Retail Media vs. Brand Media: Untangling the Budget Fight

Why Now

Retail media keeps growing inside large consumer businesses, and in most of them the money still comes out of line items built for trade promotions rather than media. Earlier this year the IAB and IAB Europe published a five-part series on exactly this problem: separate budgets, separate KPIs, separate reporting lines, all funding the same channel. 2027 planning is being built now, and whichever budget retail media lands in decides the KPI it gets judged on for the next twelve months.

Credibility Strip

• $250M+ ad spend managed
• $3B+ in annual marketplace sales
• 120+ brands across CPG, beauty, pet, home, apparel

What We'll Cover

• Where the money comes from: Trade, shopper marketing and brand media each fund retail media on different terms. Which spend belongs to which.
• Two sets of numbers: Why reported retail media ROAS and modelled brand media reach cannot be compared, and what to hold both to instead.
• Reporting lines: What actually changes when retail media moves out of the trade team, from Josh's work as Global Retail Media Director.
• The retailer conversation: How media commitments get agreed alongside trade terms, and what that leaves the media plan.