I'm Completely Out Of The Loop (Lessons From My Summer Break) - Retail Media Breakfast Club

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[00:00]
A
Thank you for joining me on the Retail Media Breakfast Club podcast. Oh my gosh, it has been so long and I am back. As you may have noticed, I took a few weeks off over the summer following Cannes, I took a couple of weeks as a vacation with my family in the south of France and and Italy, driving first along the coast and then onto Tuscany and eventually arriving in Rome. And then from there we took a 16 and a half hour flight to Perth, Western Australia. As a little bit of context for those of you who are new to the podcast or who missed that news, my family and I recently made the decision to relocate back from the US to Australia, where we are all from. And I'll link up to a post that I wrote that shared a little bit of that decision. And so during this time off, which was a few weeks in total, I only checked my email for messages from my accountant and only in the last few days did I log back into LinkedIn because in all honesty, I was a little bit scared of what I would find there and I haven't been listening to podcasts or reading industry news sites and all of this means I am out of the loop. I'm almost completely unaware of everything that has unfolded in retail and E commerce, the AI universe, all in the last month or so, and it feels kind of great, to be honest. Or more specifically, it feels fine. It doesn't feel like we're hurtling towards the Singularity or that consumer privacy is truly dead, especially after being in Europe for a bit or worrying about LinkedIn's algorithm. And it reminded me of how all of the things that really seem to be clear and present dangers in my usual 9 to 5 aren't exactly the existential crises that my nervous system seems to think that they are. Getting off the hamster wheel for a few weeks also let me out access again the mind of the average consumer, the consumer who is not chronically up to date on all of the latest advances in E commerce and digital advertising and AI. And I remember that in general, consumers often don't really notice the major groundbreaking industry first innovations that we're all pioneering in our industry. The average consumer is just trying to get the stuff that they want or need at a good price at low effort. And sometimes that means changing their habits, but often they just won't bother. And it was good to get back to that again for me. Let me just speak for myself. It's easy in our space where we're talking about innovation and advancements, which we should be. We should be thinking about the cutting edge and what is coming next, that is everyone's jobs in different ways. Things in real life move a little bit slower. And it was nice just for my own personal well being to tap out of that for a little bit. But but then also to reconnect with. Okay, we need to be on the cutting edge, but that's not the reality of the pace of change for a lot of people out there. And so all this to say before I get back to my regularly scheduled meat and potatoes industry commentary this week. Please excuse a few personal indulgences. I know that some of you are keen to hear how it's going with move back to Australia, what I'm excited about. And I'm also going to share some books that I really enjoyed reading while I was on break. So if you're new and you don't care or you've been listening for a long time and you don't care, totally fine. Catch up tomorrow. But I just wanted to have a little personal check in as well. Are manual processes slowing down your rmm momentum? With GrowthLoop's composable commerce media solution, retail media and ad teams can build and launch precise audiences in minutes, activate across DSPs and AD platforms, and deliver transparent ROI reporting that drives advertiser revenue. Learn how retail media leaders at Costco Fanatics and GoPuff use GrowthLoop to deliver stronger results for their brand partners fast. Visit go.growthloop.combreakfast that's go.growthloop.combreakbreak so the move I'm back in my hometown of Perth where all the extended family is. Our child is back at school. Big wins on all fronts there and really happy with the decision that we made. Which is frankly a huge relief because this move has been extremely stressful. Lots of paperwork, lots of forms, lots of money. And ironically, a lot of said paperwork and money has been thrown at getting our cat over here. Our nine year old cat, she's not here yet, but we are losing sleep over it. So that is still an open item. And so with all of this tumult and change in my personal life, I am leaning into extreme contrast. In my professional life. I am prone to Shiny object syndrome. Absolutely. I will put my hand right up there. But from now through to the end of the year, I'm going to pretty much stick to what's been working commentary on the retail media industry four days a week distributed through this podcast, an email newsletter and on LinkedIn. If it ain't broke, no need to fix it. And this is what I know people like. So I'm making a real and concerted effort to not try and chase the shiny objects for a while and just get back to it in a sustainable way. What I'm excited about with all that said, here are some things I'm excited about and some of them are vaguely newish. So just to hold myself to account a little bit there, first one is this is not new, but again, a continuation is making more funny videos about our industry. I started doing this a few months ago, just these skit videos poking fun at silly things that, you know, we're all kind of complicit in this industry and I've been blown away how much people love this, these videos, including the people that I'm kind of making fun of, which says a lot. We do have a good sense of humor. We can laugh at ourselves and ultimately, you know, we're not saving the children or curing cancer. We're selling ads. So can we not be so quite so serious about all of this? I really love making them and I am open to partnerships on these. The requirement is that your marketing team has a strong stomach. These are a bit edgy, they're a bit spicy. So if that sounds appealing to you, then let me know. Maybe we can work something out. The second is I have a new sponsor for this season which is Growth Loop. You might have just heard the ad. This is an amazing tech foundation company that first came onto my radar when Costco Retail Media Network announced they're working with Growth Loop. Growth Loop sponsored all of my happy hours that I hosted in Atlanta in the first part of the year and I'm so excited to be working with such a great team. They are awesome and really making waves in the retail media space. Third thing I'm excited about is Basket Case. In case you missed it, it happened right before Cannes. But there was a new podcast that I'm a a minor part of with the Drum and Cusick and it's a very lively podcast series with lots of fun segments that we're doing. Does include some videos, but it's a lot of sort of fun and games with me and a couple of co hosts and also includes some of those silly videos that I mentioned. So I'll add a link in the show notes to subscribe to that. We've got a few more episodes ready to push out over the next few weeks that I think that you'll enjoy. Number four that I'm excited about is reacquainting myself with the Australian retail landscape and learning what is new and different about this market? I haven't actually spent any of my retail media career in Australia, so I'm looking forward to kind of looking at that with fresh eyes as a consumer and yeah, sort of like being a tourist in my own city kind of thing. And number five, not filing income taxes into two countries. There is a little ways off, but I've had to be constantly filing taxes the whole year for a very, very long time. But that is one upside of becoming a single nationality person once again. That is something that I can look forward to no longer doing. So that's about it. That's this is going to be my last personal update for a while. I do tend to indulge in a bit of introspection at the beginning and end of each half year season when I take a break and I really am grateful for you being on this journey and listening in. If you've stuck with me so far, I will share my book recommendations in the link in the show notes. If you are a novel reader, maybe you'll be interested in these suggestions. I know that some people are still about to head off on their own holidays and vacations in August. Thanks again for being part of Retail Media Breakfast Club and I will catch you tomorrow.

