"We need to stop recycling past strategies. Too often, brands fall back on what worked before instead of innovating. We need a 'test and learn' mentality to drive real growth with retail media." Jack Johnson, Head of Ocado Ads

In this episode of Time For a Reset Marketing Podcast: Insights from Global Brand Marketers, brought to you by CvE Marketing Consultancy, host Paul Frampton connects with Jack Johnson, Head of Ocado Ads at Ocado Retail, UKs popular and preferred online grocer.

Jack highlights Ocado’s unique position as a leading online-only grocery retailer, emphasizing their innovative use of data and flexible advertising solutions. He stresses the importance of moving away from legacy retail media strategies and advocates for a “test and learn” mentality. He shares insights on their groundbreaking "MPDLab" initiative and how Ocado's comprehensive data approach sets it apart from competitors. Jack also discusses key industry challenges, like a greater need for measurement standardization and the essential skill set for current and future leaders in a dynamic retail media landscape.

Here are some key talking points from the episode:

• Understanding Ocado's Retail Business
• Innovation in Retail Media to Drive Rapid Product Launch
• How Ocado Ads Sets Itself Apart from Other Players
• The Need for Flexibility and a Customer-Centric Approach
• The Need for Standardising Measurements in Retail Media
• Attributes of a Retail Media Leader

Jack started his career at IRI before moving to Dunnhumby in 2015, a global leader in customer data science. After various commercial roles at Dunnhumby, working with P&G, GSK, and L'Oréal, Jack led a programme to develop a new approach for commercializing Clubcard data across a client syndicate. Jack then went on to manage several teams responsible for commercializing Tesco Clubcard data and insight solutions before working directly with the Tesco insight team, managing a group of insight managers and data science teams to advise on the launch of Aldi Price Match and Clubcard prices.

Since joining Ocado back in 2021, Jack has led teams responsible for the data monetization of Ocado's wealth of sales and customer data and now leads Ocado Ads, Ocado's retail media network.

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In this episode, we speak with Amir Rasekh, the Managing Director at Nectar360, a fully integrated loyalty, insights, and media services company.

Here are some key talking points from the episode:

• Challenging the narrow view of retail media
• The unhealthy obsession with the monetary value of retail media
• The value of data in retail media
• Changes in the CPG industry and retail media
• Integrating retail media into the marketing mix
• Differences between the US and UK markets
• The future of retail media
• Viewing retail media as part of brand growth
• Attributes of future leaders in the retail media industry

Amir challenges the narrow view of retail media as merely a conversion tool, highlighting its potential for brand growth when integrated across in-store, on-site, and off-site channels. They discuss the power of data in enhancing customer experiences and the importance of incorporating retail media into a well-balanced marketing mix. The conversation also covers the evolving industry, emphasising the need for leadership skills like continuous learning and creative problem-solving.

Amir Rasekh, with 20+ years in loyalty, data, and retail media, leads Nectar360. He excels in using first-party data for customer engagement and has a strong background in building high-performing teams at Sainsbury’s. Amir holds a BA in Marketing and focuses on delivering measurable client impact.

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“The UK and US retail media landscapes are quite different. In the UK, we've seen a real focus on the in-store experience, whereas in the US, it's been much more digitally driven. But what's interesting is that these two landscapes are starting to converge.” Paul Frampton Calero, Global President, CvE - Marketing Growth Consultancy

In this episode of Time For a Reset Marketing Podcast: Insights from Global Brand Marketers, brought to you by CvE Marketing Consultancy, host Paul Frampton connects with several industry experts at the MAD//Fest 2024 in London, including Ollie Shayer, Omni Media Director at Boots UK; Tash Whitmey, Group Director of Loyalty, Membership and CRM at Tesco; Amir Rasekh, Managing Director at Nectar360; and Ben O’Mahoney, AdTech & Data Partnerships Lead at Ocado Retail.

Join them as they discuss the growth of retail media in the U.K. and highlight the key differences between the UK and US landscapes. The panel explores the importance of customer-centricity, the role of ad tech in delivering personalised experiences, and the potential of AI to transform audience building, creative generation, and campaign performance. They emphasise the need for collaboration between retailers and CPG advertisers, focusing on trust, measurement, and innovation while highlighting self-serve platforms' growing role in the retail media ecosystem.

Here are some key talking points from the episode:

• Key differences in retail media in the U.K. and U.S.
• The evolution of retail media and a focus on omnichannel
• Overpromising and under-delivering on retail media revenue in the U.S.
• Achieving a balance between revenue growth and customer experience
• Leveraging ad tech for revenue and customer experience optimisation
• Building relationships between CPG companies and retailers
• How CPG companies are embracing retail media
• Using customer data to drive purchases across the marketing funnel
• The role of AI in retail media

Panellist Details

• Ollie Shayer is the Omni Media Director at Boots UK
• Tash Whitmey is the Group Director of Loyalty, Membership, and CRM at Tesco
• Amir Rasekh is the Managing Director at Nectar360
• Ben O’Mahoney is the AdTech & Data Partnerships Lead at Ocado Retail

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