The Middlemen Podcast — The people behind commerce media
The latest from the show.
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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Episode · 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.
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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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About the show
Conversations from the center of commerce media.
The Middlemen is a long-form podcast with the people building commerce media: the operators, founders, retailers, publishers, agencies, and brands shaping what comes next.
Each episode gets into the decisions, partnerships, and infrastructure behind the industry—straight from the people in the middle of it.
23
Episodes this season
3
Seasons
3
Co-hosts
Meet the Middlemen
Tom Limongello
Co-host & Producer
Built retail media at Quotient and mobile ad tech at Crisp, after early CPG roots at Unilever in Chicago and Shanghai. Talks about retailer–brand relationships like grand military strategy — because that's what they are.
Todd Sawicki
Co-host
Founder of Nextipedia. Former CEO of Zemanta (acquired by Outbrain, 2017) and CRO at Cheezburger Network. Deep operator background across retail media and ad tech.
Scott Messer
Co-host
Founder of Messer Media, advising publishers and ad tech companies. Former SVP Media at Leaf Group. Two decades scaling digital media businesses through shifts in data, privacy and audience.
Where you'll catch us next.
August
Ace Hardware RedVest Media Upfronts @ Wrigley Field
September
Ascendant Showcase
October
SMG RM Leadership Summit
November
Panel with Kyley Rouse of Kroger
Shopper Missions
Deeper analysis of retail media and commerce, and how we stay in touch with the Middlemen community — the guests, operators and readers working in the middle of it. Free, on Substack.