A look at the wide-ranging jargon coming out of the many ad networks

“I hate to say this, but we have to define the definition [of ad networks] because it means different things to people,” said Elizabeth Marsten, vp of commerce Media at Tinuiti. 

Just this month, Shopify launched Shopify Product Network and Mastercard rolled out Mastercard Commerce Media, adding to the list of 250-plus ad networks, according to retail media intelligence platform Mimbi. Keeping track of who’s who can be challenging, especially as new players keep cropping up and the lines blur between categories. For example, Amazon Ads could be a retail media network, a retailer monetizing its first-party data, or a commerce media network, offering commerce-based data to power media activations across its properties. Mastercard falls into a similar bucket.

To help, Digiday has compiled a list of glossary terms. 

If we missed any, let us know.

Commerce media

What it is: Commerce media is two-pronged, as media buyers and retail media experts describe it. On one hand, it could best be described as the umbrella, or overarching category that the more niche players — retail, financial, travel and maybe even real estate, ladder up to. It’s a catch-all term for the aforementioned players “and whatever else we decide to come up with next week,” said Marsten. Back in July, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) redefined and broadened the scope of what constitutes as commerce media, shifting the focus from retail media to commerce media as the all-compassing term.

On the other hand, it applies to media networks that offer first-party commerce data for targeted ads, but aren’t necessarily retailers with a physical footprint. 

Examples: Mastercard Commerce Media, Cars Commerce Media Network, Amazon Ads

Retail media

What it is: The largest players in the commerce media landscape are retail media networks. By the end of 2029, eMarketer predicts retail media ad spend will account for $1 in every $5 spent on digital media. These are networks operated by retailers to monetize their owned media channels, like websites, apps, physical stores, as well as first party data. Typically, the relationship between retailer and brand advertiser is based on a JBP, or joint business plans and partnerships, and pulls from shopper or trade marketing budgets that influence how and where dollars can be spent. Per the four buyers Digiday spoke with, retail media networks are largely considered conversion tactics.

“If we look at it and say, ‘We’re being held for performance,’ then it’s going to be a retail media network, because you can influence the transaction at that point,” said David MacDonald, head of retail and commerce experiences at marketing agency Razorfish.

Examples: Walmart Connect, Target’s Roundel Media, The Home Depot’s Orange Apron Media, Amazon Ads

Travel and financial media 

What they are: Travel media networks are related to ad platforms dealing with the booking or execution of travel-related services. Meanwhile, financial media networks, like commerce media networks, are focused on information, like purchase history, credit history and loyalty based on financial data. These are perhaps the more emerging ad networks across the media landscape. They don’t fall exclusively under retailer or shopper marketing buckets, muddying funding decisions. 

“This is the million dollar question of who’s funding it, because everyone hears media network and they’re like ‘Oh, that’s not me, right?’ ‘No, it’s the e-comm people.’ ‘Yeah, it’s the shopper team’,” said Becky Durbin, vp of e-retail at Labelium digital marketing and performance agency. 

Because these are more lifestyle brands, they tend to be more useful for non-endemic brands, like insurance companies or other service industries, who want to reach those audiences, per buyers. 

Examples: Expedia Group Media Solutions, Mastercard Commerce Media, Chase Media Solutions, Marriott Media Network 

Aggregators

What they are: Aggregators are media networks that span across multiple retailers, facilitating online sales. Think of them like marketplaces. While not traditional retailers, the offering is built on first-party data, putting ads in front of shoppers who may not have visited a physical store. Because they’re not physical retailers in the same way as Walmart or Target, they’re often exempt for JBP-related restrictions, giving flexibility around media spend and strategy, per media buyers.  

Examples: Instacart Ads, Uber Ads, DoorDash Ads 

The list goes on. The IAB’s list is exhaustive, accounting for retail media, travel media, financial services media, automotive media, telecom and utility media and B2B media. As the space continues to grow, buyers expect more niche players to creep up (à la ReMax and real estate media). It may all seem like media, but the increase in fragmentation creates confusion. Thus, the need for definitions to apply strategy, budget and teams, per buyers. But ultimately, as with all things in media, it comes down to efficiency. 

Or as Mike Feldman, svp of commerce at Flywheel, puts it, “They have data, they have properties, they’re media. The big question is, ‘do you work? That’s what I need to know.’”