The Middlemen Podcast — The people behind commerce media
Season 3 — 24 episodes, newest first
S3 E23 · Sep 1, 2026 · 27 min
When Campaign Results Aren't Enough — Molly Hjelm, RedVest Media
Ace Hardware's RedVest Media held its first upfront at Wrigley Field, about a year after launching. Tom sat down with Molly Hjelm, Corporate Vice…
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S3 E22 · Aug 25, 2026 · 39 min
The Pro Phase: Building a Full-Funnel Retail Media Network – Elyse Blouin, Lowe's Media Network
Lowe's new GM on creators, Pro versus DIY signals, non-endemic audiences and closed-loop measurement.
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S3 E21 · Aug 12, 2026 · 37 min
Can You Trust Incrementality? – Scott Cunningham, Alliance for Audited Media
Should retailers disclose how they measure incrementality, or is it time for independent verification?
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S3 E20 · Aug 4, 2026 · 41 min
Taking Club Membership to the Racetrack – Harvey Ma, Sam's Club Connect
Why paid membership creates deterministic purchase data, and how sampling became an advertising business.
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S3 E19 · Jul 14, 2026 · 41 min
What Does Commerce Media Look Like Beyond Amazon? – Collin Colburn, IAB
Why most retailers need a different strategy than Amazon, and why disclosure may beat standardized measurement.
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S3 E18 · Jul 7, 2026 · 34 min
36% Forget to Buy What They Discover on Social – Christine Foster, Kroger Precision Marketing
Recorded on the Kroger rooftop at Cannes: Audiences Everywhere, and the disappearing upper funnel.
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S3 E17 · Jun 1, 2026 · 48 min
Winning Brand Budgets – Michael Peroutka, GoPuff
The Pepsi Challenge, conquesting through sampling, and why GoPuff monetizes at roughly 3-4% of sales.
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S3 E16 · May 26, 2026 · 33 min
Why Hy-Vee Went All-In on In-Store Retail Media – Britt Polihronis, Red Media
10,000+ screens across the Midwest, and why regional retailers may have advantages national players overlook.
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S3 E15 · May 12, 2026 · 37 min
Retail Media Needs Commerce Infrastructure Not an Ad Server – Regina Ye, Topsort
Why static shopper segments underperform real-time purchase intent, and the difference between serving and optimization.
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S3 E14 · May 6, 2026 · 36 min
The Digital Promise – Parbinder Dhariwal, CVS Media Exchange (CMX)
ExtraCare loyalty data, the CorIQ AI platform, and the “I already bought this” retargeting problem.
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S3 E13 · May 4, 2026 · 15 min
Possible '26 Recap — Retailers Are Getting Better at This!
Loyalty-led product maturity, AI as a feature rather than the main event, and buying flexibility beyond sponsored search.
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S3 E12 · Apr 22, 2026 · 32 min
The Modern Grocer — Vincent Finazzo, Riverwards
How assortment gets built out of cookbooks, and why most brands lose their edge after acquisition.
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S3 E11 · Apr 20, 2026 · 37 min
Beyond Transactions — Marco Steinsieck, Backpack Media
Predictive commerce powered by life-stage data: reaching people for what they are about to need.
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S3 E10 · Apr 14, 2026 · 45 min
Digital Envy is Holding Back In-Store Retail Media
Paul Brenner and Michelle Dooley on the four scorecards problem and the illusion of precision.
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S3 E9 · Apr 2, 2026 · 43 min
The End of Rented Identity — Nikhil Raj, MetaRouter
First-mile data infrastructure, and why traditional audience pipelines are too slow.
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S3 E8 · Mar 23, 2026 · 43 min
Costco Retail Media Comes to Google — Mark Williamson
Retail media moving into high-intent search, and why most offsite hasn't worked until now.
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S3 E7 · Mar 8, 2026 · 51 min
When Traffic Moves, Commerce Resets — Sharon Gee, Commerce
Feeds, payments, identity and fulfillment: what actually resets when discovery shifts offsite.
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S3 E6 · Mar 2, 2026 · 47 min
The Commerce Media Flywheel — Mark Grether, PayPal
What happens when a payments company becomes a commerce media platform.
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S3 E5 · Feb 16, 2026 · 32 min
Who Controls the Grid? — Andreas Reiffen, Pentaleap
Merchandising margin versus ad revenue, and ranking the grid on compound margin.
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S3 E4 · Feb 2, 2026 · 34 min
Commerce Media is a Layer (Not a Channel) — Conor McKenna, Luma Partners
A banker's-eye view: the trough of disillusionment, and why transactions are the new cookie.
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S3 E3 · Jan 26, 2026 · 30 min
From Casual to Causal: Proving In-Store Works — Liz Roche, Albertsons
Why ad plays aren't enough, and what it takes to move from pilot programs to network scale.
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CES + NRF 2026: How In-Store Retail Media Is Changing
A CES + NRF banded-pack episode on why in-store retail media is changing—and how scale, pragmatism, and shopper flow shape what works.
Why TV operators love CTV + Retail Media: Alex Holtz, IDC
Alex Holtz (IDC) on CTV + retail media: FAST platforms, data/identity, GenAI creative, and where ad budgets could shift.
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