From in-app discovery to emotional brand loyalty, the sharpest insights on Days 2 and 3 of POSSIBLE 2025 weren’t always on stage, they were happening in one-on-one conversations across the event grounds. This follow-up to our Day 1 hot takes captures the conversations shaping retail media, marketing operations, and creative culture as the event unfolded.
Retail Media Hot Takes and Marketplace Momentum
1. Retail Search Needs a Rethink. It’s About Discovery Now
Target’s Roundel team sees search not as a utility, but a growth engine. “How many people actually know what to buy for Mother's Day?” Micah asked. Those kinds of open-ended queries happen in the thousands and increasingly, they’re happening digitally, not just in stores. Roundel’s opportunity lies in surfacing the same sense of discovery that once defined aisle browsing, but now inside the Target app. The future of retail media is about connecting that moment of “I need to figure this out” to real business outcomes.
2. Marketplace Growth Needs Media to Match
John is focused on bringing new sellers onto Target+, Target’s third-party marketplace. At POSSIBLE, his mission was to deepen integration between marketplace growth and Roundel’s media capabilities. “Even if our team isn’t activating that media directly,” he said, “we want to make sure our partner brands are getting the reach and support they need.” Content creation, paid and organic is at the heart of that effort. Media and marketplace strategy can no longer be siloed.
3. From Ops to Impact: CBS Sports Is Rewriting the Playbook
Cristina came to POSSIBLE looking for something different: not just sales pitches, but strategic elevation. “Some of these conferences are just about selling wares,” she noted. “This one feels forward-thinking.” Sessions with AT&T and McKinsey gave her new ways to think about team structure and operational change. But what stuck most? Gary Vee’s reminder that “we’re no longer in a social content era we’re in an interest content era.” That shift is shaping how CBS thinks about fan engagement and message amplification.
4. AI and the Power of Product Language
Purva is reshaping how retail brands approach Google Shopping feeds and performance marketing. Lily AI works by identifying the exact words customers use to describe products, then feeding those back into search, SEO, and SEM strategies. “We’re literally infusing those consumer words into your feeds for Google,” she explained. The result? Higher lift and revenue. With conversations at POSSIBLE revolving around the future of SEO and product content, Purva’s approach highlights a tactical gap: product content is still under-optimized for how people search.
5. Brands, Sports, and Showing Up with Meaning
Crissy was energized by the crossover of marketing and tech at POSSIBLE but what stood out most was the spotlight on women in sports. Seeing female athletes take center stage, and observing how brands are choosing to show up in those moments, felt like a meaningful shift. “It was inspiring,” she said. For agencies like Zenith, that emotional and cultural dimension is increasingly core to how strategy gets built.
The Real Pulse of POSSIBLE: Operator Voices from the Ground
These aren’t keynote soundbites—but they’re the kind of insights that stick. Across casual chats and off-stage moments, we heard optimism, curiosity, and a shared drive to build what's next.
“This one had more of a Cannes vibe: hot sun, great drinks, and incredible networking. But what made it worth the flight? The potential deals. I’ve had more valuable conversations here than at any event this year.”
Volkie came with a clear lens: “I’m here to learn what content is actually relevant for our audiences—AI and beyond. It’s not about chasing trends, it’s about making the right media investments.”
Gareth was focused on partnerships and the future of commerce media. “We’re looking to use our data to drive more sales and revenue for partners,” he said. “Retail media and commerce media are key areas we’re actively exploring.”
A first-timer at POSSIBLE, Juan was focused on discovery. “New technologies, new models that’s what I’m here to learn about,” he said. “But honestly, it’s also about the connections.”
As a marketer and journalist, Tracie was there to both observe and contribute. “From AI to gaming to sports, the content is strong—but it’s the environment that makes it. So many great conversations are happening throughout.”
Beth summed it up with joy: “I’ve taken so many selfies I don’t know what I’ll do with them all.” She came from the UK not knowing what to expect and left with new friendships, creative inspiration, and a strong reminder from the LEGO session that love for your team, your clients, your craft is what makes marketing meaningful.
Emerging Themes Across Day 1–3 at POSSIBLE 2025
Across 30+ off-stage conversations with marketers, partners, and platform leaders, five core themes surfaced again and again not just as passing insights, but as strategic imperatives shaping how brands will execute in 2025 and beyond.
1. Retail Media Is Moving From Precision to Discovery
Day 1 spotlighted retailers and publishers converging on media activation. By Day 3, voices like Target’s Micah Fancher expanded the narrative: it’s not just about targeting: it’s about helping buyers figure out what they want through search-led discovery moments.
2. Attribution Is Becoming a Creative Priority
What started as a behind-the-scenes metric is now a front-line concern. From Fospha’s incrementality modeling to CBS Sports rethinking marketing ops, brands are searching for proof that content, media, and tech investments drive business results, not vanity metrics.
3. AI Is Operational—But Emotion Still Wins
Claritas, Lily AI, and Shared Vision Marketing each showcased AI’s creative, commercial, and campaign-level impact. But whether it was Rae-vaughn Lucas protecting creative authenticity or Beth Johnson praising love as a business value, one message rang clear: AI can scale execution, but emotional resonance is still what connects.
4. Marketplace Growth Requires Media Muscle
Target+ made the case: it’s not enough to onboard sellers, you need media alignment to support them. Discovery, content creation, and integrated partner enablement are the new marketplace baseline.
5. The Best Insights Don’t Always Come From the Main Stage
From first-timers like Juan Tomás Marsano to deal-makers like Julio Cerne Chaves, the conversations happening at the bar, on the floor, and between sessions gave us a fuller picture of the marketing mindset in 2025. Tech matters. Attribution matters. But so does energy, connection, and trust.
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