Mission One Media's Jen Sayroo is making the case that retail media networks are uniquely positioned for brand-building, noting their first-party data is "modeled off of a receipt" rather than a lookalike — a treasure trove that can extend off-site across programmatic, audio, and social.

That capability is real: retailers beyond Amazon have inked partnerships like Kroger with Disney Advertising, Walmart with TikTok, Meta and Snap, and Instacart with NBCUniversal to compete on full-funnel storytelling. But skeptics including Kim Mayo of Trade School and Elizabeth Marsten of Tinuiti counter that most RMN inventory is still small, conversion-optimized units measured by attribution models that make brand investment look weak, with data often locked behind steep spend thresholds or Joint Business Planning agreements.

Internal budget fights compound the challenge, since trade and shopper dollars tied to immediate ROI frequently keep brand-focused teams out of the room. The upshot from the six experts Digiday consulted: the infrastructure for full-funnel marketing is there, but Sayroo's view of RMN data as a genuine brand-building asset depends on ad products, measurement, and internal alignment finally catching up.

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