Continuing with the Cannes series here’s a closer look at point #3:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿: 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 & 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲
Until now, Retail Media and traditional (digital and offline) media have operated in silos. Retail Media built its reputation on precision performance using first-party data and attribution to drive sales. Meanwhile, TV and digital platforms were the domain of reach and brand-building, but often struggled to connect the dots to business outcomes.
That’s changing fast. Retail Media Networks are moving up the funnel, investing in branded content and experiences to capture brand spend. They have the data and measurement muscle, but often lack the sheer scale of TV or major digital platforms for broad brand campaigns. Even with moves into streaming (think Amazon Prime Video or Twitch), most Retail Media offerings can’t yet compete on audience size, frequency, or cost efficiency.
On the flip side, traditional media companies still control the biggest audiences but their impact measurement usually ends at reach, frequency, and the occasional brand lift test. Advertisers want more: clarity, granularity, and direct links between brand investment and actual sales.
Today, the big players on both sides are starting to recognize the win-win in collaboration. By combining Retail Media’s data and attribution expertise with traditional media’s reach, we’re seeing new solutions that offer both brand-building and traceable sales outcomes. Expect more partnerships between Retail Media Networks, broadcasters, streaming platforms, and publishers that aim to unify insights and measurement across the whole marketing funnel.
This shift is a huge step towards finally showing how top-of-the-funnel brand dollars can drive bottom-line impact. For marketers, this could unlock both better outcomes and clearer ROI and reshape how we think about the entire media mix.