In this episode, I dive into a fascinating recent conversation featuring Gildan’s Jason O’Toole on The CPG Guys podcast and unpack a powerful idea that stopped me in my tracks: brand media lowers the tax you pay on growth. If you’ve ever struggled to justify upper-funnel spend or connect brand investment to real performance outcomes, this one’s for you.

I break down three key takeaways from the discussion, including how Gildan is structuring its teams to align brand and commerce, why traditional metrics like impressions are losing relevance, and what a high-impact Amazon campaign can teach us about speed, scale, and full-funnel execution. There’s a lot here that challenges conventional retail media thinking so let’s get into it!

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – Why apparel is one of the most competitive and margin-pressured categories in retail
[01:12] – The idea that “brand media lowers the tax you pay on growth” and why it matters
[02:40] – How budget ownership shapes the role retail media plays inside organizations
[03:31] – Why impressions are a flawed metric and what to focus on instead
[05:13] – The two metrics that actually matter: branded search and incrementality
[06:30] – Inside Gildan’s Amazon homepage campaign and what made it so effective

Links & Resources

• Listen to the full CPG Guys episode: Winning in Social Commerce with Gildan's Jason O'Toole & Katie Tripodi
• Subscribe to The CPG Guys: Apple Podcasts and YouTube
• Follow Jason O'Toole, Head of Connected Commerce & Media @ Glidan, on LinkedIn
• Follow Katie Sierveld Tripodi, Director, Ecommerce Activation and Strategy @ Hanesbrands Inc., on LinkedIn
• Read my related articles:
  • iROAS results can be easily gamed. But we shouldn't just throw it away
  • 'Not 100% altruistic': ad measurement veteran on what retail media is really optimizing for
  • Ecommerce Signals Are Shrinking. Why Retailers Must Earn New Ones
• I'm hosting a LIVE event with In-Store Marketplace and Catalyst Media Consulting on April 22 about In-Store Retail Media: are we measuring the wrong things? We'll discuss New Research on the state of in-store retail media measurement — and why the path forward may actually be simpler than the industry is making it. REGISTER HERE
• Follow my new Instagram account for comedy skits about the retail media industry @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn