Retail Media Breakfast Club

I’m coming to you a little under the weather today, but this recap of my recent article for The Drum was too important not to share. In this episode, I break down Kroger’s new YouTube integration and why it could be a turning point for retail media networks trying to crack into elusive national brand budgets.
I dig into what Kroger Precision Marketing actually built with Google’s DV360, why it matters for both measurement and media buying workflows, and how this move could finally align retail media with the expectations of brand marketers. If you’ve been wondering what it really takes to unlock CMO-level budgets, this episode connects the dots, and challenges the old playbooks many of us have been relying on.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline
[00:00] – I kick things off (slightly sick!) and introduce Kroger’s YouTube integration
[01:00] – Why retail media networks are struggling to unlock brand budgets
[01:30] – What Kroger’s DV360 integration actually enables for advertisers
[02:15] – The three biggest barriers to brand budget adoption and how Kroger addresses them
[03:00] – Why YouTube video changes the game for emotional brand storytelling
[04:00] – The measurement breakthrough: SKU-level attribution and real-time optimization
[06:00] – Why workflow simplicity (and fewer dashboards) is a bigger deal than you think
[08:30] – What happens when online ads connect to in-store purchases (and why that’s the real test)

Links & Resources
My article on The Drum: Kroger’s YouTube deal is the brand budget bridge retail media has been waiting for
Read my related articles:iROAS results can be easily gamed. But we shouldn't just throw it away
The ‘Costco Velocity’ Tech Stack Is Coming Together. Here's How the Pieces Fit.
Brian Monahan's 'Bloody Obvious' Bets Are Shaking Up Albertsons Media Collective

NEXT WEEK on Thursday May 7 I am hosting a LinkedIn Live event: How Kroger Precision Marketing Is Plugging Into National Brand Budgets ! Join me, Christine Foster (head of Kroger Precision Marketing) and Jon Flugstad (Metarouter) to hash out the details of Kroger's partnership with DV360 and how this development is a sign of maturity in the retail media ecosystem. Bring your questions, we'll be doing this LIVE. 
I launched an Instagram account with comedy skits about the retail media industry! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
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Today I’m sharing highlights from a recent LinkedIn Live I hosted with Paul Brenner from In-Store Marketplace and Michelle Dooley from Catalyst Media Consulting. We dug into one of the most pressing challenges in retail media today: how we measure in-store performance, and whether the industry is actually optimizing for the wrong outcomes.
We explored their new research report that proposes a shift away from overly narrow metrics like one-to-one attribution and toward a more meaningful standard: shopper purchase rate. The conversation unpacks why current scorecards are falling short, how in-store media is being misunderstood across stakeholders, and what a more unified, product-movement-driven measurement system could look like.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline
[00:00] – I introduce the core problem: whether we’re measuring in-store retail media the right way
[01:04] – Paul Brenner breaks down the gap between RMN tech expectations and real-world retail execution challenges
[02:39] – Michelle Dooley explains how “in-store” means very different things across brands, retailers, and RMNs
[03:45] – Key research insights: in-store is broader than digital, and product movement is the dominant success metric
[06:46] – Introduction of “shopper purchase rate” and why it’s emerging as a better measurement framework
[09:00] – Why shopper purchase rate could unify RMNs and merchants around a shared scorecard and shift focus back to in-store effectiveness
Links & Resources
Full webinar replay: In-Store Retail Media: Are We Measuring the Wrong Things? [New Research]
Download the report: In-Store Media Has a Measurement Problem – Just Not the One You Think
In-Store Marketplace (ISM)
Catalyst Media
Follow Paul Brenner, SVP, Global Retail Media and Partnerships @ In-Store Marketplace (ISM), on LinkedIn
Follow Michelle Dooley, Expert Advisor @ Catalyst Media, on LinkedIn
Read my related articles:In-Store Retail Media Evolved Differently in Europe. Here's Why.
Who's Signing the Check For Experiential In-Store Media?
Sam's Club Cracked the Code on In-Store Retail Media—Here's How They Did It

