The future of commerce media is bright for those who stay ahead of the curve

Hello, and welcome to Spotlight, a newsletter from the pioneers in connected commerce at SMG. You may remember this newsletter as Unfold with Threefold, but we started this year with a major refresh as we embraced our new global identity as SMG. Welcome back, existing subscribers, and hello to our new ones!

This monthly newsletter puts the Spotlight on emerging trends and news in commerce media, providing crucial context to help navigate our rapidly changing industry. In each edition, a senior leader from SMG will take the reins to share relevant and timely insights from their career in commerce media.

I’m Sean Crawford, and I’m honored to have the space in this first-ever edition of Spotlight!

I’ve worked at SMG for more than a decade. Over the past 13 years, I’ve worn many hats at SMG, working across all sides of the retail media equation—partnering with retailers, brands, and more on commerce media strategies.

Now, as Managing Director for North America, I’m responsible for all we do in the U.S. and Canada. That includes overseeing our consultancy work, which evaluates business media assets and creates acceleration plans, as well as launching Retail Media Networks as part of our white-label services.

In January, we publicly launched WHSmith North America Media Network after months of exciting work in partnership with WHSmith North America (read about it in ADWEEK, here). Now, we’re up and running as the first-to-market, in-store travel Retail Media Network with offsite capabilities in North America. WHS Media is truly innovative in its approach, and the team has already done incredible work (you’ll hear more about it later in Spotlight). I’m excited about what’s ahead.

And I’m really excited about the future of commerce media in North America. Its growth trajectory is only accelerating, especially as we welcome new players in finance, travel, technology, and beyond. Since 2008, SMG has taken a truly omnichannel approach to retail media, creating connected commerce campaigns in-store, online, and offsite via our retail partners, including Boots Media Group, Co-op Media Network, LS Eleven Media Services, Very Media Group, and Morrisons Media Group. We haven’t seen that approach fully realized in North America yet, and the market is ready for it.

The first retailers to truly get in-store right will unlock additional brand advertising budgets and stand out in this crowded marketplace. That, coupled with advancements in measurement and data and the power of generative AI, means we’re headed in an exciting direction in North America.

At SMG, we advise businesses (not just retailers) on commerce media strategies through our consultancy services, build, operate, and augment Commerce Media Network teams via our white-label services, and offer Plan-Apps, which streamlines the entire commerce media cycle for retailers and their advertisers. I’m always happy to chat about all things commerce media, so send me a message here on LinkedIn and share your hot takes! Let’s build the future of commerce media, together.

Connect with Sean Crawford on LinkedIn.