🔦 Firework Spotlight Series: Keith Bryan on Retail Media’s “Tough Talk” Moment Recently, we welcomed Keith as an advisor and kicked off a Spotlight Series, tapping into his vast retail media experience, being a pioneer and a trailblazer in the RMN field. Now he’s back, and he’s not holding back. “I love the RMN community. It’s like home for me. But it’s going through some awkward growing pains. What got us here won’t get us there strategically, operationally, or economically. In a perfect world, we’d host a tough-talk revival in a big tent on a grassy hill and drop the echo chamber for a weekend.” Keith calls out the need for RMNs to tackle foundational media issues like efficient activation, attribution, and measurement, but warns that those alone won’t push the industry through its adolescent crucible. The real challenge? Strategic integration. “Most RMNs are isolated organizationally. They need to be integrated strategically, operationally, and economically with the core, established retail operating structure.” He outlines 3 areas where that must happen: • Exclusive Retailer Value Propositions: Loyalty programs, BNPL, marketplace offerings, events, etc. RMNs should bind themselves to these value props, breaking down the misperception that personalization and monetization are in conflict. It also sets a supply strategy stage that organically generates rich O/O inventory that's high impact near point-of-sale, delivers strong performance, and is extremely valuable in part due to its scarcity and exclusivity. • Discoverable, On-Platform Content: Using the PDP as a proxy, customers expect relevant, engaging, interactive content, especially video and AI-enabled content. With AI search exploding, retailer content must be created, structured, and optimized, just as it is within publishing. “Retailers need to stop pretending to think like publishers and start acting like them.” • Merchandising + RMN Alignment: Many RMNs still operate in zero-sum dynamics with merchandising teams, creating friction over vendor trade terms. A better path: shared visibility into category and brand economics, ideally aligned above the line in financials. More insights from Keith coming soon in our next Firework Spotlight drop. #FireworkSpotlight #RetailMedia #KeithBryan #ConnectedCommerce #CommerceMedia #RMN #RetailInnovation #VideoCommerce #ShoppableVideo #RetailTransformation
