# S3 E23 T78 - Lowe's Media Network - Elyse Blouin S3 E22 T78 - Lowe's Media Network - Elyse Blouin [00:00:00] Show Intro [00:00:00] [00:00:00] Tom: You are listening to the Middlemen podcast with [00:00:03] me, Tom Limongello [00:00:05] [00:00:17] Tom Limongello: Welcome to the Middlemen Podcast. Todd, today we're talking to Lowe's [00:00:22] Todd: And we're super excited to to talk to Lowe's [00:00:26] Todd: And, and a lot of folks actually. It's been great through the last couple of episodes and, and ones that are coming out. We're gonna be talking to lots of RMN leaders that we've been wanting to talk to, who we perceive as leaders in the space. [00:00:37] Todd: And so it's nice to be able to sit down, and I think we're starting to really learn some interesting things about RMNs, right? [00:00:44] RMNs Are Maturing [00:00:44] Todd: We've been doing this podcast for two years now, and one of the things that's been fascinating is how the RMNs have evolved. And yes, there's some new entrants obviously still coming into the space, but for the most part, it's no longer just about PLAs, it's no longer just about offsite. [00:01:00] Todd: We're really starting to see the space mature, and I think that's kind of a message. And with that maturity, it doesn't mean [00:01:05] Todd: that they're just operationally mature. What it means is that we're really starting to see these RMNs start to develop really interesting USPs and what differentiates them. Like we, when we talked to Harvey from Sam's, uh, he has, you know, their, as an RMN, they own the in-store demos, which is fascinating. [00:01:24] Todd: But I think one of the interesting things is we're gonna hear from, uh, you know, Elyse, who runs the Lowe's RMN, and what's unique about that. I know you're pretty excited about what's unique to them, but I think that's really fascinating now is to see, and we- we're learning what are they doing differently. [00:01:39] Todd: So what got you excited about what Lowe's is up to that we're gonna learn about? [00:01:44] Tom Limongello: Yeah, this was great. [00:01:45] Why Lowes Stands Out [00:01:45] Tom Limongello: I mean, uh, Lowe's is coming in and, you know, when I first talked to Elyse, she's like, "We're moving from a, a, uh, from being a scrappy retail media network to a more professional one." And, you know, what I learned from going to Lowe's and experiencing some of this and then talking to her, is that they have a huge creator network. [00:02:03] Tom Limongello: I didn't even really know that. Um, but then I looked, you know, thought back and I'm like, "Oh, yeah, I realize they did this partnership with MrBeast." And, you know, beyond that, what is Lowe's? Well, Lowe's is, uh, in the home improvement space, but it has a very big pro segment, and then their, their loyalty program reflects that. [00:02:22] Tom Limongello: It's a split between consumers and pro. So, like, those types of aspects really are differentiating for them in the space. And for me, that makes it really interesting because you can start to see how they are reaching into upper funnel, but then also really doing the fundamentals well on the loyalty side. [00:02:40] Todd: Well, I think the interesting thing, where I was going with talking about Harvey and the in-store, like they have as an RMN, Sam's owns... You, you contract through the RMN to do in-store demos. And in the case of, Lowe's, to your point about the creator network, you're gonna learn about how they include that as part of the RMN purview. [00:02:55] Todd: And then, which is also, by the way, fascinating, 'cause tons of brands are super interested in working with [00:03:00] creators, creator sponsorships. And so one of the big things is we've talked for a couple years now about how retailers need to act more like publishers. And if you get a, an RFP from the brand side of an agency, in that they'll ask for your big idea. [00:03:14] Todd: And really what they mean by that is, as part of the RP response to a, an ad campaign, is what's unique? What can you do that's different? And we've heard from others, not just Harvey [00:03:23] Tom Limongello: Well, go [00:03:23] Todd: Sam, like GoPuff and IRL, right? In real life activations. Now you've got Lowe's and creators and learning about that and how that's part of their purview. [00:03:30] Todd: And I think that's really what we're gonna... I'm excited to continue these conversations with different RMN leaders to learn what is unique about what they're doing today. And I think that's what you're gonna start hearing over the next year which is how are they thinking about doing something that's different? [00:03:46] Todd: It's no longer, again, it's no longer just PLAs. It's no longer just offsite. You have to be doing, something else. And [00:03:51] Tom Limongello: Gotta be [00:03:52] Todd: I think this is cool and it's fascinating [00:03:53] Tom Limongello: gotta be doing football or IndyCar or something interesting that is, you know, [00:03:58] Todd: Right [00:03:59] Tom Limongello: creators [00:04:00] on the low end, celebrities and spokespeople on the high end. So it is really getting exciting. And so, yeah, let's have a listen [00:04:06] Tom Limongello: Welcome to the Middlemen podcast. [00:04:08] Meet Elise Blouin [00:04:08] Tom Limongello: We are here with Elyse Blouin from Lowe's Media Network. Um, how is it today in North Carolina? [00:04:15] Elyse Blouin: It is great. It's, you know, a little overcast, but, you know, all good. Very warm down here [00:04:21] Todd: Yes, I went to, uh, Duke as, uh, for college, and my wife's from Raleigh, so I'm intimately familiar with the summer climate, in the Carolinas. And we'd move into campus, when I went to school 30 years ago, middle of August, no AC. [00:04:34] Elyse Blouin: Yeah. [00:04:35] Todd: it was disgusting. Like, we used to set up bowls of ice in front of fans, it was so bad. [00:04:39] Todd: Like, that, that first couple of weeks at the end of August are just brutal [00:04:42] Elyse Blouin: It's that time of year when you're, you're ready for it to be fall and we still have what? Another two months of this, so you know. [00:04:48] Todd: Yeah. Good. I, I wish you well [00:04:50] Elises Career Journey [00:04:50] Tom Limongello: so, and so you are, you are back at Lowe's. Um, you started as a SEO ninja at, at Lowe's back in [00:05:00] the day, and now you're back with a different role. Tell us about your journey, uh, as a boomerang to Lowe's [00:05:05] Elyse Blouin: Sure. This is my second tour of Lowe's. Um, so I was here for eight years. To your point, I started as an SEO analyst here, um, a number of years ago. Kind of grew up through the e-commerce side, moved over to marketing, um, through digital marketing, and then, you know, when I left here, oversaw all of media, both on the planning and activation side, as well as MarTech. [00:05:24] Elyse Blouin: Uh, so I left for a couple of years and then was lucky enough to be, to be recruited back here after doing a short stint as a CMO of a, a wellness brand. Um, and so I've been back since about March, and I'm really excited to take on the charge of leading the media agency. [00:05:39] Buy Side To Sell Side [00:05:39] Todd: So what got you interested in, in going to that side, right? This is an interesting journey even in coming back, you know, you were effectively buy side and now you flip back to sell side. What, what's a part of that thinking in terms of the, the jump from one side to the other? What attracted you to go back to the sell side? [00:05:54] Elyse Blouin: Sure. Well, first of all, I love media. I think that there's, you know, it's very exciting space to be in. I think learning from all of the [00:06:00] platform partners and being at the cutting edge with a budget as big on the buy side as, as Lowe's had was an exciting place to be because you really are able to, you know, get in on the ground floor of some of the betas and things like that. [00:06:11] Elyse Blouin: And so, you know, media's always been a passion of mine. But having sat on the buy side, I think I have a unique position, um, and a unique perspective to be able to truly understand what buyers are looking for as we build out our, our media network. And so that's really what attracted me to this side. And knowing that retail media is such an expanding, um, area within marketing right now, it's a, it's an exciting place to be in to be able to define, you know, what does the future of retail media look like and where are we going as an industry? [00:06:40] Todd: You're, you're a media nerd, which is interesting because within the world of retail, that's not a normal, you know, sort of a person. Um, and you're here because you love media, and I think Tom and I are-- You know, Tom's more a retail guy who's com- who maybe like you fell in love with media along the way and is now an RMN guy. [00:06:56] Todd: But I've been a 20-plus year re- you know, media person. [00:07:00] And so, you know, it's great to find other media nerds like yourself who that's, you know, your calling was media, not retail, and that's why you came back is this is a media job, which I think is an important thing to kind of call out [00:07:10] Elyse Blouin: Well, and I think, you know, you have to be passionate about retail in a place like this as well. [00:07:14] Todd: of course. You, you understand it well. You were selling things, but I think, you're calling now in your, in your mind is media first. With it, I think retail media is, is an incredibly interesting space within, quote unquote, "media," and the nexus of retail and media is just, I think, a fascinating one to be in. [00:07:29] Todd: So, you know, you're getting a chance to play in both at the same time. So I think y- you know, the job you're in is, is an amazing job and role to be in [00:07:37] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, it's great. And, you know, it's, it's, it's something that's quickly evolving, right? Like, like many areas of marketing, but retail media for sure is, is changing. And with the addition of, you know, AI and, and all of those types of areas that are growing rapidly, it's, it's a puzzle, right? And I'm a-- I like to be a problem solver, and it's a fun puzzle to tackle [00:07:58] Creator Network Advantage [00:07:58] Tom Limongello: I think that one part of it would [00:08:00] be interesting to hear your perspective on. You're coming from wellness, which is very, uh, focused on creator. Um, but I actually didn't realize... I think I saw the announcement a year ago, and I actually went with my daughter to a kids club for MrBeast and did a swarm launcher, whatever that was. [00:08:15] Tom Limongello: Um, and I didn't realize that you guys run your own creator network. So tell us about how that started. I know that predated you a little bit, but fascinating to hear that, that as a differentiator for Lowe's. [00:08:28] Elyse Blouin: We, we do. And you are right, in the wellness industry, influencer and creator are huge, right? Because that's really who you look to as you're, um, you know, creating your wellness journey as well as your beauty journey, and l- you look to influencers. But, you know, we do so in the home improvement space, too. [00:08:44] Elyse Blouin: And so we do have a massive creator network. It's over 20,000 creators within our network. Um, and they partner with us, you know, everything from very small micro creators and influencers all the way up to big partnerships like MrBeast. And that is a differentiator for us, right? We have, [00:09:00] um, a lot of partnerships with creators across the board and, uh, both on the DIY and the pro side, which is, which is really exciting. [00:09:07] Todd: And how integrated is it as a part of the retail media network? [00:09:12] Todd: Is it a pretty typical thing that you're trying to position and include in, in plans and programs that you're selling to your, your advertisers? [00:09:18] Elyse Blouin: Absolutely, and we get more and more demand for that as they see what we're doing on the enterprise side and the creator space. You know, we have a lot of brands that say, "We want you to do for our brand what you're doing for your brand through leveraging creators," which is, which is great, you know? And so I think we're doing more and more with creators because we do have, um, that relationship with the creators, and