Brian Monahan, SVP at Albertsons Media Collective, challenges the hype around retail media. He argues that programmatic advertising and targeting are important—but overhyped. What’s underhyped? New shopping experiences that provide real utility to customers. Brian shares how Albertsons thinks beyond ads and toward sponsored media that helps shoppers make decisions in the moment. Examples include: - Gamified scavenger hunts that turn shopping into discovery - Useful tools that guide customers through the store and across categories - Experiences that blend loyalty, content, and convenience into the path to purchase