Summary4 min read

Retail Media Breakfast Club Host: Kiri Masters
Episode: "I'm Completely Out Of The Loop (Lessons From My Summer Break)"
Date: August 3, 2026
Duration: ~10 minutes

Episode Overview

In this personal and reflective episode, Kiri Masters returns to the Retail Media Breakfast Club after a summer hiatus, offering listeners a blend of professional insights and candid reflections on stepping out of the industry loop. She shares lessons from being disconnected from retail media news, updates listeners on her recent international move, previews her coming content, and highlights a few things she’s especially excited about for the upcoming season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value of Unplugging from Industry Noise

Vacation Recap & Reset: Kiri recounts her extended summer break through Europe and her family’s international relocation from the US back to Australia.
Being Out of the Loop: She confesses to not checking email, LinkedIn, podcasts, or industry news for weeks, admitting, “I am out of the loop. I'm almost completely unaware of everything that has unfolded in retail and E-commerce… and it feels kind of great, to be honest.” [01:33]
Perspective from Detachment:
- This break helped her recognize how “existential crises” in the industry often feel less urgent when you step away.
- Realizes that the average consumer is typically unaware of the industry's “groundbreaking innovations,” focusing instead on convenience, price, and low effort.
- Quote:
  
  “It's easy in our space where we're talking about innovation and advancements, which we should be... Things in real life move a little bit slower.” [03:45]
- She advocates for balance between chasing innovation and recognizing most consumers adopt change gradually.

2. Personal Insights & Updates

Context of the Move:
- Kiri moved back to Perth, Australia, with her family, describing the experience as both rewarding and stressful—especially the international paperwork for their nine-year-old cat, not yet reunited with the family. [07:00]
- Tone: Candid, slightly humorous, and deeply personal.
- Quote:
  
  “Ironically, a lot of said paperwork and money has been thrown at getting our cat over here... she’s not here yet, but we are losing sleep over it. So that is still an open item.” [07:18]

3. Professional Realignment & Future Content

Leaning Into Consistency:
- Intends to avoid “shiny object syndrome” and instead focus on stable, reliable commentary on retail media, delivered via the podcast, newsletter, and LinkedIn.
- Quote:
  
  “From now through to the end of the year, I’m going to pretty much stick to what’s been working... If it ain't broke, no need to fix it.” [07:52]
What Kiri’s Excited About:
- 1. Making More Funny Industry Videos:
  Continues her series of satirical skits on industry quirks; warmly invites partnership offers “if your marketing team has a strong stomach.”
  - Quote:
    