the creators have a relationship with our customers, and so it's a natural fit in the RMN space [00:09:43] Into The Blue Program [00:09:43] Tom Limongello: Yeah, I wanted to highlight something else that I was learning about it from our prep call. Um, your program Into the Blue you're basically working with the seller and supplier community as if they are creators or with the creator. [00:09:55] Tom Limongello: Tell us a little bit more about that program 'cause it's fascinating. [00:09:58] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, it's a, it's kind of an [00:10:00] all call to our creators to say, "Hey, what gaps do you see from a product perspective? Can you, can you recommend something or can you put together something that maybe we are missing in the market? You know, what are your ideas for a product that we could go to market with and sell that, um, potentially would be a great idea or the next big idea?" [00:10:17] Elyse Blouin: And so they are able to pitch our, our merchant teams and our marketing teams on what those, um, what those ideas could be so that we could potentially, you know, bring a new idea to market for the creators. [00:10:29] Todd: Well, one of the things, you know, in, as you sell to marketers, even right when you're selling, whether to your suppliers or non-endemics, you're selling to VPMs and, and CMOs. Um, I know in my conversations with that community, the creator space is incredibly, um, interesting to them right now, right? En fuego, to, to use a, to use a phrase. [00:10:50] Todd: Like if you go to... You know, we think about Cannes. Well, and if you think about Cannes, right, Cannes has just been all creators, all everything creators for the last couple of years, right? You know, and RMN introducing that, that's a [00:11:00] really interesting, you know, I think angle to your point of if Lowe's has a creator network, which it does obviously, and it has something unique. [00:11:09] Todd: And I don't know if, you know, I've heard of another RMN having a 20,000-person creator network attached to it as a part of it, as a component of it. And, you know, if you're, when you're pitching, you know, RMNs, I think you're really pitching something unique in that and, and what VPMs and CMOs wanna hear are really interested in. [00:11:27] Todd: So that's a, that's a really fascinating angle for, for Lowe's, and I don't know if most people would think of an RMN creator as network as being, um, part of the same thing. [00:11:37] Sports Partnerships And Brands [00:11:37] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, and I think, you know, it's, it's, it's one of several, um, I think brand experiences that we have that are owned. If you think about our loyalty program, if you think about, you know, our, some of our partnerships with NFL or with, um, with sports, with Messi overall, you know, like we have a lot of avenues to offer advertisers that are different, um, and differentiate us within the r- the specialized retail media [00:12:00] space [00:12:00] Tom Limongello: Yeah, the, I think I silently realized as we were talking that the Earn Your Sunday campaign that you do with Saquon Barkley and other football players, um, al- for a couple of reasons is interesting. One, it's you're literally trying to change behavior to stop people to do their DIY projects on Sunday, get them to do it during the week so that you have room for football, which I think is kinda hilarious. [00:12:21] Tom Limongello: But two, it's interesting is that, um, you are using these spokespeople as a way to bring those higher funnel channels into where the brand is. Now, will the vendors get involved or do the vendors get involved with that, or is that just Lowe's branding on its own? Like, is there, are there parts of the retail media program where they can participate [00:12:42] Elyse Blouin: absolutely, they have, they have the opportunity to engage with us in some of those partnerships, especially some of our, you know, bigger partners. Um, and I think that you'll see more and more that we're, um, opening up some of those avenues where some of our vendors and advertisers may not have been able to reach audiences through [00:13:00] those types of inter-integrations on their own. [00:13:02] Elyse Blouin: And so, you know, we are the vehicle that helps them to be a part of some of those engagements, which I think we've seen a lot of appetite for in the market. [00:13:10] Growth Strategy And Measurement [00:13:10] Todd: Well, one of the, things that we also talked about, you're coming to Lowe's and what your role is and, you know, in terms of this phase that, that Lowe's RMN is, it's not new. It's been around for a while. And I think it's also interesting to think about, you know, the category you're in, which you have obviously a, a big competitor out there, and you're going head to head against their RMN, and what that means for you coming back and your charter. In terms of what you're trying to do with Lowe's RMN? [00:13:38] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, and you're right. I mean, the-- our Lowe's media network has seen tremendous growth to date, and it's at a really exciting place. I think we are at a place where we're, we're ready to continue to grow and to do that, you know, we're really focused on making sure that we are competitive, um, from a measurement perspective, that we have the right technology to offer our advertisers, um, and really that we have the [00:14:00] right mix of products and advertising vehicles that are attractive to, um, our vendor partners, both endemic and non-endemic. [00:14:09] Elyse Blouin: And I would say that, um, you know, in order to do that, we really think about the, the customer data and what our unique data signals are. And what's, what's interesting in our category is that it's longer lead cycle, right? And so you think about, um, someone who's shopping for a kitchen, you know, it's not as transactional as something like a [00:14:28] Todd: A good, interesting point [00:14:29] Elyse Blouin: um, that for like an Amazon or a Walmart may have. [00:14:32] Elyse Blouin: And so what that means is customers are researching, um, many different touchpoints along their journey. So our goal is to really make sure that our advertisers have the ability to be present when a customer is in research mode, when they're in browse mode, when they're in buying mode, when they're in review mode. [00:14:49] Elyse Blouin: And so, you know, thinking through what that customer journey looks like and making sure that we are offering opportunities to engage not just online at the moment of conversion, but you know, in store [00:15:00] or, you know, through some of those more upper funnel brand opportunities through, um, the experience like Tom said, where, you know, he brought his child into the store to, you know, create brand affinity by, you know, doing a workshop with MrBeast. [00:15:12] Elyse Blouin: You know, making sure that we're really showing up along all of those consumer touchpoints to, to benefit the advertisers that we're working with. [00:15:23] Tom Limongello: Yeah, I mean, all of that really brings it home for me, literally. Not only did I bring my daughter there and she got to do something more than just get free paint chips like they say to do on Bluey, but, , like my mother and my wife are both, construction managers or general contractors. [00:15:38] Tom Limongello: And so I was asking them about, the pro, uh, versus the DIY and what's it like for them. And what you were just talking about in terms of the research mode, that sort of brings home for me that my mom, when Houzz was a, was a sort of startup in the world of, uh, home improvement and like that was, you know, the sort of one-up from Pinterest, she was on that [00:16:00] and I'm like, "Wow, my mom's on this thing." [00:16:01] Tom Limongello: And, you know, I'm like, "I'm-- I better play with it." Um, and my wife, who's more of an Instagrammer, is all over these things and, you know, she's working with companies that are, you know, trying to take IKEA and put new faces on it. [00:16:12] Pro Vs DIY Segmentation [00:16:12] Tom Limongello: And so I guess what I'd love to know more about is like, as you talk about this journey, how do you see, um, segmenting differently? [00:16:20] Tom Limongello: You know, if somebody's pro, um, like my wife was super, uh, interested in the fact that you guys had Dekton countertops like we have in our house. She was like, "That's higher, more premium than I thought I would have found at Lowe's." She's also very excited about your gardens and stuff, uh, [00:16:34] Elyse Blouin: Great. Paula [00:16:35] Elyse Blouin: Fadiak [00:16:35] Tom Limongello: like, like how do you think about the segmentation of these consumers? [00:16:39] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, I think, you know, what's interesting is that we, we do have a very robust data set of our customers, right? And we can understand how they're shopping, we can understand cross-category how they shop. Um, the DIY shopper is very different than the pro shopper. The DIY shopper may be, you know, in research mode and, um, for one project, you know, maybe every so [00:17:00] many years if you think about buying an appliance, right? [00:17:01] Elyse Blouin: You're only gonna do that so many years. But if you think about the pro customer, they're probably shopping more frequently. They have multiple jobs that are going on, you know, they are doing different projects. And so, uh, really understanding the difference between how a DIY, um, customer shops and, and how a pro customer shops is something that we know very well. [00:17:20] Elyse Blouin: I would say we also have a lot of signals on lifestyle, right? We, we understand folks when they're moving, and we understand what those signals look like. We know when people are first-time home buyers, um, among other things. And so I think we're really able to understand what are the products, what are the, um, what are the types of medium that customers are engaging with along those journeys to make sure that we are able to craft the right programs for our, our advertising partners to help them really drive value for their programs and, and drive inspiration to action. [00:17:52] Tom Limongello: yeah, I mean, I think that the interesting thing there would be, first of all, there may be some, retailers out there who have this split [00:18:00] of pro versus consumer, loyalty programs. But that I think is a really big benefit to the advertiser. [00:18:06] Tom Limongello: We've, you know, we've talked to retailers before where the advertiser's first question is, "Can you split out the pro segment or the SMB segment?" Um, so that must be very useful beyond just being something that helps the consumer. [00:18:17] Elyse Blouin: Absolutely, and we know deterministically, right, that they are either a DIY or a pro customer because they've opted into either one of those loyalty programs. And so we are able to truly identify that they are a pro, and this is the type of pro that they are, or they are a DIY customer, um, and more information about them as a DIY customer. [00:18:36] Elyse Blouin: And so that is a, a very rich data set, um, that gives us a lot of different types of signals for advertising [00:18:42] Todd: Well, I think one of the things that occurs to me as you're, right, talking about your offering and, and how you can, you know, map different places you can plug into that customer's journey, where they are in researching in the cycle. I hadn't necessarily thought about the, the point of view of it's less transactional actually in your space than, than others, which is an [00:19:00] interesting one. [00:19:00] Todd: And your ability to effectively target where those consumers are in that journey as appropriate when working with your, your advertisers. And I think that speaks to one of the re- You know, I think the point is that Lowe's as an RMN i- is, is far in its journey. It's not just product listing ads, which is where everyone, you know, started five or 10 years ago. [00:19:23] Todd: It's a really well-thought-out, um, fully baked offering, and I think that's an important point as, as, you know, you're engaging with the buy side, with advertisers, with sophisticated advertisers, and your ability to deliver something that you would map to the most sophisticated publishers out there in, in what, the way that, that advertisers can, can work with you. [00:19:44] Todd: It's not just product listing ads anymore, and I think that's an important thing to talk about in terms of where Lowe's is in, is in its journey, and it's, it's well along its way. It is, it is able to offer everything that a mature advertiser, a sophisticated advertiser [00:20:00] would expect [00:20:01] Closed Loop Reporting [00:20:01] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, and you know, the benefit, um, of having kind of the orchestration layer of the customer data across all of the channels that we touch is that we truly can track the customer from a one-to-one basis or, you know, on all-- across all of those different platforms, where that from a, you know, former, uh, media buyer has been a challenge as you think about, you know, walled gardens and things. [00:20:20] Elyse Blouin: And so it's re- it's really beneficial from an advertising perspective to have that single view of the customer across all of those touchpoints. [00:20:28] Todd: What's fascinating to that point is I cannot believe that RMNs aren't driving more revenue than the walled gardens because you are so much closer to the actual buyer. You, you are in the retail environment, and your ability to very deterministically understand where someone is. Yes, those walled gardens can deterministically identify an individual, but they can't deterministically understand where they are in the buyer journey. [00:20:55] Todd: They're making inference guesses, [00:20:58] Tom Limongello: Yeah, they do ba- they do data [00:21:00] science backflips to try to figure it out and [00:21:02] Todd: Right? Whereas you all, you're, you know exactly, right? That person, where they are, what they touched. You've got customer journey mapping up and down, left and right, and so it's just, it, it... If I were a media buyer, I would start with RMNs. [00:21:17] Todd: Today, it's sort of a second or third idea after walled gardens, and it's just bizarre to me that that's the case [00:21:23] Elyse Blouin: Yes. And, you know, then the responsibility of us as a retail media network is to make sure that we can prove that out through reporting, right? To make sure that we close the loop on, um, understanding and, and helping to communicate the value of incrementality across our platform, and that's something that's very, you know, has been evolving within the industry. [00:21:42] Elyse Blouin: But, you know, it- we're at a place where we can do that closed loop measurement now, and I think that that is the next evolution of, um, the RMN to, to help buyers understand that we do have that closed loop measurement so that we can prove the value of what we're doing across all of those touchpoints. It kind of gets it out of just, you know, media [00:22:00] metrics and more into business outcomes, which I think is really beneficial from a, a buyer perspective [00:22:07] Non Endemic Opportunities [00:22:07] Tom Limongello: you guys are actually fairly far along with non-endemic advertising, and I would love to hear how that's the case, 'cause that was my-- that wasn't my first thought as to where your opportunity would be. [00:22:17] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, I think what we're finding in the industry is that there's a lot of demand for the data signals that we have, right? If you think about those life cycle signals that we, um, that we sit, sit on, I think that that's attractive to, you know, financing partners or auto [00:22:31] Todd: The mortgage industry's gotta be all over you, right? And it's a natural, like if you know, well, it, it, it, no, but I mean, it's actually the trick, like mortgage, you got life cycle. Think of like, you know, when people are buying out or building out a nursery or something like that. Like, there's so many signals that I think are really cool. [00:22:46] Todd: So, but financial services is a no-brainer in terms of, oh, they're interested in a house. They're interested in, you know, a, a, a HELOC, right? A home [00:22:53] Tom Limongello: Yes, there's a lot of, there's a lot of dreaming that goes on, I would assume, within the aisles of Lowe's [00:22:57] Elyse Blouin: And you think about, if you're in the market for a kitchen [00:23:00] or a big project in your, your patio or your outdoor, you know, you might-- financing might be relevant to you at that moment, you know, decision-making. And so that even that data signal alone to get in front of the buyer while they are researching a big project is desirable in the non-endemic space [00:23:16] Todd: Well, even automotive I would think too, right? In terms of up, you know, baby's on the way, you're gonna be thinking of upgrading to the minivan or third row SUV as another example. It's a natural, you know, connection point [00:23:26] Elyse Blouin: 100%, or that's where the pro, you know, it could intersect with automotive if you think about some of the, you know, trucks that are out there and, or kind of heavy duty trucks that, you know, could, we could leverage our pro data for attracting those buyers for automotive as well [00:23:41] Todd: And this gets back to my point about the walled gardens versus RMNs. I think the, the media side of the, the world is radically undervaluing RMNs right now still. Like, in terms of they're all invested in the walled gardens because they have all this great data. And, and my point of view is, as someone who had been selling against walled gardens for twenty years, [00:24:00] is the RMNs, like, you, you walk in and go, "No, no, they have data, but we have even better data." [00:24:05] Todd: Like, what are you-- You know, we're over here, people. We're, we're actually better and, you know, and, and, uh, more evolved than you guys think. And so it's fascinating me to think that, you know, in a lot of ways, RMNs are still dealing with the shopper marketing teams at [00:24:17] Tom Limongello: Oh [00:24:17] Todd: big holdcos versus you're being w-- you know, brought in on par with the walled gardens because really your data and, and the, the opportunities, ag- especially