Retail Media’s Biggest Identity Crisis: Why Brands Are Asking the Wrong Question

For years, we've debated where retail media belongs. Is it part of search? Is search part of retail media? In this episode, I revisit a question I posed 18 months ago after a thought-provoking essay from Hershey's Vinny Rinaldi helped clarify what I was missing.I explore why retail media continues to be funded, measured, and evaluated differently from other media channels, and why that may have less to do with capabilities, and more to do with organizational structures and inherited expectations. I unpack the growing conversation around demand creation versus demand capture, the role of budget ownership, and why brands may need to rethink not just how they measure retail media, but what they expect it to accomplish in the first place.This episode is sponsored by Mirakl AdsTimeline[00:00] - Why "awareness and sales" is often a vague marketing brief that creates more confusion than clarity[01:16] - Revisiting the debate: Is retail media part of search, or is search part of retail media?[02:31] - Why retail media may be better understood as a way of buying media rather than a standalone channel[03:11] - Vinny Rinaldi's insight: retail media inherited the job description of the budgets it came from[04:15] - What brands like Hershey and Supergoop are teaching us about integrating commerce media into broader marketing objectives[07:24] - The measurement debate: Can retail media networks prove brand impact, or should brands bring their own measurement frameworks?Links & ResourcesThe Agentic AI Revolution is here. The competitive edge belongs to those who move faster than disruption itself. Join Mirakl Ads and myself for Outpace in New York City on June 10, 2026. Strategies, insights, and connections built for the era of agentic commerce. Save your spot.Read Vinny Rinaldi's essay: Demand Creation and Demand Capture Aren't Two Budgets. They're One System.Follow Vinny Rinaldi, VP, Consumer Connections at Hershey, on LinkedInRead my related articles:Is retail media part of search, or is search part of retail media?Whoever Owns the Budget Determines What Retail Media Is Allowed to BeHow Can RMNs Tap Upper-Funnel Brand BudgetsIn Atlanta? Join the Commerce Media Happy Hour on Wednesday June 17! RSVP hereI'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclubSubscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletterFollow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn