most recently as Chief Solutions Leader for Creative, Innovation, and Qualitative — and now you’re leading a trade association. What drew you to the Insights Association at this particular moment in the industry’s evolution?
The IA represents over 30,000 data and insights professionals. In your first months as CEO, what surprised you most about stepping into an advocacy and membership role versus a commercial one?
CPG companies are under enormous pressure — tariffs, private label competition, shrinking research budgets. How is the insights function holding up, and where do you see it either gaining or losing strategic influence in the C-suite? 
The IA just held its Ignite: CPG event in Cincinnati. What were the dominant themes that emerged, and what does that tell us about what CPG insights leaders are most anxious about right now?
You have a webinar series literally titled “Simulating Humans” — that’s a provocative framing. How should CPG brands think about AI-generated synthetic respondents vs. real consumer research, and where does the IA draw the line on standards?
AI is both a threat and an opportunity for the insights profession. In your view, what’s the single biggest risk AI poses to the integrity of consumer data — and what is the IA doing about it?
The IA has been driving the Global Data Quality Excellence Pledge and launching new resources around procurement and incentive guidelines. For CPG brands buying research, what should they actually be demanding from their vendors right now that most of them aren’t?
Survey fraud and data integrity issues have become a serious industry problem. How bad is it, and what levers does the IA have to enforce quality standards across the ecosystem?
The IA is actively tracking state-by-state privacy legislation, GDPR, and now the proposed SECURE Data Act. How does a fragmented U.S. privacy landscape create operational headaches for CPG brands doing consumer research at scale?
The IA recently raised concerns about how the Department of Labor classifies research respondents. That’s a sleeper issue with real cost implications — can you walk our listeners through what’s at stake?
Anita, you’ve been recognized for developing the next generation of insights leaders throughout your career. With burnout high among market researchers and AI changing the job description rapidly, what would you tell a young person today about why this profession is still worth pursuing?
You said upon your appointment: “I’ve spent my career believing in the power of insights to drive better decisions and better outcomes.” For CPG brands that are deprioritizing primary research in favor of data lakes and retail media signals — what’s the cost of that trade-off that they might not be seeing?
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/
DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Anita Watkins, CEO of the Insights Association which empowers more than 30,000 data and insights professionals. Its collective voice fuels growth, strengthens advocacy, and advances careers. Guided by ethics and truth, we bring understanding to an uncertain world.
Follow Anita on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-watkins-8b33224
Follow the Insights Association online at: https://www.insightsassociation.org/
Anita answers these questions:
You spent two decades at Kantar, most recently as Chief Solutions Leader for Creative, Innovation, and Qualitative — and now you’re leading a trade association. What drew you to the Insights Association at this particular moment in the industry’s evolution?
The IA represents over 30,000 data and insights professionals. In your first months as CEO, what surprised you most about stepping into an advocacy and membership role versus a commercial one?
CPG companies are under enormous pressure — tariffs, private label competition, shrinking research budgets. How is the insights function holding up, and where do you see it either gaining or losing strategic influence in the C-suite? 
The IA just held its Ignite: CPG event in Cincinnati. What were the dominant themes that emerged, and what does that tell us about what CPG insights leaders are most anxious about right now?
You have a webinar series literally titled “Simulating Humans” — that’s a provocative framing. How should CPG brands think about AI-generated synthetic respondents vs. real consumer research, and where does the IA draw the line on standards?
AI is both a threat and an opportunity for the insights profession. In your view, what’s the single biggest risk AI poses to the integrity of consumer data — and what is the IA doing about it?
The IA has been driving the Global Data Quality Excellence Pledge and launching new resources around procurement and incentive guidelines. For CPG brands buying research, what should they actually be demanding from their vendors right now that most of them aren’t?
Survey fraud and data integrity issues have become a serious industry problem. How bad is it, and what levers does the IA have to enforce quality standards across the ecosystem?
The IA is actively tracking state-by-state privacy legislation, GDPR, and now the proposed SECURE Data Act. How does a fragmented U.S. privacy landscape create operational headaches for CPG brands doing consumer research at scale?
The IA recently raised concerns about how the Department of Labor classifies research respondents. That’s a sleeper issue with real cost implications — can you walk our listeners through what’s at stake?
Anita, you’ve been recognized for developing the next generation of insights leaders throughout your career. With burnout high among market researchers and AI changing the job description rapidly, what would you tell a young person today about why this profession is still worth pursuing?
You said upon your appointment: “I’ve spent my career believing in the power of insights to drive better decisions and better outcomes.” For CPG brands that are deprioritizing primary research in favor of data lakes and retail media signals — what’s the cost of that trade-off that they might not be seeing?
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/
DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Phil Camarota, Chief Creative Officer at Flywheel, the commerce acceleration division of Omnicom.
Follow Phil on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-camarota
Follow Flywheel online at: http://www.flywheeldigital.com
Phil answers these questions:
1. Walk us through what it actually means to be Jury President — how much of it is scoring work versus managing a room of strong personalities with different creative instincts?
2. Before you even got to Cannes, what did the prep work look like — building a "shared language" or judging framework with your jurors before deliberations began?
3. Creative Commerce is a relatively young category compared to Film or Print — did that shape how you approached defining what "great" looks like this year?
4. You've talked about expecting "AI tension" going into this year's judging — where did that show up in the room, and how did the jury navigate it?
5. With jurors from Singapore to South America to Europe, how do you reconcile genuinely different regional definitions of great commerce creativity into one Grand Prix?
6. Were there moments where you, personally, had a strong point of view on a piece of work but had to hold back because — as you put it — you're "not the arbiter of taste"?
7. Commerce creativity spans everything from in-store experience to retail media to end-to-end digital journeys — how do you judge fairly across such different formats and channels?
8. You're Global CCO at Flywheel, one of the biggest players in commerce creativity — how did you handle the optics and reality of judging a category so close to your day job?
9. Were there conflict-of-interest guardrails Cannes puts in place for Jury Presidents whose own agencies or clients might have submitted work?
10. Did anything from your Flywheel vantage point — pattern-spotting across retailers and brands — sharpen or distort your lens as a judge?
11. What did last year's Grand Prix winner, VML's "Preserved Promos" for Ziploc, teach you about what separates good commerce work from truly great work — and did that shape your criteria this year?
12. Now that it's behind you, what's one thing about the jury process that surprised you, and what would you tell next year's Creative Commerce Jury President to expect?
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/
DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Philip Durocher, CMO of Opella, maker of iconic OTC health products include Xyzol, Allegra, Dulcolax & IcyHot and Kristen DiCorleto Head of Marketing for CVS Media Exchange (CMX) the Retail Media Division of CVS Health.
This episode was recorded in Cannes France at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
This episode is sponsored by CMX.
Follow Philip on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-durocher/
Follow Opella online at: http://opella.com
Follow Kristen on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-dicorleto/
Follow CMX online at: https://www.cvsmediaexchange.com/
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/
DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.