In this episode of The Middlemen Podcast, Eleanor Hayden—renowned for her work with brands like Graza and Skinny Dipped—dives deep into the realities of buying and managing retail media for challenger CPG brands. She unpacks the shift from traditional shopper marketing to holistic strategies that blend in-store and digital media, highlighting the challenges and opportunities presented by self-serve platforms such as DoorDash and Instacart. Eleanor discusses why smaller brands are investing a significant portion of their revenue (often 2–4%) into integrated retail media and shopper marketing, and explains the critical importance of hands-on campaign management over automation or AI. The conversation also explores the limitations of current attribution models, the skepticism around CTV’s role for indie brands, and the need for platforms to better serve the nuanced needs of emerging players. Listeners will come away with actionable perspectives on maximizing ROI, the value of direct platform engagement, and the future of retail media as a unified discipline.

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Chapters

‍00:40 Meet Eleanor Hayden: A Practitioner in Retail Media

‍01:18 The Reality of Retail Media for Indie Brands

‍02:06 Challenges and Insights in Retail Media

‍04:49 Eleanor's Journey and Experience

‍06:31 Shopper Marketing Explained

‍07:13 Early Campaigns and Retail Media Evolution

‍09:51 Platform Preferences and Performance

‍14:08 Hands-On Approach vs. Automation

‍18:51 Holistic Shopper Marketing Strategies

‍23:29 The Role of Attribution in Retail Media

‍29:40 CTV and Retail Media: A Critical Perspective

‍34:55 Conclusion and Final Thoughts