The Middlemen Podcast by Nextipedia
Retail Media Isn’t Performance Yet — Jon Flugstad of Moloco
Jon Flugstad of Moloco joins The Middlemen Podcast to discuss how AI and ad serving are redefining performance for retailers in the next era of retail media.
Tom Limongello & Scott Messer
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
Retail Media Isn’t Performance Yet — Jon Flugstad of Moloco - YouTube