Connected Screens and Commerce: Retail Media & CTV into 2025
The world of advertising and retail is evolving at an unprecedented pace, with CTV and retail media rapidly growing to become transformative forces. This was the focus of Connected Screens and Commerce: Retail Media & CTV into 2025, an event co-hosted by GingerMay and Sphere. Industry leaders and innovators came together to explore how these rapidly growing sectors are reshaping strategies for brands, agencies, and retailers.
Here are the key takeaways from the two engaging panels during the event.
Panel 1: CTV – Bridging the best of TV and digital
Moderated by Paul Gubbins, former VP, CTV Strategy & Marketing at Publica by IAS, the first panel delved into the dynamic landscape of CTV and its implications for advertisers. While challenges like fragmentation and measurement complexities persist, the panellists shared how advancements in data application and innovative targeting approaches are unlocking the medium’s true potential.
Mark Taylor, Head of CTV at Azerion, set the tone by emphasising the holistic nature of CTV, converging video, social, and linear TV formats. He described CTV as the best of TV and digital, allowing advertisers to plan, activate, and measure campaigns across formats cohesively. However, he cautioned that advertisers must balance precision with broad reach to avoid alienating key audience segments.
Lisa Kalyuzhny, RVP, Advertiser Solutions, EMEA at PubMatic, brought a retail perspective to the conversation, underlining the importance of both onsite and offsite channels, relationship building, and cutting-edge solutions. She noted, “Bringing onsite and offsite worlds together is where the most interesting data comes from — and where brands can get meaningful engagement with audiences in CTV.” Tools like AI, along with creative solutions such as interactive QR codes, are making this integration more actionable and effective.
For ITV’s Jayesh Rajdev, who is Controller of Advanced Advertising, scalable first-party data is the foundation of effective CTV campaigns. He highlighted how ITV’s programmatic platform, Planet V, leverages this data to deliver high-precision targeting for active shoppers, unlocking both penetration growth and measurable results. “At ITV our focus is evolving beyond broad attribute-based audiences to higher-value intent-based shoppers, utilising our first-party audience to drive smarter, more measurable sales and penetration growth for brands,” he said.
Christopher Hogg, CRO at Lotame, explored the data-driven potential of CTV strategies. He underscored the importance of household-level signals in planning and measuring campaigns, explaining that, “CTV strategies need to address households holistically – understanding their viewing habits and preferences – and use that data to plan, activate, and measure campaigns effectively“.
However, Paul Gubbins also noted that the decline of household IP targeting is ushering in a new era of context-based targeting: “As IP targeting practices in CTV come under increasing scrutiny, the importance of context-based targeting will become even clearer, transforming how we approach campaign strategies.”
Panel 2: Retail media – The next frontier in advertising
The second panel shifted the spotlight to retail media, which has seen explosive growth in 2024. Moderated by our CEO, Victoria Usher, this discussion examined how retail media networks (RMNs) are evolving and what lies ahead as the sector matures.
Paul Stafford, Head of Retail Media at Superdrug, introduced the concept of RMNs as data-powered ecosystems, enabling brands to activate high-quality first-party data for more effective targeting and measurement. He stressed the importance of strong foundational processes to support these networks, explaining “Building an effective retail media network requires a strong foundation in first-party data and streamlined legal, financial, and IT processes to enable you to deliver more targeted and measurable campaigns.”
James Milne, VP of Ads, EMEA at Rokt, pointed out that non-endemic advertisers—those outside traditional retail categories—are increasingly seeking to explore the breadth of opportunities in RMNs to reach new, high-quality audiences. But, the key to sustaining growth, he argued, is the democratisation of retail media buying. “The democratisation of retail media buying will be crucial to the continued growth of retail and commerce media,” he remarked, adding that streamlined access to data will be critical.
Sarah Lawson Johnston, Managing Director, EMEA at Vudoo, highlighted how RMNs are poised to become ubiquitous, extending beyond large retailers. This mainstream adoption, she explained, is underpinned by differentiation through innovation: “The next key step is differentiation, and that is unlocked through data, AI, and omnichannel technologies.”
Darren Jacobs, EMEA Sales Director at Zitcha, brought the discussion full circle by addressing the persistent challenge of fragmentation across in-store, online, and offsite retail media. While this remains a hurdle, he described it as an opportunity to unify processes and enable more impactful campaigns: “One of retail media’s biggest challenges is overcoming fragmentation between in-store, online, and offsite elements, but bridging these gaps presents an exciting opportunity for streamlined growth and unified KPIs.”
Looking ahead to 2025
As retail media and CTV continue to mature, one theme resonated throughout both panels: collaboration and innovation will be essential to overcoming fragmentation and unlocking their full potential. Whether it’s leveraging scalable first-party data, building omnichannel strategies, or integrating AI-powered solutions, the future of advertising lies in creating seamless and engaging consumer experiences.
At GingerMay, we’re proud to be part of these forward-thinking conversations. Stay tuned as we explore the evolving intersection of technology, media, and commerce.
For more insights into the latest trends in advertising and retail, get in touch with our team.