This week at Path to Purchase’s Retail Media Summit, SheSpeaks and Energizer shared a simple but important truth:

The path to purchase starts long before a shopper reaches the shelf.

As retail media continues to evolve, brands are investing heavily in reaching consumers closer to the point of purchase. But many marketers are overlooking a critical reality: if you aren’t influencing shoppers before they begin their shopping journey, you’re already at a disadvantage.

That’s why Energizer partnered with SheSpeaks to rethink how influencer content could fuel retail media performance: from awareness all the way through conversion.

Below are some of the key points that SheSpeaks’ Renée Brush (Johnson) and Energizer’s Lori Burns covered during their presentation:

1. The New Retail Media Challenge

Retail media has become increasingly effective at capturing demand. The bigger opportunity is creating it.

Today’s shoppers discover products through creator content, social feeds, reviews, videos, and recommendations long before they ever visit Walmart.com or walk into a store.

The brands that win are the ones showing up during those moments of inspiration.

For Energizer and Armor All, that meant developing creator-led content designed not only for social engagement, but for measurable shopper action.

2. Winning Content Drives Winning Performance

The foundation of every successful retail media campaign is great creative.

Across Energizer and Armor All campaigns, creator content consistently delivered click-through rates well above industry norms:

• 7.4% CTR for Armor All Oracle Red Bull Racing content
• 6.8% CTR for Energizer new packaging content
• 5.2% CTR for Energizer holiday content
• 5.1% CTR for Armor All Holiday Buckets content

When compared to a typical Meta benchmark of just 0.9%, the impact is clear: authentic creator storytelling captures attention and motivates action.

The lesson isn’t simply “use influencers.”

It’s that shoppers respond to content that feels relevant, authentic, and rooted in real-life experiences.

3. AI Should Enhance Human Strategy, Not Replace It

One of the biggest misconceptions in marketing today is that AI can replace creative thinking.

Our experience suggests the opposite.

The most effective use of AI is as an efficiency engine that helps marketers uncover insights faster, develop stronger creative strategies, and optimize campaigns more intelligently.

For example, AI can help synthesize:

• Consumer reviews
• Reddit conversations
• YouTube discussions
• Competitive intelligence
• Research and demographic data

These insights help uncover audience motivations that may otherwise be missed.

But human marketers still provide the context, emotional intelligence, and strategic judgment that turn insights into effective campaigns.

AI helps us move faster.

Humans help us move smarter.

4. How Creative-Led Targeting Is Changing Paid Media

Traditional audience targeting starts with demographics and interests.

Creative-led targeting starts with people.

Instead of creating one message for an entire audience, brands develop multiple creator concepts built around distinct shopper personas.

For example, the same auto air freshener product can be positioned differently for:

• Car enthusiasts who obsess over vehicle maintenance
• Trend-conscious shoppers who view fragrance as part of their personal identity
• Busy moms looking for practical solutions to everyday chaos 

Each audience receives content designed specifically for their motivations.

The result is stronger relevance, better engagement, and improved performance.

In Energizer’s case, this approach contributed to an 80% year-over-year increase in click-through rate performance.

5. Creator Content Shouldn’t End on Social

Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity we see across the industry is treating creator content as a social only asset.

The reality is that high-performing creator content can power the entire shopper journey.

With the right strategy, a single creator partnership can fuel:

• Paid social campaigns
• Retail search placements
• Brand shop experiences
• Product detail pages
• Category pages
• Retail media advertising

By extending creator content across retailer environments, brands create a more consistent and authentic shopping experience while maximizing content ROI.

Four Takeaways for Retail Media Marketers

As we look ahead, we believe the most successful retail media programs will embrace four principles:

1. Start with audience insights.

Use AI and research tools to better understand shopper motivations before building campaigns.

2. Build creative for personas, not demographics.

Allow content to become the targeting mechanism.

3. Optimize throughout the funnel.

Different stages of the shopper journey require different creative approaches and calls to action.

4. Extend creator content beyond social.

Treat influencer content as a retail media asset, not just a social media asset.

The Future Is Creator-Powered Retail Media

Retail media and influencer marketing are no longer separate disciplines.

They are becoming increasingly interconnected.

The brands that win will be those that combine authentic creator storytelling, data-driven optimization, AI enhanced decision-making, and full-funnel media distribution.

Because when creator content is built strategically and activated effectively, it becomes more than content.

It becomes a performance channel.

Interested in learning more about how creative-led media can help your brand? You can fill out this short form to get in touch or email Missy.Tiller@shespeaks.com directly.