The Speed of Culture Podcast: Expanding Walmart Connect’s Retail Media Empire

Episode: How Ryan Mayward Is Expanding Walmart Connect’s Retail Media Empire
Release Date: June 10, 2025
Host: Matt Britton, Founder and CEO of Suzy
Guest: Ryan Mayward, Senior Vice President of Sales at Walmart Connect
Location: Live at the Possible Conference in Miami

1. Introduction

In this insightful episode of The Speed of Culture Podcast, host Matt Britton engages in a comprehensive discussion with Ryan Mayward, the Senior Vice President of Sales at Walmart Connect. The conversation delves into the evolution of Walmart's retail media strategies, leveraging first-party data, the integration of Connected TV (CTV), the role of AI in personalization, and consumer behavior trends that influence advertising approaches.

2. Evolution of Walmart Connect

Ryan Mayward provides an overview of Walmart Connect's rapid development over the past five years. Founded around the end of 2019, Walmart Connect transitioned from merely selling ads on Walmart.com through partnerships to building an in-house advertising business. Mayward highlights the establishment of the paid search platform as the first core product, which enabled brands to optimize their digital presence on Walmart’s platform.

“Walmart Connect was founded, call it five years ago, end of 2019, beginning of 2020. Of course, Walmart through various partnerships had been selling ads on Walmart.com before that” (02:38).

3. Leveraging First-Party Data in Retail Media

A significant advantage Walmart Connect holds is its extensive first-party data. Mayward emphasizes how this data enables precise targeting based on consumer purchase behavior across various departments such as groceries, fashion, and general merchandise. This capability allows Walmart Connect to offer brands sophisticated targeting options both within and beyond Walmart's own channels.

“Our first party data set enables us to target customers based on their purchase behavior across all of our retail departments” (05:28).

4. Effective Advertising Strategies and Touchpoints

Discussing advertising strategies, Mayward shifts the focus from traditional funnel-based approaches to a more dynamic model centered around multiple touchpoints. He explains that integrating various advertising formats—search, video, display, and off-site media—enhances product sales by reaching consumers through diverse channels.

“We like to talk about campaigns through the lens of touchpoints... the more that you add to a program, the more product a brand will sell” (06:13).

5. The Role of Connected TV (CTV) in Walmart Connect's Media Strategy

Connected TV has emerged as a pivotal medium for Walmart Connect. Mayward discusses the shift from mass broadcast advertising to more addressable and measurable CTV campaigns. By partnering with broadcasters like Paramount Plus and NBC Universal, Walmart Connect utilizes CTV to deliver targeted ads based on shopping behaviors and measures subsequent sales outcomes.

“We are making CTV work harder for brands by addressing TV ads based on shopping behavior and then measuring what happens next” (09:24).

6. Personalization and AI in Advertising

Personalization is a cornerstone of Walmart Connect's strategy. Mayward outlines the three components of personalization: understanding the audience, the context of ad delivery, and the creative message. He highlights the emerging role of AI in enhancing creative personalization at scale, enabling more tailored and effective advertising messages.

“Personalization consists of three things: the audience, the context, and the creative message itself” (11:39).

Mayward anticipates that AI will significantly advance the ability to dynamically adjust creative assets, making advertisements more relevant and engaging for individual consumers.

“AI has tremendous opportunity to unlock the value of creative... it's the next unlock that's the hard part, but it's about to get a lot easier” (12:53).

7. Consumer Trends and Walmart's Resilience

Addressing consumer behavior, Mayward notes that Walmart's focus on everyday low prices positions it well regardless of economic fluctuations. He highlights the permanent shift towards online grocery shopping post-COVID and the substantial growth in Walmart's marketplace, which has opened new advertising opportunities and attracted numerous third-party advertisers.

“In an environment like this, Walmart tends to do well... we're able to deliver everyday low prices to customers” (15:02).

“The marketplace has been growing rapidly the last couple of years and that has presented a large new advertising opportunity for us” (15:39).

8. Partnerships and Future Strategies

A notable future strategy discussed is Walmart Connect's partnership with Vizio. This collaboration aims to integrate Walmart audiences with Vizio’s CTV inventory, enhancing targeted advertising capabilities and measuring sales outcomes more effectively. Mayward expresses excitement about the potential to scale CTV advertising through such partnerships.

“Our first beta with Vizio just came out a couple of weeks ago... show them tailored ads, measure sales outcomes” (23:28).

9. Career Insights from Ryan Mayward

Towards the episode's conclusion, Mayward shares valuable career insights, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and entrepreneurial thinking. He advises professionals to proactively seek out opportunities to solve problems and add value beyond their immediate roles, fostering long-term career growth and relevance in a rapidly evolving industry.

“It's critical to build [learning] into your daily routine. It is part of your job to keep learning” (26:36).

“The people who do the best and who show the most promise early on are the ones who act like entrepreneurs and want to just solve problems at the business” (27:51).

10. Closing Thoughts

Ryan Mayward's discussion offers a deep dive into how Walmart Connect is transforming retail media through strategic use of data, innovative advertising formats, and robust partnerships. His insights into personalization, AI, and consumer trends provide valuable guidance for brands aiming to thrive in a fast-paced cultural landscape.

Notable Quotes:

• Ryan Mayward (05:28):
  “Our first party data set enables us to target customers based on their purchase behavior across all of our retail departments.”

• Ryan Mayward (06:13):
  “We like to talk about campaigns through the lens of touchpoints... the more that you add to a program, the more product a brand will sell.”

• Ryan Mayward (09:24):
  “We are making CTV work harder for brands by addressing TV ads based on shopping behavior and then measuring what happens next.”

• Ryan Mayward (11:39):
  “Personalization consists of three things: the audience, the context, and the creative message itself.”

• Ryan Mayward (12:53):
  “AI has tremendous opportunity to unlock the value of creative... it's the next unlock that's the hard part, but it's about to get a lot easier.”

• Ryan Mayward (15:02):
  “In an environment like this, Walmart tends to do well... we're able to deliver everyday low prices to customers.”

• Ryan Mayward (23:28):
  “Our first beta with Vizio just came out a couple of weeks ago... show them tailored ads, measure sales outcomes.”

• Ryan Mayward (26:36):
  “It's critical to build [learning] into your daily routine. It is part of your job to keep learning.”

• Ryan Mayward (27:51):
  “The people who do the best and who show the most promise early on are the ones who act like entrepreneurs and want to just solve problems at the business.”

Note: This summary excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on the meaningful discussions and insights shared during the episode.