How Circana's Cara Pratt Plans To Fix Retail Media's $60BN Measurement Problem

"While retailers rush to launch new ad formats and in-store screens, brands have a simpler request: prove that their advertising works. With Circana's acquisition of Nielsen's Marketing Mix Modeling business in August and NCSolutions in June, the company is positioning itself as the independent arbiter retail media desperately needs. Leading this charge is Cara Pratt, just 90 days into her role as President of Global Retail and Media, who brings the unique perspective of having built Kroger's retail media network from the inside."

"Measurement consistently ranks as the top pain point for media buyers across every industry survey, and Pratt doesn't mince words about why. "There's a lot of inconsistency in the go-to-market models across retailers with their media practices, which creates a degree of confusion," she explains. This fragmentation cascades through the entire ecosystem-from planning and buying to data strategies and performance reporting."

"The stakes are high. Retail media has ballooned into a $60 billion business, on track to capture one in five advertising dollars. Yet the growth trajectory faces an undoing of its own making. As I've previously reported, retail media buyers cite lack of measurement standards as their top challenge. Pratt says that consumer brands who are investing in retail media need to have confidence in every dollar invested."

Circana acquired Nielsen's Marketing Mix Modeling business and NCSolutions, combining campaign-level measurement, sophisticated MMM, and point-of-sale and panel data. Cara Pratt, recently appointed President of Global Retail and Media and former builder of Kroger's retail media network, leads the effort. Measurement inconsistency across retailers and fragmented go-to-market models creates confusion across planning, buying, data strategies, and performance reporting. Retail media has grown to a $60 billion market but faces risks without standardized measurement and transparency. Brands require confidence that every advertising dollar delivers results. Circana aims to serve as an independent arbiter offering consistent, end-to-end measurement across the marketing funnel.

Read at Forbes