Retail Media Planning
Part of Retail media investment reviews
Deciding whether to repeat, narrow or stop a retail media campaign
Use campaign evidence and current conditions to decide whether to repeat, narrow or stop a retail media booking.
Repeat when evidence and current conditions justify another run for the same purpose. Narrow when the supported case covers only part of the proposed booking. Stop when the campaign cannot meet its objective on acceptable terms or the budget has a better use. Base the decision on a specific next-flight proposal.
Compare the proposal with the last result
Record the proposed retailer, product, placement, audience or stores, dates, cost and intended outcome. Next to it, note what the last campaign delivered and what its report can establish. Recheck availability, price, trading terms and buying route; repeating a booking is a new commitment under current conditions.
Keep the report’s product set, gross or net sales basis, click or view rule and lookback with its result. A credited sale is not automatically caused by the advert. Where a causal effect is central to a larger commitment, assess the available comparison and its uncertainty.
Choose the action the evidence supports
Repeat when delivery is sufficiently verified, the result supports the intended purpose, and the product and economics remain suitable. State what will stay the same and what the next run is meant to confirm. Repeating does not guarantee the same outcome.
Narrow when evidence supports a defined SKU, location, placement, audience or period. Name the supported subset. If it emerged only after examining many cuts of the data, treat the next booking as a check of a new hypothesis, not as proof that the slice will perform again.
Stop when an essential product or commercial condition cannot be met, a reliable result fails the agreed threshold, or the remaining uncertainty and cost exceed the advertiser’s approved appetite. Specify whether this ends a product, placement or whole campaign. A stop may be temporary while a fixable condition is addressed.
| Evidence pattern | Next action to consider | Condition to record |
|---|---|---|
| Verified delivery and a useful result for the intended scope | Repeat | Recheck product, cost and reporting terms. |
| Useful evidence applies only to a subset | Narrow | Identify that subset and what remains unproven. |
| A material gap could change the choice | Hold | Name the extract, definition or commercial answer needed. |
| A reliable result fails the agreed commercial threshold | Stop | Record the threshold and any changed conditions. |
Make the decision reviewable
Write a decision note with the action, proposed maximum commitment, evidence, accepted limits, approver and next review date. Include a condition that would reverse the choice, such as loss of product availability in the selected stores. The action can be reasonable under uncertainty, but the note should say which uncertainty remains. A later result can then be judged against the reason the next booking was approved.
