I recently had the pleasure of joining one of my favorite retail media podcasts, Unlocked, with Austin and Elizabeth. Today, I’m sharing a snippet from that conversation in which we get into something much more personal: my process as a writer, how I consistently create content, and why storytelling has become such a powerful tool in my work.

I also open up about how I actually use AI in my day-to-day workflow (and why I still feel behind!), plus a storytelling framework that’s completely changed how I approach content. And to top it off, I share a slightly embarrassing — but very real — story from my early days in retail media that you likely haven’t heard before.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – Why I love the Unlocked podcast and what makes it different from typical retail media shows
[00:45] – My real, unfiltered process for creating consistent content (yes, sometimes it’s last-minute)
[02:00] – How I think about content ideas and why I never run out of things to say
[03:00] – The AI tools I actually use (and how they help me scale output)
[04:00] – My storytelling framework and the “Homework for Life” habit
[08:00] – The origin of my retail media journey and the moment that changed everything
[09:15] – The unexpected legal drama behind one of my books

Links & Resources

• Listen to my full appearance on Unlocked
• Subscribe to Unlocked with Austin and Elizabeth on Apple Podcasts
• Follow Austin Leonard, Vice President and General Manager of DG Media Network, on LinkedIn
• Follow Elizabeth Neubauer-Donovan, EVP, Global Head of Commerce & Retail Media Networks @ Acxiom Omnicom, on LinkedIn
• Read my related articles:
  • Writing From the Middle of the Room
  • My Media Diet
  • Get On The Damn Stage
• I'm hosting a LIVE event with In-Store Marketplace and Catalyst Media Consulting on April 22 about In-Store Retail Media: are we measuring the wrong things? We'll discuss New Research on the state of in-store retail media measurement — and why the path forward may actually be simpler than the industry is making it. REGISTER HERE
• Follow my new Instagram account for comedy skits about the quirks of retail media @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Today I'm unpacking a blind spot that completely changed how I’m thinking about AI’s impact on retail media. Recently I’ve been talking a lot about the long-term threat of agentic commerce — fewer ad surfaces, weaker first-party data— but there’s a more immediate issue already happening right now. AI agents are actively browsing retail sites, clicking around, and triggering ad impressions… without a human ever seeing a single ad.

I walk through how this is quietly distorting ad metrics, inflating performance data, and concerningly, corrupting the behavioral signals that power retail media targeting. If AI agents are shaping audience data and driving “fake” intent, what does that mean for the entire measurement system? And are we even asking the right questions yet?

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – Why a Business of Fashion article made me rethink AI’s impact on retail media
[00:45] – The structural threat of AI shopping agents to ad surfaces and first-party data
[01:15] – How AI agents are already clicking ads, and why brands are paying for it
[02:18] – The illusion of impressions: from humans scrolling to bots with no eyes
[03:06] – The “relentless agent” problem: repeated clicks and inflated ad events
[03:45] – How AI activity is poisoning behavioral data and audience targeting
[05:36] – “Cost per human”: the emerging fix, and why it’s harder than it sounds
[06:00] – What this means for retail media networks right now (not someday)

Links & Resources

• Business of Fashion article: How AI Shopping Agents Are Reshaping Fashion’s Ad Economy
• Learn more about AI analytics company DoubleVerify
• Read my related articles:
  • ‘Dark Search’ Is Making AI-Facilitated Commerce Look Smaller Than It Really Is
  • Dark Search, Broken Signals, and What Comes Next for Retail Media
  • Agentic Commerce Is a Sequencing Problem, Not an Existential One
• I'm hosting a LIVE event with In-Store Marketplace and Catalyst Media Consulting on April 22 about In-Store Retail Media: are we measuring the wrong things? We'll discuss New Research on the state of in-store retail media measurement — and why the path forward may actually be simpler than the industry is making it. REGISTER HERE
• Follow my new Instagram account for comedy skits about the quirks of retail media @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

In this episode, I dive into a fascinating recent conversation featuring Gildan’s Jason O’Toole on The CPG Guys podcast and unpack a powerful idea that stopped me in my tracks: brand media lowers the tax you pay on growth. If you’ve ever struggled to justify upper-funnel spend or connect brand investment to real performance outcomes, this one’s for you.

I break down three key takeaways from the discussion, including how Gildan is structuring its teams to align brand and commerce, why traditional metrics like impressions are losing relevance, and what a high-impact Amazon campaign can teach us about speed, scale, and full-funnel execution. There’s a lot here that challenges conventional retail media thinking so let’s get into it!

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – Why apparel is one of the most competitive and margin-pressured categories in retail
[01:12] – The idea that “brand media lowers the tax you pay on growth” and why it matters
[02:40] – How budget ownership shapes the role retail media plays inside organizations
[03:31] – Why impressions are a flawed metric and what to focus on instead
[05:13] – The two metrics that actually matter: branded search and incrementality
[06:30] – Inside Gildan’s Amazon homepage campaign and what made it so effective

Links & Resources

• Listen to the full CPG Guys episode: Winning in Social Commerce with Gildan's Jason O'Toole & Katie Tripodi
• Subscribe to The CPG Guys: Apple Podcasts and YouTube
• Follow Jason O'Toole, Head of Connected Commerce & Media @ Glidan, on LinkedIn
• Follow Katie Sierveld Tripodi, Director, Ecommerce Activation and Strategy @ Hanesbrands Inc., on LinkedIn
• Read my related articles:
  • iROAS results can be easily gamed. But we shouldn't just throw it away
  • 'Not 100% altruistic': ad measurement veteran on what retail media is really optimizing for
  • Ecommerce Signals Are Shrinking. Why Retailers Must Earn New Ones
• I'm hosting a LIVE event with In-Store Marketplace and Catalyst Media Consulting on April 22 about In-Store Retail Media: are we measuring the wrong things? We'll discuss New Research on the state of in-store retail media measurement — and why the path forward may actually be simpler than the industry is making it. REGISTER HERE
• Follow my new Instagram account for comedy skits about the retail media industry @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn