The Middlemen Podcast

The Middlemen Podcast, LLC
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Entrepreneurship

The Middlemen Podcast explores how retailers, brands, and technology platforms are reshaping the future of media and commerce. Hosted by Tom Limongello and Todd Sawicki, the show dives deep into the evolving world of retail media, trade marketing, and advertising technology — where merchants become marketers, and every impression is tied to a purchase. Through candid conversations with industry leaders, we unpack what it really takes to connect with shoppers in the age of AI and outcomes. https://www.nextipedia.com/podcast

  1. Jun 1

    Winning Brand Budgets – Michael Peroutka, GoPuff

    GoPuff isn’t just another delivery app. Michael Peroutka, Head of Ads at GoPuff, joins The Middlemen to explain why the company’s vertically integrated model creates opportunities that most retail media networks simply can’t offer. We discuss how GoPuff turns everything from Pepsi Challenge kits to Robinhood cash into inventory, why sampling should be viewed as a media product, how the company wins brand budgets beyond traditional shopper marketing, and why GoPuff monetizes at levels well above the retail media industry norm. Topics include: • Vertical integration and fulfillment as a media advantage • Audience-based targeting and conquesting • Pepsi Challenge sampling and brand activations • Gen Z discovery behavior and loyalty • Winning brand budgets beyond sponsored search • The future of retail media, sampling, and brand building Guest: Michael Peroutka, Head of Ads at GoPuff

    48 min

  2. May 26

    Why Hy-Vee Went All-In on In-Store Retail Media – Britt Polihronis, Red Media

    Hy-Vee’s RedMedia has built one of the largest in-store retail media footprints in grocery, with more than 10,000 screens across hundreds of stores throughout the Midwest. Britt Polihronis, COO of RedMedia, joins The Middlemen to discuss: * Why Hy-Vee went all-in on in-store retail media * How merchandising and media teams work together * What brands actually want from in-store campaigns * Why regional retailers can compete differently * Measurement, holdout testing, and the limits of iROAS * Why retail media increasingly looks like publishing The conversation also explores shopper experience, product launches, local advertising, frozen food campaigns, and the future of AI and agentic shopping inside retail environments.

    33 min

  3. May 12

    Retail Media Needs Commerce Infrastructure Not an Ad Server – Regina Ye, Topsort

    In this episode of The Middlemen Podcast, Tom and Scott sit down with Regina Ye, co-founder and CEO of Topsort, to discuss why many retail media networks copied the structure of Amazon Ads without recreating the intelligence layer that actually made it work. Regina explains why Topsort believes commerce media can perform without traditional audience targeting, why static shopper segments often underperform real-time purchase intent, and why retailers are increasingly rethinking legacy ad serving infrastructure. The conversation explores: * why Topsort believes “the moment” can matter more than long-lived audience segments * the difference between ad serving and optimization * why sponsored products are ultimately prediction problems around clicks and conversion * why many retailers are migrating away from legacy retail media stacks * how auction logic and transaction-oriented optimization are reshaping commerce media * lessons learned from working with global retailers including Magalu and Woolworths * why the future of commerce infrastructure may look very different from traditional publisher ad tech Chapters: 00:07 — Intro & Guest Overview 04:26 — Introducing Regina & Topsort 06:01 — Ad Engine vs. Ad Server 07:00 — Founding Story & Early Product 08:58 — Auction Logic & Business Rules 14:32 — Intent Over Audience Data 21:25 — International Customers & Global Learnings 27:49 — Agentic Shopping & the Future of Commerce 33:37 — Bold Retailer Stories

    38 min

  4. May 6

    The Digital Promise – Parbinder Dhariwal, CVS Media Exchange (CMX)

    In this episode of The Middlemen, we sit down with Parbinder “Parbs” Dhariwal, GM & VP of CVS Media Exchange (CMX), to talk about why retail media may finally be delivering on the original promise of digital advertising. Parbs explains how CMX is building around one of the largest loyalty datasets in retail through ExtraCare, why deterministic identity matters more than ever, and how CVS is using AI to make retail media more personalized, measurable, and scalable. We discuss: • CMX’s new CorIQ AI platform • The “I already bought this” retargeting problem • Why loyalty programs still matter • Retail media standards and incrementality • Reddit, Pinterest, and health-intent signals • The complexity of in-store media at CVS scale • Why 5 million daily CVS shoppers changes the advertising equation Parbs also reflects on building CMX inside one of the most trusted brands in healthcare and why enterprise alignment may matter more than AI itself. This episode is sponsored by In-Store Marketplace. Their latest report, “In-Store Media Has a Measurement Problem – Just Not the One You Think,” explores how retailers, brands, agencies, and shopper marketers often evaluate the same in-store activity through completely different scorecards — and why the industry needs a more unified framework. You can find the report and additional industry insights at instoremarketplace.com/industry-insights.

    37 min

  5. May 4

    Possible 2026: Retailers Are Getting Better at This

    Todd and Tom are back from Possible 2026 with a quick breakdown of what actually stood out. There was plenty of AI talk — including CVS/CMX’s CorIQ — but that wasn’t the main story. What mattered more was how retailers are getting better at building real product, especially those with strong loyalty programs, and how that’s starting to change how brands can actually buy. From RMN campaign planning to extensions into Google/DV360 and other DSPs, the conversation is moving beyond sponsored search and toward flexibility. They discuss: * RMN product sophistication and where it’s showing up * CVS (CMX) and Albertsons (AMC) announcements * Mark Williamson (Costco) on a merchant-first approach to retail media * Why buying flexibility is becoming more important than rigid planning Plus a quick look ahead to what’s coming next. ⸻ Coming next: * Albertsons Media Collective — Google / DV360 and going where buyers are * CVS Media Exchange — a look at their new AI platform CorIQ

    15 min

  6. Apr 22

    The Modern Grocer — Vincent Finazzo, Riverwards

    🎙️ Apple Podcasts Description A neighborhood grocery store where 70% of customers live within half a mile—and come back multiple times a week. Inside Riverwards Produce, Vince Finazzo explains how he decides what earns shelf space—and what doesn’t. From building assortment out of cookbooks to working with local suppliers, this is a different model for how retail actually works. We also get into how products move from Instagram into the store, why most brands lose their edge after acquisition, and what happens when companies like Unilever or Campbell’s scale them.

    33 min

  7. Apr 20

    Beyond Transactions — Marco Steinsieck (Backpack Media)

    Marco Steinsieck’s career spans the evolution of retail media—from early non-endemic partnerships at Vistaprint to building Sephora’s media network into a meaningful profit driver. Now at Sallie’s Backpack Media, he’s focused on predictive commerce powered by life-stage data—helping brands move beyond past purchases to reach consumers at key moments of change. We cover the evolution of retail media, the importance of aligning media with merchandising, and why the future of targeting may be less about what people bought—and more about what they’re about to need.

    38 min

  8. Apr 14

    Digital Envy is Holding Back In-Store Retail Media

    In-store retail media has gone through multiple resets — from camera-based measurement to dwell time, and now back toward proving incrementality across channels. But are we actually solving the right problem? Tom sits down with Paul Brenner (In-Store Marketplace) and Michelle Dooley (Catalyst Media) to unpack what’s really holding in-store back — and why the industry may be over-indexing on measurement instead of fixing deeper organizational challenges. They discuss why measurement keeps getting reset, where things break down between merchant and media teams, and what it will take for in-store retail media to scale. Links: https://instoremarketplace.com/ https://catalystmediaconsulting.com/ Research: https://instoremarketplace.com/resource_post/in-store-media-has-a-measurement-problem-just-not-the-one-you-think/

    46 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The Middlemen Podcast explores how retailers, brands, and technology platforms are reshaping the future of media and commerce. Hosted by Tom Limongello and Todd Sawicki, the show dives deep into the evolving world of retail media, trade marketing, and advertising technology — where merchants become marketers, and every impression is tied to a purchase. Through candid conversations with industry leaders, we unpack what it really takes to connect with shoppers in the age of AI and outcomes. https://www.nextipedia.com/podcast

Information

  • Creator
    The Middlemen Podcast, LLC
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    72
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The Middlemen Podcast

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