SHOWCASE in the news
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Retail Media Rivals Host an Upfront-Style Event to Court Ad Buyers
Ascendant Network Unveils All-Star Keynote and Speaker Lineup for Inaugural SHOWCASE
Major Agency and Buy-Side Leaders Confirm Participation in SHOWCASE: The World’s First Retail + Commerce Media Upfront
7 Things That Hit This Week: Meta's Next Stab at Commerce, New Hires at Sephora and Lowe's, and Pinterest Goes Deep on AI
Retail Media Networks Are In Their ‘Gangly Teenager’ Phase. They’re Trying to Grow Up.
As retail media networks overtake television in ad revenue, they are also taking a page from the way TV pitches itself to marketers. After media companies like NBCUniversal, Disney and Paramount conclude their annual upfront sales spectacles this spring, companies including Albertsons, Home Depot, DoorDash and JPMorgan Chase will promote their own ad products in a take on the upfronts this September. Minus the celebrity cameos and pop-star serenades. (read more)
Instacart Ads, Dollar General Media Network, Chewy Ads, and Ahold Delhaize Retail Media Join SHOWCASE: Retail + Commerce Media Upfront
Building Community and Commerce: The Ascendant Network Journey with Susan MacDermid
How do you build a community that transforms careers while shaping an entire industry? Susan MacDermid, founder of Ascendant Network, reveals the strategic decisions behind creating the retail media industry’s most influential professional community and shares hard-won lessons from her journey through digital transformation. (listen)
Are Ad Networks Cool Again? Oil Costs Are Seeping Into Grocery Aisles
Agents of Confusion Marketers and publishers are testing agentic solutions for media buying. But it’s unclear whether agents will simplify or further obscure the programmatic supply chain. Omnicom CEO John Wren told investors last week that the holdco is testing agent-to-agent campaigns without ad tech fees, Digiday reports. Stagwell, Butler/Till and others are pursuing similar agentic tech. The Trade Desk CEO Jeff Green, however, was skeptical of the inefficiencies (read more)
Upfront Season Won’t Conclude This Week
Retail media networks will hold their own version of upfront presentations on September 2 in NYC, organized by Ascendant Network. The event is set to bring together major players, including Albertsons, DoorDash, Home Depot, and JPMorgan, to brief ad agencies on their respective retail media offerings. (read more)
Ascendant Network Unveils SHOWCASE: A New Upfront for Retail Media's Boom
NEW YORK, NY—April 15, 2026— As the advertising world grapples with the explosive and often chaotic growth of retail media, Ascendant Network today announced a major new event designed to bring order to the burgeoning market. The organization is launching SHOWCASE, an inaugural upfront-style marketplace set for September 2, 2026, in New York City, aiming to become the definitive annual gathering for the commerce media industry. The move signals (read more)