for an evolved, you know, b- operation like Lowe's Media Network, it-- you should, to me, be side by side competing with them for those budgets. [00:24:36] Todd: And, you know, I think we're slowly getting there, but it just shocks me that the buy side hasn't just figured this out so through and through. [00:24:44] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, I [00:24:45] Tom Limongello: I mean, how, how do you help figure that out for the buyers? Is that sort of where some of the, the higher funnel channels can help with that? Or is it more of a, we need to work better with our merchandisers to make sure that we're easier to buy or, you know, [00:25:00] like what is it that actually helps move that along for you? [00:25:04] Full Funnel Agency Model [00:25:04] Elyse Blouin: I think it's both. So I think that the relationship with merchandising is really important, right? We need to be on the same page. We need to make sure that we are, um, all able to articulate the value of the media network, so evangelizing within the company is very important. But I also think that, you know, making sure that we have the right full funnel solution, um, and even beyond just media, but, you know, creative solutions. [00:25:29] Elyse Blouin: We are a full funnel agency. Um, as-- We're internal full funnel agency to offer to those brands, and so making sure that we're able to share those use cases where we do have closed loop reporting on what we're driving from an incremental perspective and, and really showcasing that I think is how we attract, uh, budgets beyond just the shopper marketing dollars. [00:25:51] Todd: mean, I think one of the interesting things you say that, right, which is again, coming from the publishing world, large publishers had a lot of those creative services, a lot [00:26:00] of that full support and agency-like functionality. And one of the things that Tom and I have been talking about are how really RMNs more and more look like the publishers of the future, right? [00:26:09] Todd: They-- You are publishers, you, you look like publishers, and as I hear you say those things, I'm like, oh my God, you, you truly have a team that would look, like, on par with any of the best publishers. Like, The New York Times ad sales team would probably match up and their, their offerings would match up really well with what you guys are doing. [00:26:25] Todd: And, but you have better data, and you're clo- you have closed-loop data, and you have full funnel opportunities, and yet you can deliver creator campaigns, creative campaigns, you know, and, and I'm, I'd imagine really effective RFP responses and pitches to those, you know, to those brands and the brand teams. [00:26:41] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, and not to mention in-store, right? Like in-store activations that are, you know, breaking the mold of what we've traditionally done retailer. And so thinking through what are those experiences and how do we measure those to help, uh, other advertisers understand what we're doing and the value of those experiences in holistic campaigns across [00:27:00] everything that we do. [00:27:02] Todd: Yeah, no, it's-- You, you definitely sound like what, what I've been talking about from a team and an organization and go-to-market perspective from the media network point of view of you're walking and talking like a sophisticated advertising selling organization. So, you know, kudos, kudos to, to the team, uh, you know, there and around it, and then now that you're, you're leading, it's, it, it's a cool place to see the market get to [00:27:25] Elyse Blouin: It is, it is. And it's a fun space to be in, right? And it's ever-evolving and, you know, the conversation continues to change, and so, um, it's a fun place to be [00:27:33] Tom Limongello: Um, I was gonna ask in-store, but actually the thing that you just mentioned earlier about, um, you know, sort of agencies and, and what Todd was talking about in terms of the operating partners that a, that a publisher would have. How do you sort of envision that? Like how much of it is... 'Cause y- you're doing the creator mostly in-house, so like how much do you need these operating partners to, uh, to make this go? [00:27:58] Tom Limongello: Like does a- do agencies have a big [00:28:00] role here or is it, is it mostly you? [00:28:03] Elyse Blouin: I think it's both. You know, I think forming relationships with the, the agencies is important, right? Because they are looking to deliver the best media strategy for their clients, right? And if, if they can connect us with their clients and find that we are a viable publisher for them, then I think that that's a great, great relationship for us to maintain. [00:28:27] Elyse Blouin: And so I think it's both, you know, inside sales and then creating relationships throughout the industry with, with agencies and, uh, hold cos I think is really important. [00:28:39] Todd: What is it that you wish the, the media buyers on the other side better understood about Lowe's Media Network that, that maybe they're not necessarily, you know, uh, always, always keen to, to know? [00:28:51] Todd: And I think that might be the interesting way to think about, right? The evolution of, of Lowe's Media Network, which is, "Hey, this is who we are and this is where we're going." I think that might be the, [00:29:00] a good way to, to think about it [00:29:02] Elyse Blouin: I think, um, we're not just onsite media. You know, we're not just sponsored product ads. I think we have, um, you know, a full subset of opportunities to engage throughout brand experiences, throughout a customer's journey. Um, and so we, you know, we have a tremendous amount of data signals, and we really understand our customers, and that, you know, brings value both for advertisers and Lowe's as a [00:29:25] In Store As Next Canvas [00:29:25] Elyse Blouin: whole [00:29:27] Todd: That's interesting in terms of the, positioning of it, and then, you know,, we talk about in-store and you talk about experiences. What, what's sort of the canvas of in-store that, that you're thinking about and getting excited about as you look at the