    “I’ve been blown away how much people love these videos, including the people I’m kind of making fun of, which says a lot. We do have a good sense of humor...” [08:30]
- 2. Growth Loop Partnership:
  Announces Growth Loop as the season’s new sponsor, highlighting their innovations in retail media technology and previous sponsorship of her Atlanta events.
  - Quote:
    
    “They are awesome and really making waves in the retail media space.” [09:18]
- 3. Basket Case Podcast:
  Teases her new side project—a lively podcast with The Drum and Cusick, focusing on fun industry commentary and video skits.
  - Quote:
    
    “It’s a lot of sort of fun and games with me and a couple of co-hosts... I’ll add a link in the show notes to subscribe to that.” [09:43]
- 4. Reacquainting with the Australian Retail Market:
  Looks forward to engaging with the local landscape with a fresh perspective, admitting she’s new to Australian retail media as a professional.
- 5. Saying Goodbye to Double Tax Filing:
  Playfully anticipates single-country tax status in the future as a benefit to her recent move.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Disconnection:

“It doesn't feel like we're hurtling towards the Singularity or that consumer privacy is truly dead… It reminded me how all of the things that really seem to be clear and present dangers in my usual 9 to 5 aren’t exactly the existential crises that my nervous system seems to think that they are.” [02:10]
On Industry Satire:

“Ultimately... we're not saving the children or curing cancer. We're selling ads. So can we not be so quite so serious about all of this?” [08:45]
On Consumer Behavior:

“The average consumer is just trying to get the stuff that they want or need at a good price at low effort. And sometimes that means changing their habits, but often they just won't bother.” [02:50]

Timestamps of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Kiri returns, shares context for hiatus/travel | | 01:33 | Admits to being “out of the loop”—reflection starts | | 03:45 | Slower pace of change for consumers vs. the industry | | 07:00 | Personal update: moving back to Australia, the cat saga| | 07:52 | ‘If it ain’t broke, no need to fix it’—future plans | | 08:30 | Funny industry videos, openness to partnerships | | 09:18 | Welcoming Growth Loop as new sponsor | | 09:43 | Introducing the new “Basket Case” podcast |

Closing

Kiri wraps with thanks to listeners for their patience and support through her transition, promises a return to more traditional retail media commentary starting tomorrow, and offers a personal note for novel fans: she’ll be sharing book recommendations in the show notes for fellow vacationers.

Quote to end:

“Thanks again for being part of Retail Media Breakfast Club and I will catch you tomorrow.” [10:01]

