All episodes — The Middlemen Podcast
Season 3 — 30 episodes, newest first
S3 E30 · Oct 27, 2026 · 28 min
The Stay is Just the Start — Monique Perlmutter, Marriott Media Network
Travel changes how we shop. Whether we're preparing for a family vacation, attending a business conference, or taking the kids to a hockey tournament…
S3 E29 · Oct 12, 2026 · 43 min
Can CTV Finally Be Measured on Sales? — Patrick Albano, Best Buy Ads
Patrick Albano doesn’t love the term retail media network. Days after Best Buy Ads’ upfront event, The Drop, the new CRO joined Tom and Todd to explain…
S3 E28 · Oct 9, 2026 · 28 min
In-Store Before It Was Cool — George Forge, Quad
Quad was in-store before it was cool. Recorded at Groceryshop 2026, George Forge of Quad traces the company from a print shop in the back of a family…
S3 E27 · Oct 5, 2026 · 42 min
The Agencies Are Coming — Jason O'Toole, Dentsu
Jason O'Toole spent most of his career on the brand side, most recently running media and connected commerce at Gildan, where he managed retail media…
S3 E26 · Sep 30, 2026 · 35 min
What it Takes to Move Retail Media Offsite — Mark Sluzinski, BJ's Media Edge
BJ’s Media Edge has spent five years building its retail media business largely through owned-and-operated channels. Now the network is preparing to…
S3 E25 · Sep 21, 2026 · 36 min
From Creators to CTV: Building a $2B Ad Business – Jesús Moreno Sosa, Mercado Ads
Tom and Todd spend a lot of time talking to retail media networks in the US. Somehow, they missed a $2 billion ad business in Latin America.
S3 E24 · 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…
S3 E23 · 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.
S3 E22 · 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?
S3 E21 · 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.
S3 E20 · Jul 20, 2026 · 43 min
The Value of Customer Context – Jon Flugstad, MetaRouter
The end of rented identity, and why retailers are building identity graphs they control themselves.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
S3 E2 · Jan 20, 2026
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.
S3 E1 · Jan 12, 2026
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.