In this exclusive Q&A, Jordan Witmer, Managing Director, Retail Media at Nectar First shares his expert perspective on:

• What advertisers are really looking for in retail media networks
• How his CPG background informs his approach
• The critical questions brands should be asking to make smarter investments

This is a must-read for any retail media network (RMN) looking to attract more advertisers. For advertisers--this conversation sheds light on the path to finding the right RMN partners.

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How do you support advertisers in your role at Nectar First?

“Nectar First is a full-service Media Agency and Consultancy.  We describe ourselves as a hybrid between a Marketing and Tech company.  In addition to our Agency Services, we work with brands from the Fortune 50 to SMB’s spanning Technology Audits to Marketing Organization and Process Design all in the service of helping advertisers build new capabilities,” he shares.  

“My role is focused on Unified Commerce, where we’re bringing high-end capabilities from our consulting & agency practices together with industry leading connections and creative strategy to deliver expert services across the commerce ecosystem.”

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What was your background prior to this role?

Jordan’s background in CPG, including roles at Hershey and Johnson & Johnson, influences his approach to media. "Before finding a home in Retail Media & Commerce, I came from supply chain and demand planning, which shapes how I think about media," he says. "I always ask: What does this mean for the P&L? Is it sustainable?".

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Based on your work with advertisers, what do they look for when evaluating retail media networks?

Jordan shared that advertisers are seeking 3 key elements from their retail media network partners: Transparency, Control and Uniqueness.

Transparency – Advertisers are demanding greater visibility into how their budgets are spent. In the early days, retail media was a “black box” where brands were told to “hand the money over” with little insight into where or how it was being used. Advertisers were charged flat CPMs—but had no idea if the actual cost was far lower, leading to frustration and skepticism.  

Many questioned, “What did that actually cost to buy?” and “How much is it marked up?” Without transparency, advertisers struggled to justify their investments and build trust with retail media partners. As Jordan put it, "trust but verify" is critical, and when networks can't provide historical spend data, it’s easy for advertisers to deprioritize those platforms in favor of others that offer clearer reporting.

Control – Advertisers are accustomed to high levels of control in other digital channels like social media, where they can fine-tune audience targeting, bidding strategies, and placement decisions. In retail media, however, control has historically been limited.  

As such, brands have found it difficult to know “what keyword it’s being spent on” or if their investment is truly driving incremental sales. For example, Jordan mentioned that senior leadership at brands often ask, "Did you spend all my money on the keyword Tylenol or Listerine?"—fearing they’re simply capturing existing demand rather than driving new customers.  

As retail media matures, networks are starting to introduce more granular controls, allowing advertisers to adjust targeting by product, keyword, and audience, but gaps remain. Advertisers want the ability to "turn the dials" and understand exactly what placements they’re buying and why.

Uniqueness – In the early days of retail media, the ad inventory was truly unique. "It was stuff that you couldn't have bought before," like display or video ads on a retail site that previously required negotiating with merchandising teams. Sponsored products, too, offered a fresh way for brands to appear in search results without complex workarounds.

As the industry evolved, this has all become the status quo…so RMNs must strive for differentiation.

A great example of maintaining uniqueness is Ulta. Their approach blends Ulta's branding with the advertiser's creative, creating an experience that "looks and feels a lot different" from standard ads. On the other hand, with some networks, advertisers might simply see their existing creative running across the web, with little indication it's tied to a retailer like Target.

In short, advertisers want retail media partners to offer something beyond generic audience targeting—they're looking for differentiation that answers the question: Why this network instead of another? Or why a retail media network at all?

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What questions would you advise advertisers ask to evaluate their retail media network?

Transparency

• What does your reporting look like? What specific metrics do you provide, and how clear are they?

• Can you share the audience size and details about who the ads are reaching?

• Where exactly are my ads being shown on your platform?

• How do you report on campaign effectiveness (clicks and conversions)?  

• How much visibility do you provide between valid vs invalid traffic?

• Do you restrict access to data or does the advertiser own their data?  

• Do you make granular data available for external reporting systems?

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Control

• How flexible are you in allowing custom audience planning for specific targeting (e.g., targeting people who have not bought a certain brand)?

• What level of control do I have over audience segmentation, including size and spend priorities?

• How much creative control do I have over the ads served, and how much of it aligns with my brand identity?

• How do you ensure that the creative units align with my brand, and not just with the retail platform’s default style?

• How much control do I have over sponsored products, including the ability to customize the keywords or placements?

• How much control do I have over the structure of ad spending and budget allocation?

• Can I exclude specific placements or keywords, and how detailed can I get with those exclusions?

• Do you provide the ability for brands to manage and optimize campaigns themselves within your ecosystem?

• What unique measurement and optimization capabilities do you offer?

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Uniqueness

• Do you offer access to a unique audience that I can't reach through other channels or platforms?

• How do you ensure you're adding unique touchpoints to my customer’s journey that I can’t get from other networks?

• How do you enhance brand credibility through your partnerships and content placements (e.g., brand associations with trusted retailers)?

• Can you share examples of how your partnerships have increased the perceived authority or trustworthiness of a brand?

• How do you differentiate the creative and messaging experience from other networks in your ecosystem?

• Do you provide machine learning or other advanced technologies to improve campaign performance that other networks do not?

• What unique integrations do you offer that allow me to better coordinate my media efforts between online and offline campaigns?

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