Is Retail Media Actually Kinda 'Mid'? PART 2

In this follow-up episode, I dive back into the great retail media debate stirred up by Jason Goldberg’s recent commentary on the Jason & Scott Show. His take? That retail media, outside of Amazon, isn’t exactly thrilling. But after three weeks of reflecting, engaging with community feedback, and digging into new data, I’ve come back ready to challenge that notion and show why retail media is evolving far beyond its Amazonian roots.

I break down three key lenses—efficiency over wallet share, the changing advertising mix, and the rise of offsite media—that paint a much more dynamic picture of where the industry is headed. Whether you’re a marketer, retailer, or just trying to keep your finger on the pulse of digital media trends, this episode is packed with insights that’ll reshape how you think about the retail media landscape.

Timeline Summary

[0:00] - Revisiting Jason Goldberg’s “retail media is mid” take

[1:12] - Introducing three new lenses to examine retail media’s potential

[1:33] - Lens 1: Efficiency is beating share of wallet in media performance

[3:07] - Surprising ROI insights from Keen Decision Systems’ data

[4:00] - Lens 2: The ad format and inventory game is broadening

[5:00] - How Best Buy’s brand carousels are changing the playing field

[6:20] - The advertiser base is shifting: more torso and tail players

[7:00] - Lens 3: Offsite media is retail’s next frontier

[8:10] - Amazon’s offsite dominance is slipping—here’s why that matters

[9:35] - What this evolution means for the future of retail media

Links & Resources

• Pentaleap’s H1 2025 Sponsored Products Benchmark Report  
• eMarketer's Retail Media Forecast Update H1 2025
• Keen Decision Systems
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
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