Retail media ad networks have ballooned over the past couple of years, as brands seek more ways to reach online shoppers with highly-targeted campaigns informed by first-party data insights. One such platform committed to the long game is RM+—a network launched by The Home Depot in 2019—which just scored a dedicated chief focused solely on its growth and monetization.

Retail media’s potential for The Home Depot is huge, Melanie Babcock, Vice President of Retail Media+ and Monetization, told Chief Marketer this week. A lot of cross-department support helped get the network to where it is today, she said, “but now we need to think about the next big jump for us over these next three to four years. And then, how do we make sure that we stay in the game long-term?”

We spoke with Babcock about her new role and what’s entailed; the challenges of maintaining The Home Depot store experience while building an ad platform; her approach to researching competitors; courting consumers who are semi-endemic to the home improvement space, and much more.

Speaking of retailers, SEO is top of mind for any consumer-facing brand or retailer looking to cut through the clutter online. And one way to boost performance is through leveraging different types of user-generated content. We review the benefits of increasing the volume of product ratings and reviews, implementing Q&As on product pages, and enabling authentic, visual UGC.

Lastly, the nation’s fastest-growing sport—pickleball—has attracted a growing number of brand sponsorships of late at tournaments, tours and festivals across the country. If you foresee your brand getting involved, check out these tips on how to engage a crowd of “picklers”—from keeping it active to hosting standalone events to pickling with purpose.

Until next week,

Kaylee Hultgren
Editor
Chief Marketer

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