Retail Media advertising is transforming how brands connect, convert, and grow: Globally it is up 22% year-on-year, with strong growth in the APAC region up 18% year-on-year. To help the industry harness this shift and lead the next era of growth, the IAB New Zealand Digital Effectiveness Council brought together 12 top international and local speakers for a powerhouse half-day conference.
Highly awarded keynote speakers Roger Dunn, Global Media Retail Lead, Diageo & Retail Media Consultant and LinkedIn Top Voice and Sally Tobin ANZ Founder & Former MD Mars United Commerce from Sydney headlined the event, and expert Buy Side and Sell Side speaker panels shone a light on how to leverage retail media to drive full funnel outcomes.
An outstanding line up of panel speakers included Ben Allman Regional VP Sales Broadsign, Lachlan Brahe Chair of the IAB Australia Retail Media Council & Commercial Director Epsilon, Janine Chamley Founder Pitchfork NZ, Sebastian Dennis Digital Commerce & Retail Media Lead Unilever, Alex Lawson Head of Strategy & Media, Market Media, Skipper Lomiwes Head of Digital Revenue Solutions and Operations TVNZ, Rory McDonald General Manager Market Media, Tina Trenkner-Meade Independent Commerce Consultant, Daina Wilson Market Director, Consumer Products Division L'Oréal NZ and John Waltmann Industry Manager Google.
Check out the event video below, the top 7 outtakes, plus an AI generated podcast and see if you can spot yourself or your BFF in the event photo gallery.
A big thank you to our event sponsors Broadsign and Market Media
IAB New Zealand Members can download keynote speaker presentations here.
Anyone can download 'Getting started with Retail Media Guide' a helpful '101' for anyone interested in starting their retail media journey. Thank you to the team from IAB Canada and the IAB New Zealand Retail Media Working Group for this resource.
For those who missed this flagship event, you can listen to some of the highlights in the IAB NZ Insights Podcast thanks to the power of Google NotebookLM and AI. Please note that this is an automatically generated AI podcast based on content from events and outputs and not the direct perspectives of the presenters or IAB New Zealand.
To keep it snappy (like a good retail media campaign) here are our top 7 outtakes:
1. Retailers Are Becoming Major Media Owners
Roger Dunn highlighted a major shift in the media landscape, noting that in the U.S., the top two media owners by audience reach are now retailers. This shift signals how retail media platforms are increasingly competing with traditional media giants for consumer attention.
2. Retail Media is a Commercial Growth Engine, Not Just a Performance Tactic
Sally Tobin emphasized that retail media must move beyond being a siloed budget line for trade. Instead, it should be viewed as a strategic asset that fuels long-term business growth and deeper retailer partnerships. Aligning retail media investment with broader business goals is key to sustained impact.
3. Unifying Brand, Shopper, and Retail Media Teams is Essential
Roger Dunn highlighted the importance of integrating brand, shopper, and retail media teams across the funnel to harness omnichannel strategies effectively. This unification transforms retail media into an ‘A-Team’ capable of delivering a seamless shopper experience and optimized marketing impact.
4. Full-Funnel Measurement and Collaboration Reduce Friction
Sebastian Dennis from Unilever and Daina Wilson from L’Oréal NZ underscored that retail media’s role extends beyond immediate conversions to building emotional connections and brand loyalty. Cross-functional collaboration among agencies, brands, sales, and retailers reduces operational bottlenecks, streamlining campaign approvals and creative asset production.
5. Retail Media’s Role in Omnichannel Commerce is Expanding
The event showcased how retail media is evolving well beyond online advertisements. It now includes in-store digital screens, branded product pages, and off-shelf merchandising blurring the lines between physical and digital shopping experiences to create a seamless omnichannel shopper journey.
6. Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) is a Growing Opportunity
Ben Allman Regional VP Sales Broadsign emphasized that digital out-of-home advertising combined with programmatic tools provides scalable, measurable ways to extend retail media impact beyond e-commerce, opening new avenues to capture consumer attention in physical spaces.
7. Long-Term Partnerships and Trust Drive Sustainable Growth
With digital out-of-home and programmatic tools advancing rapidly, the focus should remain on building trust and transparency within the retail media ecosystem. Rory McDonald General Manager of Market Media reminded attendees that sustainable revenue growth relies on long-term partnerships rather than short-term media buys.
