Retail media has dominated discussions in the industry, but at the What’s In Store For Retail Media Networks event during NRF 2025, a panel of experts provided a fresh perspective — how retail media is structured, measured and optimized within brands themselves. Featuring leaders from Danone, Mondelez, and Bayer, the session explored the evolving role of retail media and its impact on brand awareness, omnichannel strategies and organizational collaboration.
Retail media may be positioned as a massive opportunity for brands, but how companies structure their teams around it varies. As Chelsey Alexander, VP of Emerging Digital Platforms at Bayer, explained, the approach depends on a brand’s stage in its retail media journey. Early adopters might treat retail media as a trade execution function, while more mature organizations centralize budgets and strategies to maximize efficiency.
Rachel Lawson, former Marketing Director at Mondelez, highlighted the shift towards omnichannel marketing. Mondelez merged its digital and shopper marketing teams to create a unified approach, ensuring alignment across brand, e-commerce and in-store media efforts.
Mike Sallette, VP of Media Licensing and Sponsorship at Danone, reinforced this point, explaining that Danone’s retail media strategy spans shopper marketing, e-commerce and brand media teams, each controlling different budgets and tactics. The result? Stronger integration, higher ROI and a seamless consumer experience across channels.
One of the standout examples of agile collaboration came from Danone’s response to an FDA announcement linking regular yogurt consumption to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Within days, the company updated digital shelves, syndicated UPCs and launched targeted retail media campaigns to capitalize on the surge in consumer interest. The result? A third of buyers influenced by the campaign were new to the brand, with a significant portion also being new category buyers — a testament to the power of retail media when executed with speed and precision.
For Mondelez, in-store retail media proved invaluable in driving brand awareness and purchase intent. A campaign for BelVita breakfast biscuits leveraged digital screens, shelf talkers and point-of-sale QR codes linking coffee purchases with BelVita discounts. Despite varying levels of consumer engagement, the brand saw coupon redemptions three times higher than forecasted, demonstrating the effectiveness of blending physical and digital touchpoints.
The panelists praised retailers’ deep understanding of their shoppers and their ability to engage consumers effectively through retail media. However, they also highlighted key challenges. One recurring theme? The assumption that brands have unlimited budgets to funnel into retail media.
Rachel Lawson pointed out that brands often shift budgets between brand marketing, trade and retail media — meaning new investments aren’t always additive. Mike Sallette added that some retailer-managed media buys create overlap with existing brand campaigns, leading to inefficiencies and wasted ad spend. Greater transparency and collaboration between brands and retailers could help solve these challenges.
One of the most debated topics was whether retail media is a true brand awareness vehicle. Historically seen as a lower-funnel conversion tool, the panelists argued that retail media can — and should — play a broader role in the marketing mix.
At Danone, upper-funnel investments through retail media networks have driven strong incremental brand growth. However, Sallette noted that measuring success requires looking beyond traditional return on ad spend (ROAS) metrics. When reaching new consumers, lower ROAS may indicate higher long-term brand growth, rather than an inefficiency.
Lawson echoed this sentiment, stating that retail media can function as a full-funnel strategy, especially when in-store activations create awareness and drive purchase decisions in real time.
Retail media is evolving rapidly, and brands are continuously adapting to make the most of these opportunities. The key takeaways from the NRF panel? Brands need agile, cross-functional teams to execute effective retail media strategies, while retailers must improve transparency and collaboration to ensure mutual success. As retail media continues to mature, its role will extend beyond conversion tactics — becoming a vital tool for both brand awareness and long-term growth.
Watch the discussion here.
