Jon Flugstad from Moloco joins The Middlemen Podcast to walk through why retail media networks haven’t yet delivered on the promise of performance — even when they have the data, the audiences, and the closed-loop commerce environments.

In this episode we explore:

• Why having first-party data isn’t enough to drive outcomes
• How Moloco’s machine-learning and ad-server architecture borrows from YouTube’s DNA
• What it means for retailers to shift from selling impressions to optimizing predictions

Guest: Jon Flugstad, VP of Commerce Media at Moloco — Find Jon on LinkedIn

Episode chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Middlemen Podcast

00:41 Marketecture Live and Moloco

01:14 The Future of AI and Outcomes

02:30 Retail Media Networks and Performance

04:03 Interview with Jon Flugstad from Moloco

07:32 Evolution of Retail Media

09:21 Moloco’s Journey and AI Integration

12:23 Ad Serving and Performance

12:52 Moloco’s Founding and Growth

14:01 AI and Machine Learning in Ad Tech

20:31 Retail Media and User Journey

23:40 Operational Machine Learning Models

25:44 Technical Insights and Retail Media Evolution

26:10 Fragmentation in Ad Serving and In-Housing Trends

26:56 Challenges and Strategies in Retail Media

30:22 Demand Models and Market Positioning

32:51 Self-Serve Dynamics and Machine Learning

35:45 Case Study: Wayfair’s Partnership with Moloco

38:20 AI Use Cases in Commerce Media

44:41 AdCP Standards and Industry Impact

48:03 Walled Gardens and Merchant Relationships

49:20 Walmart’s Trade Marketing Shift

49:53 Future of Ad Servers and Data Collaboration

50:28 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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