Loading summary

Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
Thank you for joining me on the Retail Media Breakfast Club podcast. Oh my gosh, it has been so long and I am back. As you may have noticed, I took a few weeks off over the summer following Cannes, I took a couple of weeks as a vacation with my family in the south of France and and Italy, driving first along the coast and then onto Tuscany and eventually arriving in Rome. And then from there we took a 16 and a half hour flight to Perth, Western Australia. As a little bit of context for those of you who are new to the podcast or who missed that news, my family and I recently made the decision to relocate back from the US to Australia, where we are all from. And I'll link up to a post that I wrote that shared a little bit of that decision. And so during this time off, which was a few weeks in total, I only checked my email for messages from my accountant and only in the last few days did I log back into LinkedIn because in all honesty, I was a little bit scared of what I would find there and I haven't been listening to podcasts or reading industry news sites and all of this means I am out of the loop. I'm almost completely unaware of everything that has unfolded in retail and E commerce, the AI universe, all in the last month or so, and it feels kind of great, to be honest. Or more specifically, it feels fine. It doesn't feel like we're hurtling towards the Singularity or that consumer privacy is truly dead, especially after being in Europe for a bit or worrying about LinkedIn's algorithm. And it reminded me of how all of the things that really seem to be clear and present dangers in my usual 9 to 5 aren't exactly the existential crises that my nervous system seems to think that they are. Getting off the hamster wheel for a few weeks also let me out access again the mind of the average consumer, the consumer who is not chronically up to date on all of the latest advances in E commerce and digital advertising and AI. And I remember that in general, consumers often don't really notice the major groundbreaking industry first innovations that we're all pioneering in our industry. The average consumer is just trying to get the stuff that they want or need at a good price at low effort. And sometimes that means changing their habits, but often they just won't bother. And it was good to get back to that again for me. Let me just speak for myself. It's easy in our space where we're talking about innovation and advancements, which we should be. We should be thinking about the cutting edge and what is coming next, that is everyone's jobs in different ways. Things in real life move a little bit slower. And it was nice just for my own personal well being to tap out of that for a little bit. But but then also to reconnect with. Okay, we need to be on the cutting edge, but that's not the reality of the pace of change for a lot of people out there. And so all this to say before I get back to my regularly scheduled meat and potatoes industry commentary this week. Please excuse a few personal indulgences. I know that some of you are keen to hear how it's going with move back to Australia, what I'm excited about. And I'm also going to share some books that I really enjoyed reading while I was on break. So if you're new and you don't care or you've been listening for a long time and you don't care, totally fine. Catch up tomorrow. But I just wanted to have a little personal check in as well. Are manual processes slowing down your rmm momentum? With GrowthLoop's composable commerce media solution, retail media and ad teams can build and launch precise audiences in minutes, activate across DSPs and AD platforms, and deliver transparent ROI reporting that drives advertiser revenue. Learn how retail media leaders at Costco Fanatics and GoPuff use GrowthLoop to deliver stronger results for their brand partners fast. Visit go.growthloop.combreakfast that's go.growthloop.combreakbreak so the move I'm back in my hometown of Perth where all the extended family is. Our child is back at school. Big wins on all fronts there and really happy with the decision that we made. Which is frankly a huge relief because this move has been extremely stressful. Lots of paperwork, lots of forms, lots of money. And ironically, a lot of said paperwork and money has been thrown at getting our cat over here. Our nine year old cat, she's not here yet, but we are losing sleep over it. So that is still an open item. And so with all of this tumult and change in my personal life, I am leaning into extreme contrast. In my professional life. I am prone to Shiny object syndrome. Absolutely. I will put my hand right up there. But from now through to the end of the year, I'm going to pretty much stick to what's been working commentary on the retail media industry four days a week distributed through this podcast, an email newsletter and on LinkedIn. If it ain't broke, no need to fix it. And this is what I know people like. So I'm making a real and concerted effort to not try and chase the shiny objects for a while and just get back to it in a sustainable way. What I'm excited about with all that said, here are some things I'm excited about and some of them are vaguely newish. So just to hold myself to account a little bit there, first one is this is not new, but again, a continuation is making more funny videos about our industry. I started doing this a few months ago, just these skit videos poking fun at silly things that, you know, we're all kind of complicit in this industry and I've been blown away how much people love this, these videos, including the people that I'm kind of making fun of, which says a lot. We do have a good sense of humor. We can laugh at ourselves and ultimately, you know, we're not saving the children or curing cancer. We're selling ads. So can we not be so quite so serious about all of this? I really love making them and I am open to partnerships on these. The requirement is that your marketing team has a strong stomach. These are a bit edgy, they're a bit spicy. So if that sounds appealing to you, then let me know. Maybe we can work something out. The second is I have a new sponsor for this season which is Growth Loop. You might have just heard the ad. This is an amazing tech foundation company that first came onto my radar when Costco Retail Media Network announced they're working with Growth Loop. Growth Loop sponsored all of my happy hours that I hosted in Atlanta in the first part of the year and I'm so excited to be working with such a great team. They are awesome and really making waves in the retail media space. Third thing I'm excited about is Basket Case. In case you missed it, it happened right before Cannes. But there was a new podcast that I'm a a minor part of with the Drum and Cusick and it's a very lively podcast series with lots of fun segments that we're doing. Does include some videos, but it's a lot of sort of fun and games with me and a couple of co hosts and also includes some of those silly videos that I mentioned. So I'll add a link in the show notes to subscribe to that. We've got a few more episodes ready to push out over the next few weeks that I think that you'll enjoy. Number four that I'm excited about is reacquainting myself with the Australian retail landscape and learning what is new and different about this market? I haven't actually spent any of my retail media career in Australia, so I'm looking forward to kind of looking at that with fresh eyes as a consumer and yeah, sort of like being a tourist in my own city kind of thing. And number five, not filing income taxes into two countries. There is a little ways off, but I've had to be constantly filing taxes the whole year for a very, very long time. But that is one upside of becoming a single nationality person once again. That is something that I can look forward to no longer doing. So that's about it. That's this is going to be my last personal update for a while. I do tend to indulge in a bit of introspection at the beginning and end of each half year season when I take a break and I really am grateful for you being on this journey and listening in. If you've stuck with me so far, I will share my book recommendations in the link in the show notes. If you are a novel reader, maybe you'll be interested in these suggestions. I know that some people are still about to head off on their own holidays and vacations in August. Thanks again for being part of Retail Media Breakfast Club and I will catch you tomorrow.