As customers grab the same grocery staples they have for decades, Walmart is betting that gamifying the experience will challenge those habits. The retailer plans to launch Walmart Unlimited, a three-part miniseries that features the entrepreneurs behind its products. Launched last month on Spatial, the game includes full commerce integration that enables in-app purchases.

Retail media resilience: Brands continue investing in this ad channel, but rising expectations put pressure on their retail partners.

It’s been about a month since Google made its marketing mix model (MMM) tool, Meridian, available to the public, igniting a debate about whether open-source MMM is the way to go or if marketers should stick to vendor’s proprietary tools. Of course, the answer isn’t that simple. The effectiveness of these tools can depend on organization size and resources, customization needs, and cost. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of each to help make the process a bit easier.

36% of UK and US content and creative professionals cite inconsistent metrics across platforms and limited resources as the biggest hurdles in measuring digital content performance and ROI, according to October 2024 data from Canto and Ascend2.

Data fuels marketing, but it’s tough to track and even harder to make sense of. Businesses juggle measuring customer behavior, respecting privacy, and personalizing experiences—all while marketers try to prove their campaigns are worth the investment. Analytics and attribution tools help by showing what’s working, where to focus, and how to improve.

64% of US ad buyers expect to focus somewhat or significantly more on cross-platform measurement in 2025, according to a December 2024 IAB survey.

News and magazine apps have the highest engagement score in North America, with 29% of monthly active users coming back daily, according to a September 2024 Airship survey.

Nielsen and Paramount bury the hatchet: Measurement renewal deal offers a glimpse into the state of Nielsen competitors.

Google made its marketing mix model (MMM), Meridian, available to the public last week and launched a program of over 20 trained and certified measurement partners to help marketers use the tool.

Retailers face big hurdles in 2025. From competing with Amazon's advertising empire to figuring out generative AI (genAI) technology to keeping shoppers on apps, these challenges are forcing retailers to adapt quickly. Here's what these problems look like today—and how they could potentially be resolved.

Nielsen ends panel-only ratings as big data becomes the norm: Recent MRC accreditation sets the stage for a new era of measurement.

The marketing funnel isn’t dead—it’s evolving. Today’s consumers rely on communities and authentic partnerships to guide decisions. To stay ahead, marketers must rethink measurement and focus on building lasting connections that drive advocacy and loyalty.

Nielsen earns a big measurement accreditation: Its Big Data + Panel product will help it remain on top in 2025 Upfronts.

Kantar Media is sold for $1 billion as measurement heats up: Private equity sees a big opportunity in the rapidly changing landscape.

Marketers are under pressure to deliver seamless customer experiences across fragmented channels while addressing data deprecation and personalization demands. Strategies like mobile-first approaches and AI-driven personalization are opening new opportunities.

The National Retail Federation (NRF)’s Big Show is happening in New York City this weekend, and will offer an opportunity for retail media networks (RMNs) to pitch themselves to advertisers. Even though retail media is huge—exceeding $62 billion in US ad spend this year per our forecast, most of those ad dollars will go to the biggest RMNs. The remaining players are vying over the same $8.58 billion that isn't scooped up by Amazon, Walmart, or Target.

Customer data collection, the dawn of retail media, and AI-assisted shopping has upended a retail industry already in the midst of a big-box transformation at the tail end of the 20th century. And then there is one of the biggest elephants in the room: Amazon. Here are some of the most impactful changes that marketing leaders have seen over the last 25 years.

In 2025, retailers must prioritize data-driven measurement, seamless online-to-store experiences, and programmatic out-of-home (OOH) advertising. Seeking heightened measurement has nearly half of marketers emphasizing attribution, making actionable insights crucial. Meanwhile, bridging digital and physical shopping and leveraging real-time OOH campaigns can help retailers stay competitive. Here are three areas retailers should prioritize in 2025, according to industry experts.

For brands, working with influencers was once an experimental addition to their media plans, but growth in influencer marketing spend is now outpacing its digital and social counterparts, per our forecast. While influencer partnerships still account for a significantly smaller part of the media mix, their growth is a sign that the industry is maturing—and more legacy advertisers want in.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the main challenges around extracting more value from first-party data, what happens when you create standardization, and the importance of measurement as we head into 2025. Tune in to the discussion with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Analyst Max Willens, and Vice President of Product at LiveRamp Matthew Karasick.