Why your brand’s best intentions can get lost in translation—and how to fix it.
Let’s just come out and say it:
Retail media has evolved faster than most agencies have.
CPGs are investing millions across dozens of Retail Media Networks (RMNs), hoping for efficiency, closed-loop reporting, and incremental sales. But too often, those dollars are getting diluted by agency partners who just… don’t get it.
Not because they’re bad at their jobs. But because retail media isn’t just media.
It’s merchandising. It’s shopper strategy. It’s real-time data.
It’s a new language—and many agencies are still relying on Google Translate.
🙈 The Problem: Great Intentions, Wrong Playbook
Your agency wants to help. They’re experts in digital marketing. But retail media isn’t your typical programmatic or paid social campaign. It requires knowing:
- How each retailer’s data works
- Which placements drive actual conversion (not just clicks)
- What’s co-op eligible, and what’s not
- How to align with merchandising and supply chain timing
- Why your campaign shouldn’t go live the week after your product’s out-of-stock
Unfortunately, agencies often try to apply their existing workflows—and it shows. They miss the retailer nuance. They don’t speak the shopper marketing language. They push for efficiency over effectiveness. And in retail media, that’s a losing game.
🧠 What Happens When the Agency Drives the Strategy
Here’s what we see too often:
- Campaigns focused on ROAS instead of iROAS
- Endless back-and-forth over creative approvals that delay go-live by weeks
- Missed opportunities to coordinate with a retailer’s in-store promotion
- No one from the agency ever showing up to a joint business planning meeting (or knowing who the category manager is)
Worse? Many agencies view retail media as a “have to,” not a “want to.” So they do the minimum—and the results show it.
💬 “But They’re My Agency of Record…”
Totally fair. Agencies are great at managing complexity, consistency, and execution across multiple channels. But here’s the thing:
Retail media is not just another channel.
It’s a partnership. A retailer-brand relationship. And often, your agency is acting as the gatekeeper instead of the collaborator.
When they control the plan, the spend, and the communication with the RMN—you lose speed, clarity, and impact.
✅ How to Fix It (Without Burning It All Down)
This isn’t about cutting ties. It’s about redefining roles.
Here’s how to course-correct:
1. Keep retail media strategy closer to the brand.
Whether it’s in-house or led by your shopper team, retail media needs people who live in the retailer ecosystem daily—not those reading from a media brief.
2. Use agencies for execution, not translation.
Let them manage creative builds, trafficking, and analytics dashboards. But bring the strategy—and retailer communication—in-house or through a specialized retail media partner.
3. Ask for results, not reports.
Push for metrics that matter: new-to-brand sales, incrementality, lift. Not just CTRs and CPMs.
4. Involve your retail partners.
Co-plan with your RMN. Share your brand goals. Build media around your joint business plan—not just around your fiscal calendar.
🚨 Final Thought: Your Agency Might Be Great—Just Not at This
Retail media isn’t about throwing money at banners and hoping for the best. It’s about influencing purchase decisionswhere and when it matters most.
If your agency doesn’t have the relationships, experience, or urgency to operate in this space, it’s okay to take the wheel.
Because in the end, it’s your brand—and your results on the line.