industry? And 'cause one of the things that we think talk about a lot about in-store is, it's obviously unique to retail. That p- in-person connection and the ability to tie digital with, with in real world is, I think, a key part of that. [00:29:51] Todd: And then B , in terms of, like, the metric I always like to point out here, in terms of time spent, time spent in-store has not declined with the [00:30:00] rise of digital and e-commerce. And therefore, the thing that we us- always used to pitch with online was as a share of, of time, as, as time spent online went up, the share of media dollars lagged that for a number of, of years or decades and eventually caught up. [00:30:15] Todd: And I think in the in-store time and, and activity is the next big wave of that is under-monetized from an advertising perspective. It's just there's a ton of time. It's like everyone in the United States probably is in an in-store environment every week. [00:30:31] Tom Limongello: Especially in home [00:30:32] Todd: about that as a [00:30:33] Tom Limongello: I could see people getting very stuck in store trying to figure out what they're trying to [00:30:38] Todd: it's so the classic, right? When you have a project, how many times do you run back to the store? Um, you know, I, I, I, you know, I go to Lowe's at 7:00 in the morning and I'm back there four times, you know, over the next, you know, 48 hours. Like that's, that's the normal experience [00:30:52] Elyse Blouin: When I think about in-store, it has to be additive in to the customer experience, right? It can't just be a billboard that we're putting a vendor logo on. It has to be something [00:31:00] that's making a difference in the shopper journey to be meaningful. So thinking about what are those experiences, um, whether it's driving inspiration, helping them understand how to complete a project, helping them understand what the right products are, um, that they need to troubleshoot a problem that they might be working on. [00:31:17] Elyse Blouin: I think those are the areas of intersection that we would see that would be meaningful both from a customer perspective and an advertiser perspective as we build out what the future of in-store advertising looks like. [00:31:29] Tom Limongello: Um, so I think what's interesting here is that, you know, I would love to see what the creative ends up looking like in store. You have all these creators, like, what was it? Like, there's like Garage Dad or, you know, like there's all these like really [00:31:41] Tom Limongello: aspirational... [00:31:42] Elyse Blouin: Dude Dad, yep! [00:31:42] Tom Limongello: Yeah, so like all, all those things when you look at your site, I'm like, "These would look really great in the store." [00:31:47] Tom Limongello: And like getting creator creative to be in the store has been challenging. So unless you own-- run your own network or have feature- people that you wanna feature, you know, the, the question ends up being, well, what do you target? 'Cause people are different. A lot of creators are different. [00:32:00] So like you guys actually have a way of controlling that better. [00:32:02] Tom Limongello: So I think all of that is amazing. [00:32:05] Mylow AI And Agentic Ads [00:32:08] Tom Limongello: The other side of it, for somebody like me who's not a DIYer like Todd is, I think going to a home improvement website or even the store itself is a little intimidating. I've always let my mother and wife figure all that stuff out. And so when I think about it, I look at MyLow and I look at how you've improved that over time, where you have like photo uploads and things like that. [00:32:24] Tom Limongello: I've always been trying to over-techify this stuff because I don't know where to start or I need to get down the funnel faster. Um, and so I'd be interested in hearing, you know, I, I know this is new and, and MyLow may be a part of the advertising thing. It could be just part of the consumer journey. But what can you tell us about what you've learned from MyLow and, and how that, how that AI LLM service is going? [00:32:48] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, I mean, you know, I think Mylow has been very useful to our customers. It's something that, um, I think is continuing to evolve and will probably evolve as we look at, you know, all different types of [00:33:00] agentic o-options and how we integrate that into the media network. [00:33:03] Todd: It's a canvas for advertising, and I think we're really interesting to see how does, how do ads show up in chats? [00:33:08] Todd: That's clearly, like Google's wrote out a, rolled out a product in this area, um, they're testing, and there's others. And I think it's an ob-- ChatGPT obviously is, is doing it as well. It's an obvious canvas for, [00:33:20] Tom Limongello: I mean, it's obvious, it's obvious in home improvement 'cause I really need help. Like, you know, like there's... if I'm going like, you know, to a grocery store or whatever, um, yes, I could potentially be helped by, putting more things in my basket faster. But to what you were talking about earlier, these are thought through decisions and you need a lot of help. [00:33:41] Tom Limongello: And so having something that, supports you along the way, I'm gonna be very open to advertising because I'm not sure what I want yet [00:33:51] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, absolutely. I think it goes back to our data signals, right? Um, Mylow um, or our AI agent is a avenue that we can use to understand [00:34:00] customer queries, right? What they're looking for, what problems they're having. You know, we see that on our website. We can see that from, a search perspective. And then we're able to create unique content, um, and even offer that to advertisers, um, to solve some of those problems, to help customers along their way because we know that, you know, these are problems that are happening time and time and time again. [00:34:20] Elyse Blouin: And so, you know, how do we ensure that we have the right video content on our YouTube channel, and how do we r- uh, ensure that we have the right content throughout our website in the moment of relevance? And then, you know, is there an opportunity to m- to, um, allow a vendor to engage with that in a way that is, you know, natural both to the customer and to the vendor that makes their consumer journey better? [00:34:41] Elyse Blouin: Um, could be a, a unique opportunity for us as we move forward [00:34:46] YouTube And Creator Sponsorships [00:34:46] Todd: Um, just as an aside, uh, you mentioned YouTube. A, uh, sponsoring YouTube content, is that part of your RMN purview? And then two, that seems like an interesting nexus point for the creator aspect as you potentially bring in creators' content to be a part of that. Obviously, [00:35:00] there's sponsorship opportunities that naturally emerge in that. [00:35:02] Todd: I gotta think that's part of your kit, which I would think is hot with... So you-- anyone in the brand space, these are the types of things, instead of just buying random YouTube things, you could be buying them through and sponsoring them through a really effective program from someone like Lowe's [00:35:19] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, that's right. Yes, absolutely. YouTube is in our current offering as is creators, and there's certainly an [00:35:24] Todd: But, and that's, by the way, and from an RMN standpoint, that's not typical, right? That's [00:35:27] Tom Limongello: Yeah, and it's not everybody's [00:35:29] Todd: No, not everyone does that. Like, that's a cool thing to highlight, which is why I wanted to call that out, which is [00:35:34] Tom Limongello: not, it's not the obvious LMN OP [00:35:38] Elyse Blouin: Yeah. And I would say, you know, creator plus content, how-to content equals, you know, probably an accelerated benefit, right, to, um, to a customer because they can see somebody that they, um, that they really look up to and aspire to be like doing what they have a problem or solving the problem that they are having. [00:35:57] Elyse Blouin: Yeah. [00:35:58] Todd: Yeah, so the, the-- anyone [00:36:00] in the advertising agency world, when you're sending out RFPs that might involve creators, um, and you're in a space that touches in the world of Lowe's, you should be sending those RFPs out to Elyse and her team. [00:36:09] Elyse Blouin: Exactly. I love that, Todd. [00:36:11] Todd: no, I-- that's what I mean in terms of I think if you walked into an agency, into those brand teams, and they're thinking about, "Who am I gonna send these RFPs out to?" They, "Oh, it's f- RMN's product listing ads," not, "Hey, what's a really cool program that could align and give me full funnel, creative solution, creator solutions, and, you know, interesting data and attribution?" That's your story, and it's, you know, it's so beyond product listing ads. And I think that's s- kind of the thing that we're trying to talk up as part of the RMN world, which is PLAs are the RMN of twenty-fifteen, and the RMN of twenty-twenty-six is offering really cool data, really cool multi-tou- multi-channel touch points, and to your point of, like, Lowe's, interesting creator and sponsorship opportunities in store, [00:37:00] in video, in other platforms. [00:37:02] Todd: Like, this is, you know, in social media, this is some cool stuff that you could sort of, you know, the, the broadness of your offerings and who they could be applied to. Again, it's not even, not even just your endemics, it's adjacent categories. We talked about financial services, automotive, and it's, and others that I think really become interesting to, you know, to the world of I, I hope we generate some, you know, inbound RFPs to your team. [00:37:23] Tom Limongello: Todd, Todd's available to shake your advertisers into submission if you're [00:37:27] Elyse Blouin: It's great. Bye. [00:37:29] Elyse Blouin: I [00:37:29] Changing Buyer Perception [00:37:29] Todd: it's-- But this is the point, right? I've been in, you know, that side of it, which is I, I think it's changing the perception of the space of Lowe's, right, as a valuable media partner. You're a media person, and you're there, and you know how to talk that language, and you-- right? You know how the-- what you're describing. [00:37:48] Todd: Like, you're obviously-- You talk like someone who could engage with those people and teams. You're speaking their words, and you understand their language, and you're building, helping continue the evolution of, of, you know, Lowe's media network in a way that makes [00:38:00] sense for them [00:38:01] Elyse Blouin: Yeah, and it's not, you know, only about just driving clicks or, you know, ensuring that your product shows up in search on a website anymore. It's about truly solving those business problems and making sure that we have measurable outcomes to those business problems. So, you know, [00:38:15] Todd: In really creative ways. I mean, to over use the cr- creative, like, word, I think that's the interesting, right? You have creative teams, you can do interesting creative outputs. There's... You, you can deliver the brand, uh, solutions that they want [00:38:29] Elyse Blouin: Tack [00:38:30] Tom Limongello: And you're, you know, you're a new retail media GM. [00:38:34] Where To Find Elise [00:38:35] Tom Limongello: So, to that point, as we close this out, what are you doing to get out there? We're at the second half of the year. There's not as many events as the first half, but there's still some. Where are you gonna be? Where, where can people find you? [00:38:46] Elyse Blouin: Yes, I will be, um, at the Ascendant Showcase in a couple of weeks. I will also be at the Ascendant, um, bootcamp and roundtable in Palo Alto coming up. We'll be at Shoptalk, we'll be at CES, you know, we'll be at, uh, Possible, we'll [00:39:00] be at all the, the big events within the industry [00:39:03] Tom Limongello: Yeah. [00:39:03] Wrap Up And Thanks [00:39:03] Tom Limongello: Well, we're, we're excited. Thank you for joining us. Um, and keep in touch with us. You know, we, we like the, the creative aspect of the home improvement seg- segment, and so this is all fun stuff [00:39:14] Elyse Blouin: Sounds great. Thank you both. I've appreciated our time together [00:39:17] ​ [00:39:23] [00:39:24] There you go. Perfect. Oh.