Retail media sits closest to the purchase, which is exactly why it’s so easy to over-credit and over-spend. The networks are happy to take the budget; the discipline has to come from you.
Start with the role, not the format
Decide what the spend is for, reach, conversion, defending a listing, before you decide where it goes. Format follows role, not the other way around.
Measure incrementality, not just attribution
Last-click reporting flatters retail media. The better question is whether the spend drove sales you wouldn’t have had anyway. Test, hold back, and compare.
Protect the brand while you sell
Performance and brand aren’t opposites at the shelf. The brands that grow keep their distinctive assets present even in the most functional placements.