I am sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

I made the trek through Atlanta traffic to attend Home Depot’s Orange Apron Media upfronts, and let me tell you, it was absolutely worth it. In a year where brands are scrutinizing every dollar spent on travel and events, this one-day gathering managed to draw hundreds of suppliers from across the country. That alone says something. But what really stood out wasn’t just the announcements: it was how the event was designed.
In this episode, I’m breaking down the seven smartest decisions Home Depot made with their upfronts. From resisting the urge to copy Amazon’s playbook to creating a tightly focused, high-impact experience for advertisers. If you’re building or scaling a retail media network, there are some seriously valuable lessons here about audience, format, messaging, and momentum.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline
[00:00] – Why hundreds of suppliers showed up for a one-day event (and why that matters right now) 
[00:56] – Why Home Depot didn’t try to replicate Amazon’s “Unboxed” (and why that’s a good thing) 
[01:37] – The power of a closed advertiser ecosystem and how it becomes a strategic advantage 
[02:15] – Why putting merchants on stage before media teams sends a stronger message 
[02:58] – Serving three audiences at once: suppliers, partners, and internal teams 
[04:15] – How supplier voices and testimonials added credibility and broke up the sales pitch 
[05:41] – Why venue choice reinforced Home Depot’s brand identity 
[07:00] – The “narrow and deep” press strategy that led to meaningful coverage

Links & Resources
My OAM piece from last week: Orange Apron Media is leaning into the things only Home Depot can do
Karen Jacobs from Emarketer's piece from last week: Home Depot deepens retail media push with Reddit and Pinterest partnerships and new tools
Read my related articles:Why Home Depot put its merchants on stage at its retail media upfronts (The Drum)
Home Depot’s Retail Media Chief Puts Suppliers At The Center
The ‘Costco Velocity’ Tech Stack Is Coming Together. Here's How the Pieces Fit.

I launched an Instagram account with comedy skits about the retail media industry! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Today I’m taking you behind the scenes of a packed stretch of travel — three major industry events in just a few days — and using it as a jumping-off point to unpack a bigger question: are work trips and in-person events still worth it in today’s commerce media landscape?
I dive into fresh data from my LinkedIn poll and explore the growing divide between those constantly on the road and those opting out entirely. I talk about budget pressures, decision fatigue, and the real, often unspoken value of being in the room. If you’ve ever felt torn between FOMO and JOMO when it comes to industry events, this episode will give you a clearer lens on how to think about where and when to show up.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline
[00:00] – A whirlwind week: juggling three major commerce media events across multiple cities
[01:00] – Why I ran a LinkedIn poll on event attendance and what sparked the question
[01:45] – The surprising stat: 28% of industry professionals aren’t attending any events
[02:45] – The real reason behind declining attendance: budget pressure vs. calendar overload
[03:30] – The explosion of commerce media events and why choosing is harder than ever
[05:00] – Decision fatigue, FOMO vs. JOMO, and the emotional side of skipping events
[06:00] – What makes an event truly worth attending in 2026
Links & Resources
Read my related articles:Writing From the Middle of the Room
My Media Diet
Get On The Damn Stage

I am sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Today I’m focusing on my recent article for The Drum, breaking down what really stood out from Home Depot’s third annual Infronts event, and there’s more going on than just incremental progress. Sure, merchant alignment and the shift toward self-service are important, but what really caught my attention is how Orange Apron Media is doubling down on the things only Home Depot can do.
From turning the Pro customer into a powerful media asset, to rethinking how in-store and online performance are measured, this episode explores how differentiation (not scale) is becoming the real competitive edge in retail media. I also dig into how tighter integration between media and merchandising data is changing the game for suppliers, and why Home Depot’s so-called “limitations” might actually be its biggest strengths.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline
[00:00] – Two major themes from InFronts: merchant alignment and self-service evolution
[00:30] – Why Orange Apron Media is focusing on what makes Home Depot uniquely powerful
[00:45] – The Pro customer as a high-value, deeply owned media audience
[01:45] – Scaling in-store media: 1,400 stores and a layered retail media ecosystem
[02:45] – Why paint is a top performer when you measure beyond e-commerce
[04:00] – Connecting media spend to real sales through integrated analytics
[06:30] – Home Depot’s hybrid tech stack strategy: build vs. buy decisions
[07:15] – “Quirks are a feature”: turning specialization into a competitive advantage

Links & Resources
My article on The Drum: Why Home Depot put its merchants on stage at its retail media upfronts
Read my related articles:Home Depot’s Retail Media Chief Puts Suppliers At The Center
The ‘Costco Velocity’ Tech Stack Is Coming Together. Here's How the Pieces Fit.
‘Retail Media has a PR problem’ Says CVS Media Exchange's Parbs Dhariwal

I launched an Instagram account with comedy skits about the retail media industry! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn