Cannes is over, and so is Season 1 of Retail Media Breakfast Club.

Thank you for joining me for this experiment I started in January. After pushing near-daily content for 5 months, I’m taking break for the summer. I’ll be in Europe with my fam for a few weeks before heading back to Atlanta in mid-July.

Here’s what to expect from RMBC in the second half of the year.

• Season 2 kicks off on Monday July 28. Subscribe to the podcast, the email newsletter, or the LinkedIn newsletter and you’ll be notified when I’m back!
• Connecting at Conferences & Events! Here's a database of events I’m speaking at and attending. Please reach out to me if you’ll be at these events.
• Local Atlanta meetups. I used to frequently host casual, no-pitch lunches for ecomm folks in the ATL area, and I can’t wait to get back to that! Please let me know if you’re interested by filling out this form — whether you’re an ATL resident or frequent visitor — and I’ll create a separate mailing list to coordinate and announce these meetups.

Finally, thank you so much for joining me here. I know there’s a lot of podcasts and newsletters out there that you could be reading and listening to. Putting the best commentary out there for the most passionate people in retail is something I wake up really excited to do every day.

Have a great summer and see you on the other side.

🔗 Links

• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

Day three at the Cannes Festival of Creativity brought some of the most insightful conversations yet! I sat down once again with Lauren Livak, Director at the Digital Shelf Institute, and Colin Lewis, an experienced retail media commentator, to unpack the day's highlights. From global retail media strategies to the role of ad tech and B2B innovation, this episode captures the evolving narrative of our industry in real time.

This conversation, originally recorded as part of Lauren's podcast Unpacking the Digital Shelf, dives into some of the most provocative insights we heard at the Miracle Cabana and beyond. If you're curious about what it takes to bridge the gap between media and marketing, how Amazon's leadership style is influencing retail innovation, or what "leaning into your uniqueness" means in the age of AI, this one's for you.

Episode Highlights:

[1:31] - Kicking off from the Mirakl Cabana with two standout research presentations, including BCG's perspective on scaling retail media globally

[2:07] - Why tapping into brand budgets is the real prize for retail media and the need for teams who can "speak brand"

[3:59] - The importance of cross-functional collaboration between retailers, brands, and tech providers

[5:02] - Colin's chat with Amazon Advertising's Steef de Wever and the growing necessity for marketers to understand ad tech

[5:56] - A deep dive into Nectar 360's new "Pollen" platform that could set the standard for end-to-end retail media integration

[7:00] - How Lowe's is leveraging marketplaces and retail media to grow their B2B segment

[8:00] - Reflecting on Andy Jassy's insight: "Speed is a leadership decision"

[9:43] - Celebrating the Women of Retail Media Collective and the power of leaning into what makes you different

[10:41] - Colin's memorable takeaway: discover what you "came from the factory with" and make it your superpower

Links & Resources:

• Colin Lewis
• Amazon’s Stijn Demeersseman
• The Digital Shelf Institute's Lauren Livak
• Lowes' Joe Cano
• Check out the Unpacking the Digital Shelf podcast.
• BCG's Daniel Gospodinov
• BCG: six questions for scaling retail media outside the US
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

Cannes Confessional 3

In today’s episode of Cannes Confessional, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Paul Longo, GM of AI in Ads at Microsoft Advertising. Microsoft was actually the first to embed ads within the native chat experience of an LLM, which gives them a front-row seat to the evolving future of advertising in AI.

Later, I dropped in on a compelling panel from the Women in Retail Media Collective event hosted by Criteo. Elisabeth Rommel of eBay delivered some powerful advice on leadership, navigating male-dominated executive teams, and knowing your own value. And to cap it all off, we hear a riveting snippet from Andy Jassy's acceptance speech as Cannes Media Person of the Year. He makes a persuasive case for speed and experimentation as cornerstones of innovation at scale. It's an energizing listen from start to finish.

Timeline Summary:

[00:00] - Kicking off the conversation with Paul Longo of Microsoft Advertising.

[01:00] - How Microsoft refreshed ads in Copilot and why emotional intelligence matters.

[01:53] - Real performance metrics: 73% higher CTRs and 33% faster customer journeys.

[02:43] - The evolving consumer journey: from funnel to tunnel.

[03:00] - Elisabeth Rommel of eBay on breaking through the noise and leading with data.

[04:27] - Advice on career empowerment and staying curious when you don't have a seat at the table.

[06:00] - Mission of the Women in Retail Media Collective: gender equity in industry voices.

[06:39] - Andy Jassy on how Amazon maintains startup agility and embraces smart risk-taking.

[08:29] - Final reflections on speed, leadership, and keeping up with the pace of change.

Links & Resources:

• Elisabeth Rommel, GM, Global Seller & Brand Development, Advertising Growth at eBay
• Paul Longo, GM, AI in Ads at Microsoft Advertising
• Women in Retail Media Collective
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

If this episode inspired or intrigued you, please don’t forget to rate, follow, and share Cannes Confessional. I’ll be back tomorrow with more insights and commentary straight from the Croisette!