Retail Media Is a Creative Wasteland. So What.

Retail media is a creative wasteland. That’s the catchy line coming out of Ipsos’ new Creativity Over Clicks research. And honestly, my first reaction was to get my hackles up. But once I slowed down and looked at what the data was actually saying, I realized the report was confirming something many retail media practitioners have known for a long time: the creative looks the way it does for some very rational reasons.In this episode, I unpack what Ipsos’ research tells us about retail media creative, shopper mindset, measurement, and the tension between brand building and bottom-of-funnel performance. I also look at where I think retail media has an opportunity to go further, particularly when it comes to video, premium formats, and reaching shoppers who aren't already in market. Is retail media really a creative wasteland? Or have we simply been optimizing for what the channel can measure? This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoopTimeline[00:00] - Why the “creative wasteland” framing initially got my hackles up[01:11] - Why retail media attracts a more data-driven, performance-focused mindset[02:06] - Why retail media ads are 47% less likely to be remembered, and how shopper mindset explains it[03:07] - How measurement shapes creative choices and keeps retail media focused on the bottom of the funnel[04:22] - Why video outperforms display across key brand metrics[06:18] - The surprising impact of creative quality on undecided and out-of-market shoppers[07:17] - Why retail media shouldn't simply copy the “best practices” of traditional media Links & ResourcesIpsos' new retail media research: Creativity over ClicksSubscribe to Andrew Lipsman's newsletter Media, Ads + CommerceRead my related articles:Why Do Brand Marketers Love To Hate On Retail Media?The ‘How Brands Grow’ Dogma Wants To Have A Word With Retail MediaChallenger Brands: Being Heavy On Sponsored Products Is a Feature, Not a BugI'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclubSubscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletterFollow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn