# 7 Retail Media Upfront Secrets: What Home Depot Got Right (And What Others Are Missing)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/retail-media-breakfast-club-7115586/7-retail-media-upfront-secrets-what-home-depot-got-right-and-what-others-are-missing
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/retail-media-breakfast-club-7115586/7-retail-media-upfront-secrets-what-home-depot-got-right-and-what-others-are-missing.md
Podcast: [Retail Media Breakfast Club](https://stenobird.com/podcast/retail-media-breakfast-club-7115586)
Published: 2026-04-28T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/6d6c33f0
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/6d6c33f0/565c8be6.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/retail-media-breakfast-club-7115586/episodes/7-retail-media-upfront-secrets-what-home-depot-got-right-and-what-others-are-missing
Duration seconds: 573

## Resource

I made the trek through Atlanta traffic to attend Home Depot’s Orange Apron Media upfronts, and let me tell you, it was absolutely worth it. In a year where brands are scrutinizing every dollar spent on travel and events, this one-day gathering managed to draw hundreds of suppliers from across the country. That alone says something. But what really stood out wasn’t just the announcements: it was how the event was designed. In this episode, I’m breaking down the seven smartest decisions Home Depot made with their upfronts. From resisting the urge to copy Amazon’s playbook to creating a tightly focused, high-impact experience for advertisers. If you’re building or scaling a retail media network, there are some seriously valuable lessons here about audience, format, messaging, and momentum. This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads Timeline [00:00] – Why hundreds of suppliers showed up for a one-day event (and why that matters right now) [00:56] – Why Home Depot didn’t try to replicate Amazon’s “Unboxed” (and why that’s a good thing) [01:37] – The power of a closed advertiser ecosystem and how it becomes a strategic advantage [02:15] – Why putting merchants on stage before media teams sends a stronger message [02:58] – Serving three audiences at once: suppliers, partners, and internal teams [04:15] – How supplier voices and testimonials added credibility and broke up the sales pitch [05:41] – Why venue choice reinforced Home Depot’s brand identity [07:00] – The “narrow and deep” press strategy that led to meaningful coverage Links & Resources My OAM piece from last week: Orange Apron Media is leaning into the things only Home Depot can do Karen Jacobs from Emarketer's piece from last week: Home Depot deepens retail media push with Reddit and Pinterest partnerships and n…

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