Uncommon Thinking

On the panel presented by InstaCart Ads, the Deputy Editor, Commerce at Ad Week, Lauren Johnson, sits down with Instacart Head of Commercial Marketing, Stephanie Paturzo Swingle, and Belgian Boys CEO, Anouck Gotlib, to discuss how retail media built its reputation on measurable, lower-funnel performance. But something bigger is happening.

In this episode of Uncommon Thinking live at Advertising Week New York 2026, we sit down to unpack what's driving this shift and what it looks like to partner on creative storytelling. Commerce media has evolved from a conversion channel into a full-funnel layer — with the targeting infrastructure and creative capabilities to inform the entire media mix, from awareness all the way through to purchase.

Whatever size of marketing budget you spend, proving ROI has never mattered more. But how do leading marketers, tech experts and media agencies go about it? In Measurement Masterminds, we bring together experts from across the measurement ecosystem, and ask key questions about their specialist subjects, to highlight the metrics that hold up best. You’ll hear from brands large and small, leading martech firms and measurement specialists. And you’ll get the answers you need for when you’re in the ROI hot seat.

Presented by LinkedIn.

There is no doubt that 2026 will be defined by global moments across music, sport and tech, but Aligning your brand with cultural moments does not always guarantee relevance, despite the scale. In a world where audiences are fragmented and attention is fleeting, the brands that win aren’t the loudest, they’re the most culturally fluent.

Presented by Vevo.

The sound-off era is over. Screens are fading, and brands still chasing clicks are falling behind. In this session we preview new research from 5,000+ consumers, 100+ advertisers, and 30+ experts on the shift reshaping media: audio as modern life’s connective tissue - earning attention and emotion. With voice-first AI, audio becomes the primary interface, where trust and taste still matter and brands can show up without interrupting. Leave with why audio+ is essential for sustainable brand impact—and how Spotify leads today.

Presented by Spotify.

From Advertising Week New York 2025:

In a time of shrinking budgets and sky-high expectations, marketers are under pressure to deliver better creative that goes the distance — breaking through with impact, clicks, and sustaining them over longer periods of time. We’ll explore real-world campaigns, categories, and brands that achieve long wear-in and lasting impact — and what they’re doing right.

From Advertising Week New York 2025:

Join us for a conversation with Allegra Krishnan, Chief Loyalty & Engagement Officer at McDonald's; Tracy-Ann Lim, Chief Media Officer at JPMorgan Chase & Co and Nora Princiotti, Staff Writer at The Ringer. Moderated by Bridget Evans, Global Head of Business Marketing at Spotify, the panel will explore how brands and creators lean into communities that drive culture. Jenny Haggard, Global Brand Strategy Lead for Thought Leadership at Spotify, will open the session, framing how loyalty, storytelling and fandom drive measurement.

From Advertising Week 2025:

Data has reshaped the way brands connect with consumers, evolving how brands personalize experiences, foster long-term loyalty, and measure business impact. This conversation will explore the strategies shaping the next frontier of relevance, attribution, and value at scale as brands and advertisers meet the demands of a complex advertising landscape.

Commerce media is at a tipping point. What started in retail is now reshaping industries from travel to financial services, creating massive new revenue streams through first-party data, purchase intent signals, and fresh monetization models. In this exclusive session, Nicholas Ward (Koddi) and Nikhil Lai (Forrester) will debut new Forrester x Koddi research that benchmarks commerce media maturity and reveals the innovations separating leaders from laggards.

From Advertising Week New York 2025: