Retail Media Unboxed

Retail media has become one of advertising's fastest-growing channels, but most of the industry's attention remains fixed on a handful of giants. In this episode of Retail Media Unboxed, we sit down with Jon Lowen, Co-CEO of Surfside, to discuss why the next phase of retail media growth will come from independent retailers, regional chains, and specialty stores that have been largely left behind.

We explore why retail media should be viewed as a retailer's operating system rather than simply another advertising product, how first-party data can transform customer experiences beyond advertising, why better measurement is shifting marketers away from media metrics and toward business outcomes, and what needs to happen before thousands of fragmented retail media networks become as easy to buy as search or social.

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Steve Biddle, Chief Commercial Officer at Zitcha. With a career spanning Walmart, Meta, and now one of retail media’s leading orchestration platforms, Steve brings a uniquely deep perspective on how the retail media ecosystem has evolved — and where it still faces major growing pains.

In this conversation, we unpack the operational and structural tensions slowing the next phase of retail media growth, including fragmentation across platforms, the disconnect between merchant organizations and retail media teams, and why traditional advertising metrics don’t always reflect real retail outcomes. Steve also shares his thoughts on the future role of AI in simplifying retail media execution, why transparency across networks matters more than ever, and how stronger integration between merchant data and media systems could fundamentally reshape the industry.

It’s a thoughtful, candid conversation about where retail media stands today — and what needs to happen next.

In this episode of Retail Media Unboxed, we sit down with Intersection CEO Chris Grosso to explore how digital out-of-home (DOOH) is redefining the path to purchase. From LinkNYC kiosks to transit networks across major U.S. cities, Grosso outlines how location, timing, and real-world context are turning everyday environments into high-intent media channels.

We dive into the overlooked power of proximity, the role of experiential in a fragmented media landscape, and why marketers may be over-optimizing for short-term performance at the expense of long-term brand growth. Plus, how advancements in foot traffic attribution, mobile data, and AI-driven planning are finally helping DOOH prove its impact alongside retail media networks.

Retail media networks are booming—but they’re also hitting real constraints around scale, signal loss, and measurement.

In this episode of Retail Media Unboxed, we sit down with Colin Grieves, Managing Director at Experian Marketing Services UK and Ireland, to unpack what’s actually changing beneath the surface of retail media in 2026.

We explore why first-party data alone is no longer enough, how privacy-safe third-party insight helps resolve the precision-vs-scale trade-off, and why interoperability and collaboration are becoming essential for retailers, agencies, and brands alike. The conversation also dives into shifting consumer behavior, value-seeking mindsets, and the critical role high-quality data will play as AI becomes embedded across media buying, creative, and measurement.

In this episode of Retail Media Unboxed, host we sit down with Jacob King, Senior Vice President of Amex Offers & Digital Media at American Express, for an inside look at how Amex Ads is redefining the commerce media landscape. Building on more than a decade of success with Amex Offers—which drove over $15 billion in global spend last year alone—American Express is now extending its relevance, personalization, and value into a full-fledged media offering.
 
Jacob explains how Amex Ads leverages the company’s closed-loop network, rich first-party transaction data, and premium digital platforms like AmexTravel.com and Resy to help brands connect with 34 million high-spending U.S. card members in contextual, high-intent moments. He shares early results from pilots with partners like Marriott and Tumi—results that far exceeded benchmarks thanks to precise targeting, full-funnel measurement, and both online and offline spend attribution.