Retail media has matured from "test-and-learn" budgets to a critical driver of brand P&Ls. Yet for all the progress in optimization, the system remains fragile.
Retail media has matured from "test-and-learn" budgets to a critical driver of brand P&Ls. Yet for all the progress in optimization, the system remains fragile. One algorithm update, one supply chain hiccup, or one aggressive competitor move can unravel months of planning in days.
It's not a question of if a shock will come. It's a question of when, and how prepared you are.
Soon after a major beauty manufacturer signed with us, our team began reviewing their growth and retail media plans. As a performance-based marketing partner, we care less about vanity ROAS metrics and more about outcomes that move the business forward. During our onboarding, we sat with their sales and shopper marketing teams to walk through customer-level strategies. That's when we asked a simple set of questions.
What if an algorithm change buried your hero SKUs overnight?
What if a top-selling item went out of stock mid-campaign?
What if a competitor doubled their spend during your promotion window?
The room went quiet. The client had playbooks for growth, but none for disruption."
We ran a simulation of what would happen if their visibility collapsed by 70% in two days. At first, there was hesitation—who owns detection, how fast can root cause analysis be done, and which team makes the first move? By the end of the session, the client had a clear framework:
Signals to identify disruption within hours.
Rapid processto pinpoint the driver.
10-day cross-functional plan.
Rapid execution with clear ownership.
What started as an uncomfortable exercise ended as a moment of confidence.
That experience reshaped how we approach every engagement. We realized optimization isn't enough, brands need to rehearse chaos before it happens. Today, Black Swan Drills are a standard practice across our client base. We don't wait for disruption to expose blind spots. We surface them in simulation, where the cost is learning, not lost revenue.
Learning through practice, not crisis.
Boards and CFOs don't tolerate 'wait and see' when retail media falters. They expect clarity and speed. The most senior operators aren't just optimizing for growth. they're preparing for shocks.
A Black Swan Drill isn't about predicting the unpredictable. It's about building resilience for the events you can't control but must survive.
Comprehensive guide to crisis preparedness in retail media. We've distilled our proven methodology into an actionable PDF guide that delivers immediate value.
We've distilled our proven methodology into an actionable PDF guide that delivers immediate value:
Real-world case studies and scenarios
Step-by-step implementation framework
Ready-to-use checklists and templates
No spam. Instant download. Industry-tested strategies.