Credibility is the new growth

The retail media story used to be about scale. Gibs argues the next chapter is about credibility, and credibility comes from proof.

That proof rests on two things: incrementality and independent, cross-retailer measurement. Together they turn a channel that grew fast into a channel brands can defend in a budget meeting. The question is no longer how big retail media is. It is how well it actually works.

Incrementality is the proof point

A conversion tells you a purchase happened. It does not tell you whether your media caused it. That gap is exactly what incrementality closes.

"Incrementality is so key to be able to understand the benefits of the media itself. Not just conversion, but what would have happened otherwise." — Jon Gibs

Read that carefully. The value of media is the difference between what happened and what would have happened without it. Report a transaction and you describe an outcome. Prove incrementality and you isolate your contribution to it. One is a receipt. The other is evidence.

Why independent measurement matters

Walmart Connect performs well inside its own environment. What it cannot see on its own is everything happening beyond its walls, across other platforms and other retailers.

That is where Circana operates as the independent layer. As the objective measurement authority, Circana puts Walmart Connect's results in context against the wider market, so brands can compare performance honestly and optimize their media mix across touchpoints. A single platform grading its own homework is not credibility. An independent view of the whole picture is.

Measurement that points forward

Most measurement looks backward. It confirms whether a campaign worked after the money is already spent. Gibs wants it to do more.

"Measurement is really about looking forward. It's about how you use the results from past campaigns to guide future efficacy." — Jon Gibs

The distinction is practical. Backward-looking measurement is a report card. Forward-looking measurement is a planning tool. When past results sharpen future decisions, measurement stops being a diagnostic and starts driving the next investment.

Outcomes over channels

It is easy to chase whatever channel is trending this quarter. Gibs makes the case for a steadier discipline.

"Focus on the outcome, not the channel." — Jon Gibs

Channels come and go. The outcome you need, whether that is new customers or incremental sales, stays constant. Start from the result you want, then let measurement and audience guide the mix. That is also where cross-channel effects surface. Connected TV, for example, can lift site search, signaling awareness at the top of the journey while creating a point of activation deeper down.

The full funnel, at once

The old assumption held that upper-funnel and lower-funnel tactics were separate jobs. Gibs challenges it.

"Retail media can drive high upper-funnel ROI and high lower-funnel incrementality at the same time." — Jon Gibs

That dual role reframes retail media as a driver of new-to-brand growth, not just a closer of ready-to-buy demand. Measured across the whole journey, it earns a bigger seat in the plan.

Watch the conversation

The full interview covers why credibility now defines retail media, how incrementality proves the value of the media itself, and what separates the marketers who will win in the next phase.

Watch the full conversation with Jon Gibs and Lindsay Pullins from Cannes Lions 2026.

Credibility depends on an independent view of what your media truly drives. Explore Circana's commerce and retail media measurement solutions to see how cross-retailer measurement puts your performance in context and turns proof into your next decision.