Observed Signal · Jul 23, 2026 · Commentary · Source: Horizont · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Retail Media Is Not a New Channel
Katharina Wildau, Managing Director of the JOM Group, published a commentary on Horizont arguing that the industry debate around Retail Media is being framed incorrectly. In the column she contends the decisive strategic question — what role Retail Media should play — is often answered wrongly. The piece notes that a few years ago Retail Media was seen as the retail sector's big hope and that today it has become one of the fastest-growing advertising markets. The article is presented as a Talking-Heads column and reflects an industry perspective rather than new empirical research.
Opinion column highlighting a strategic framing issue about Retail Media; informative for perspective but not reporting major industry-changing facts or platform policy updates.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Column titled 'Retail Media ist kein neuer Kanal - es ist ein neuer Denkfehler' published on Horizont on 2026-07-23.
- Authored by Katharina Wildau, who is identified as Geschäftsleiterin (Managing Director) of the JOM Group.
- Author argues the debate on Retail Media is misframed and that the strategic question of Retail Media's role is often answered incorrectly.
- The article states that Retail Media was once the retail sector's big hope and is now among the fastest-growing advertising markets.
- Publisher information on the page includes Horizont (horizont.net) and © dfv Mediengruppe.
Connected Companies & Entities
“Author line: 'von Katharina Wildau, JOM Group'”
“Article published on the Horizont website (horizont.net) and site header/navigation identify the publisher.”
“Footer copyright: '© dfv Mediengruppe'”
“Image credits shown on the page, e.g. 'IMAGO / Sven Simon'”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
End of the Linear Funnel: Retail Media Rethinks Marketing
An opinion piece by Sabine Jünger (Vice President, Otto Advertising) published on July 9, 2026 in Horizont argues the traditional linear marketing funnel is obsolete. Jünger says modern marketing must orchestrate many factors to reach audiences that dynamically jump between media, and positions retail media—using retailer properties such as Otto.de and first‑party shopper data—as the right channel to influence purchase decisions. The article frames retail media as a strategic alternative for marketers reallocating budgets and rethinking measurement, rather than a single-step replacement of awareness-to-conversion funnels.
Retail Media 3.0: The Shelf Now Decides
The article argues that Retail Media has evolved from a tactical commerce tool into a strategic, full-fledged media channel—'Retail Media 3.0'—driven by retailers' first-party purchase data and improved measurement. It highlights the growing importance of Retail Media Networks (RMNs), the rise of in-store digital media at the point of sale, and the efficacy of combining OOH/DOOH branding with retail activation to drive measurable sales. The author recommends CMOs prioritise data infrastructure (including clean rooms), integrate organisation silos (e‑commerce, trade marketing, brand and media), and form deep partnerships with a limited set of high-performing RMNs while employing standardised metrics to compare Retail Media with other channels.
Retail Media Can Build Brands—Including Ways Other Media Can’t
This opinion column argues that retail media, often dismissed as performance-only, is a powerful brand-building channel. It challenges Mark Ritson's critique by citing research from Binet & Fields and Ebiquity that brand building should account for 55-60% of ad spend, while most budgets go to performance. The author claims retail media offers reach, mental availability, and higher ROI, citing Emarketer data showing its share across formats. P&G's off-site retail media investment reportedly doubled in a year. The piece advises shifting budgets from low-performing performance channels and black-box AI tools to retail media, emphasizing causal modeling over MMM to reveal its true value. It positions retail media as a complement to TV, not a threat.
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