Lowe’s is an obvious destination for home-improvement shoppers. It may be a less obvious destination for financial-services and automotive advertisers. But the projects customers research—and the ways professionals shop—can reveal signals that extend well beyond the products sold in a Lowe’s store.

Elyse Blouin, General Manager of Lowe’s Media Network, joins The Middlemen to discuss the network’s next phase of development. Having previously worked on the media buy side at Lowe’s, Elyse brings a buyer’s perspective to building products, measurement, and experiences that can compete for a broader range of advertising budgets.

One of the most interesting opportunities is life-stage marketing. A DIY customer researching a kitchen, patio, or another major project may also be considering financing. Lowe’s Pro customer data can create relevant automotive audiences for truck brands. Because Lowe’s maintains distinct loyalty relationships for DIY and Pro customers, the media network can separate those use cases rather than mixing them into one undifferentiated home-improvement audience.

It is the beginning of what might be called Lowe’s Media Network’s “Pro phase”—both because its professional customer segment provides differentiated data and because the network is developing more mature, higher-funnel capabilities.

Those capabilities include a creator network of more than 20,000 people, ranging from micro-creators to major partnerships such as MrBeast. Elyse explains how creators, sports partnerships, and other owned brand experiences can give advertisers access to programs they may not be able to build independently.

The conversation also explores what it means for a retail media network to become full-funnel. That includes creative and agency capabilities, in-store experiences that improve the shopper journey, and closed-loop reporting that connects media activity to incremental business outcomes. Rather than treating the store as another place to display a billboard, Elyse argues that in-store media should help customers find inspiration, complete projects, and solve problems.

Finally, Tom, Todd, and Elyse look ahead to AI and agentic advertising, including how customer questions can inform useful content and create new moments for relevant brand participation.

‍