The Impact of Retail Media and Programmatic Convergence
Julie Selman, SVP, Head of EMEA at Magnite discusses how retail media and programmatic advertising are merging and why AI-driven automation will define the next decade of adtech.
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Retail media and programmatic advertising are converging, offering brands data-driven targeting and real-time campaign optimisation. Meanwhile, adtech faces ongoing M&A activity, with streaming platforms shifting toward bundling.
“In the streaming space, I believe we’ll see more consolidation and a resurgence of the “bundle” of years past as consumers seek more simplicity to make content selection easier. In addition, media companies will begin to license content to each other again as the number of apps is whittled down and more bundling options are introduced. FASTs will continue to thrive as their diverse content range effectively complements premium content apps,” said Julie Selman, SVP, Head of EMEA at Magnite
Julie leads the region’s commercial strategy, business development, and product initiatives.. With over 15 years of experience in digital advertising, she specialises in CTV, programmatic, and digital media sales. Prior to Magnite, she held senior roles at FreeWheel, StickyADS.tv, and Taboola. A multilingual leader, Julie is also a strong advocate for sustainability, spearheading Magnite’s global environmental initiatives.
Talking to Martechvibe, Julie also discusses how combining retail media’s first-party data with CTV advertising enables brands to deliver more personalised, high-engagement campaigns.
Full interview:
What can programmers learn from retail media networks, and where do you see opportunities for convergence?
Retail media is powered by valuable consumer shopping data. Combining this data with programmatic media buys enables brands to make their media investments work harder and they can tailor their strategies to align more closely with their goals. By integrating retail media’s closed-loop measurement approach, programmatic advertisers can gain better visibility into attribution, optimising campaigns in real time for improved ROI. Combining the precision of retail data with the scalability of programmatic enables advertisers to target shoppers across a variety of channels, from onsite and in-store to offsite digital placements. Programmatic execution of retail media is still in its early stages, but presents significant opportunities for RMNs. Currently, the process of activating valuable retail media data is highly siloed and manual, but forging relationships with programmatic partners can help RMNs scale and gain access to a broader pool of buyers.
With ongoing mergers and acquisitions in adtech, do you see the industry moving towards consolidation, or will fragmentation persist?
After a brief lull in M&A over the past couple of years, we saw a new wave of activity in the industry at the close of 2024. Much of this is likely to continue as dominant industry players seek to reinforce their positions by selectively acquiring innovative technologies or niche capabilities to bolster their existing strengths.
In the streaming space, I believe we’ll see more consolidation and a resurgence of the “bundle” of years past as consumers seek more simplicity to make content selection easier. In addition, media companies will begin to license content to each other again as the number of apps is whittled down and more bundling options are introduced. FASTs will continue to thrive as their diverse content range effectively complements premium content apps.
How can advertisers better connect CTV, retail media, and digital advertising in a unified way?
CTV and retail media are two of the fastest-growing advertising mediums. To better connect with audiences across these formats, advertisers can . leverage first-party data from retailers to address consumers across CTV environments. These insights also enable advertisers to monitor performance levels very closely, driving higher engagement success rates. CTV’s broad reach and digital precision, combined with retail media’s data-driven insights, allow brands to deliver personalised, dynamic ads that align with consumers’ shopping behaviours and demographics.
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How do you think regulations (GDPR, CCPA, DMA) will reshape programmatic advertising in the next five years?
We’re experiencing a shift toward a more privacy-forward ecosystem at the same time as data is increasingly moving to the sell-side. Publishers who own the relationship with consumers have the ability to influence how the industry approaches data privacy, and making accommodations for privacy protections can positively impact consumers’ trust in your brand and platform. I believe we’ll ultimately be met with an advertising ecosystem that is more open, transparent, and data-focused in the future.
If you had to bet on one major shift that will define the next decade of adtech, what would it be?
Recently, we’ve seen remarkable advancements in the way AI and machine learning are being leveraged to improve a wide range of processes across various industries, and I believe this will continue to define the industry’s next decade. In programmatic, machine learning can help streamline the buying and selling of ads to enhance monetisation. It can also reduce the time and resources necessary to process large amounts of data and requests, or help personalise ad campaigns. This unlocks additional resources for teams and provides them with more time to focus on high-level tasks. The rise of AI and machine learning technology has the potential to help the digital advertising industry become more innovative and efficient, while also bringing additional industry-wide benefits, such as enhanced sustainability.
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