Reach, Relevance, and Conversions: Insights from Omnicom’s Jacquelyn Baker

For more than 30 years, the advertising world has embraced the personalization mantra: show the right ad to the right person at the right time. But in today’s competitive retail media landscape, it’s no longer sufficient to show the right ad, it’s even more crucial to provide customers with a relevant experience.

Jacquelyn Baker, CEO of Omnicom Commerce Group, offers a deep dive into this transformation. Her experience in leading one of the top commerce-focused marketing agencies gives her a unique vantage point on the trends and technologies shaping retail media. She outlines why relevance trumps personalization, the strategic use of retail data, and the expanding scope of retail media to include non-endemic advertisers. As we gear up for the holiday season, her insights are particularly crucial for brands looking to optimize their marketing strategies.

The intersection of relevance, reach, and conversion is the new ideal

In her interview on Rokt’s Beet TV’s leadership series, “Why Relevance Rules in eCommerce,” Baker shares how retail media’s power lies in its ability to combine relevance with reach and conversion. Unlike traditional advertising and personalization, which often relies on broad demographic data, retail media can target consumers based on their specific behaviors and needs using first-party data. As Baker puts it, “the buzzword was personalization at scale.” She goes on to explain that this type of 1:1 relationship with a consumer is, in fact, not achievable through personalization alone. Rather than focusing on the hype around personalization, the key is relevance.

“Retail media is really relevancy meets reach meets conversion, and that’s the ideal state,” Baker explains. She highlights that retail media allows advertisers to connect with a consumer base that is actively looking to solve problems. This approach ensures that marketers can identify the right consumers, understand their unique needs, and deliver actionable solutions that drive conversion and engagement. These solutions can enable audience targeting on a 1:1 level. In addition advertisers can access closed loop attribution to understand the return on their ad spend and whether consumers actually converted.

Expand retail media to non-endemic advertisers to surprise and delight customers

One of the most exciting developments in retail media is its potential to include non-endemic advertisers—brands that do not traditionally sell on the retailer’s site. This innovation uses the rich shopper data collected by retailers to create highly targeted marketing opportunities for a wider range of third-party brands.

Baker explains, “You’re using extremely rich data for brands that aren’t even available in the shopping environments from which that data was sourced.” This expansion allows advertisers to acquire new audiences in more diverse contexts, thereby increasing the overall effectiveness of their marketing strategies.

Leverage relevance to enhance holiday marketing strategies

Understanding and leveraging relevance in retail media is more important than ever, especially as we approach the high-stakes holiday season. By focusing on relevance rather than just personalization, brands can reduce ad waste, improve the customer experience, and ultimately drive higher ROI.

As the holiday season approaches, Baker expects retail media spending to increase compared to last year. “The holiday season is so much about gifting and purchase that consumers are already far more predisposed to want to purchase things in that mindset when they’re looking online,” she says. “I think the spends will go up and the placements will become more interesting.” Baker’s insights provide a roadmap for brands looking to enhance their retail media strategies, ensuring they stay ahead of the curve in a competitive market.

Enhance your retail media strategy with Rokt

Rokt’s ability to integrate seamlessly with existing retail media networks means that retailers can offer relevant offers that exist beyond their own ecosystem. Using AI and first-party data in the transaction moment, Rokt delivers highly relevant offers at the moment when customers are in their peak purchase mindset.

The result is a win-win for all: Retailers open up a new revenue stream from advertisers; advertisers access a new acquisition channel; and the customer is rewarded with a more enriching shopping experience. As retail media continues to evolve, the insights shared by Baker highlight the importance of focusing on relevance, leveraging rich retail data, and exploring new opportunities with non-endemic advertisers. These strategies are crucial for brands looking to maximize their impact, especially during peak shopping periods like the holiday season. Rokt’s innovative solutions support these efforts, ensuring that brands can stay ahead in the competitive e-commerce landscape.

To learn more about how Rokt can uplevel your retail media strategy, visit our retail media page.

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