The CPG Guys — "Advertising in Everyday Moments with DoorDash's Vassili Samolis"

Date: March 28, 2026
Hosts: Peter V.S. Bond & Sri Rajagopalan
Guest: Vassili Samolis, VP of Product, DoorDash

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on DoorDash’s evolution from a restaurant delivery service to a powerhouse commerce and retail media engine, impacting grocery and CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) brands. Vassili Samolis, DoorDash’s VP of Product, discusses how the platform captures high-intent consumer demand, what true incrementality means in retail media, and how emerging technologies like AI are shaping both consumer and brand experiences. The discussion delivers insights into DoorDash’s occasion-based strategies, measurement standards, and its role in transforming retail media for brands of all sizes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DoorDash’s Evolution: From Delivery to Everyday Commerce

• Expansion Beyond Restaurants
  DoorDash’s origin was third-party food delivery, but has expanded to cover a wide array of retail and grocery categories.
  • Vassili Samolis (07:35): “People want everything that their neighborhoods have to offer and they want it quickly, they want it cheaply, and they want it there at their fingertips.”
• Convenience and Everyday Use
  DoorDash is now a platform for impulse categories (snacks, alcohol, ice cream), full grocery orders, and even flowers and retail products.
• Impressive Scale
  • Vassili Samolis (09:02): “One in three of all flower orders that were placed online this Valentine's Day were on DoorDash.”

2. Unique Value of DoorDash’s Retail Media

• Audience Reach & New Shoppers
  DoorDash often captures new-to-online grocery consumers, offering brands access to open-minded, exploratory shoppers.
  • Vassili Samolis (11:26): “60% of consumers on DoorDash state that they are very open to exploring something new—which is huge for brands.”
• Multi-Category Data
  The platform’s ability to see across categories provides a holistic view of consumer behavior unmatched by traditional grocers.
• Intent at the Moment of Decision
  DoorDash’s touchpoints (e.g., DoubleDash prompt) let it present relevant offers at moments when purchase intent is highest.

3. Advertising Experience & the Role of AI

• Native and Contextual Ad Placements
  Avoiding intrusive ad placements is core to product strategy—ads must “feel” natural and helpful, not disruptive.
  • Vassili Samolis (14:19): “Advertising or any promotional content has to be native… It has to be contextually relevant. It can't be that you’re looking at a product and there's a flashy banner with a noisy video.”
• AI for Personalization and Discovery
  AI offers granular personalization, adapting creative and targeting not just for utility but also timely discovery.
  • Vassili Samolis (17:24): “It’s not just showing the consumer the right thing—the creative could be very different based on our own personal tastes, preferences, and the moment we’re in.”

4. Supporting Both Emerging and Established Brands

• Playbook for All Brand Sizes
  DoorDash enables large CPGs to leverage data and targeting, while providing emerging brands with simplified, AI-driven campaign tools.
  • Vassili Samolis (19:51): “When I talk to these [emerging brand] folks, generally, a couple of consistent themes come up: they’re overwhelmed ... So, a lot of what I think we can do for them is take some jobs off their hands.”
• Automation for Smaller Brands
  Features like smart creatives and AI-based bidding allow smaller advertisers to compete with minimal manual effort.

5. Measurement & Incrementality: The Core of Effective Retail Media

• Industry Fragmentation & the Need for Standards
  The hosts and guest agree the industry currently suffers from fragmented definitions and approaches to “incrementality.”
  • Vassili Samolis (22:49): “One of the biggest challenges in the industry is the fragmentation right now. ... The very definition of new-to-brand is different across most platforms.”
• DoorDash’s Closed-Loop Measurement
  Being a closed marketplace, DoorDash holds itself accountable for measuring true business impact — did an ad bring in a sale that wouldn’t have happened otherwise?
• Innovative Approaches: "Ghost Ads"
  DoorDash has launched state-of-the-art methods like "ghost ads" to rigorously measure lift and incrementality.
  • Vassili Samolis (27:46): “We put our foot where our mouth is. ... we launched this week what I call ghost ads—it's the purest form of whether a result or not is incremental.”

6. Occasion-Based Marketing: Creative and Targeting Opportunities

• Occasion-Driven Campaigns
  Events like Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, and Back-to-School drive massive commerce on the platform and are opportunities for creative, occasion-specific ads.
  • Vassili Samolis (31:27): “Occasions have also historically provided best-in-class opportunities for brands to communicate their messages and, in many cases, have transformed moments. ... The essence is: how does your commercial message improve and augment the moment for the end customer?”

7. Looking Ahead: DoorDash and the Future of Commerce Media

• The Three Pillars for Differentiation
  1. Measurement: DoorDash aspires to lead with more transparent, scientific measurement frameworks.
  2. AI: Unlocking smarter, more effective creative, targeting, and promotions.
  3. Network Effects: Scaling beyond a single platform—anticipating industry consolidation similar to the early open internet ad networks.
  • Vassili Samolis (34:04): “We want to be the best... I think the only way we do that over decades is if we are serving our customers right.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On DoorDash's Scale:
  “One in three of all flower orders that were placed online this Valentine's Day were on DoorDash. Isn’t that crazy?” — Vassili Samolis (09:02)
• On Personalization and AI:
  “It’s not just showing the consumer the right thing... The creative could be very different based on our own personal tastes, preferences, and the moment we’re in.” — Vassili Samolis (17:24)
• On Incrementality:
  “Would I have gotten this sale or this customer had I not invested? It’s as simple as that.” — Vassili Samolis (23:20)
• On the Fragmented Landscape:
  “The very definition of new to brand is different across most platforms... The key thing with retail media networks today is that because they are closed loop, we don’t have any excuses left. The onus is back to us.” — Vassili Samolis (24:48)
• On Future Trends:
  “Showing the right thing to the right person at the right time is now a hundred times easier than it was 10 years ago.” — Vassili Samolis (34:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• DoorDash’s Evolution & Product Focus: 05:53–10:23
• Unique Value Proposition for Retail Media: 11:26–13:29
• Ad Experience and AI Personalization: 14:19–19:12
• Playbook for Different Brand Sizes: 19:51–22:05
• Measurement & Incrementality: 22:49–27:46
• Occasion-Based Marketing: 31:27–33:34
• Future of Retail Media & DoorDash’s Vision: 34:04–36:03

Conclusion & Takeaways

The episode underscores DoorDash’s ambition to serve as a comprehensive commerce and retail media engine, powered by scale, data, and technology. As DoorDash broadens its offer from food to all things local, it redefines convenience, unlocks powerful new opportunities for advertisers, and sets a high bar for measurement and incrementality. The company’s focus on occasion-based consumer insight, seamless ad experience, AI-driven personalization, and unified measurement standards positions it to lead the next phase of retail media growth.

Key Themes:

• Measurement and transparency are non-negotiable for future retail media growth.
• DoorDash’s commitment to serve both big and small brands with tailored, technological solutions.
• The future of commerce media lies in network effects and harnessing AI for more relevant, effective advertising.