40+ years since his first Retail Media campaign, Steve Gray has a proven track record leading and delivering successful retail media projects with many of the world's leading retailers, including Tesco, Asda, Kroger, Carrefour, Metro, Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, Asda, Pets at Home, Spinney, Virgin Megastores, and more.

Steve led the creation of world's first advanced Retail Media Network as a founder of dunnhumby retail and was a founding director of dunnhumby USA. He built emnos (part of PAYBACK, Europe's largest coalition loyalty programme) into a dunnhumby challenger business and worked with BCG as a Senior Adviser to their retail practice.

In today's episode with Steve Gray, we discuss:

The wrap sheet of what a retailer needs to get started

Steve's excitement around just how much retailers have going for them

Taking digital banners from ‘just get it up there’ to the massive and as yet largely untapped opportunity ahead in AI-powered sponsored products

Physical Presence

Lessons from Byron Sharp’s How Brands Grow
(1) what is your physical availability? What’s your distribution? Are you there when a customer searches?
(2) are you in their minds, part of their mental availability, do they recall you, do you have good awareness?

MOST BRANDS DON’T UNDERSTAND SPONSORED PRODUCTS

If you’re not winning the top row for generic terms, then you’re likely only selling to people who have already bought you
Generic terms typically have a high [up] click position - that means people aren’t spending time browsing down, getting top row sponsorship is worth its weight in gold
If you could only spend money on one thing.. what is THE THING that gets you physical availability?
It's a great business for a retailer, but very very important for the brand as well

The Modern Digital Shelf

Not only does no one see everything online, but not everyone sees the same thing...
You can't survive below the fold, brands NEED to give themselves a chance
If you’re not clicked on you’re still visible, if you don’t do it, you’re not