--- title: "Retail Media: The New Tax on CPG Brands?" description: CPG brands must move beyond treating RMNs as a tax and leverage them for total commerce growth. Learn to align RMN spend with real performance outcomes. image: https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Retail%20Media%20The%20New%20Tax%20on%20CPG%20Brands%3FRetailers%20have%20built%20an%2080B%20tollbooth%2c%20and%20brands%20are%20paying%20up.jpeg --- [![Public Label Agency](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/hubfs/PublicLabelAgency_November2024/images/PL-logo.svg "Public Label Agency")](https://www.publiclabelagency.com/) # Retail Media: The New Tax on CPG Brands? - Home - [Public Label Blog](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label) - Retail Media: The New Tax on CPG Brands? [ Morgan McAlenney ](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/author/morgan-mcalenney) 02/20/2025 [ Shopper](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/shopper), [ Digital Shelf](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/digital-shelf), [ Retail Media](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/retail-media) [0 Comments ](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/retail-media-the-new-tax-on-cpg-brands#postComment) 1 Minutes Retailers have built an $80B tollbooth, and brands are paying up. Retail Media Networks (RMNs) promise precision targeting, but if all you're doing is shifting trade dollars into digital ads, you’re just funding retailer margin, not brand growth. The real winners are brands that connect RMN investment to total commerce outcomes, not just ROAS. The tax isn’t going away—but smart brands will make retailers work for it.   A recent article from Forbes titled "Retail Media's Next Challenge: Proving Real Results" discusses the rapid growth of Retail Media Networks (RMNs) and highlights the increasing pressure on retailers to demonstrate tangible returns on ad spend (ROAS) for brands. As advertisers consolidate their spending with fewer RMNs, they demand more transparency and measurable outcomes, emphasizing the need for investments that connect to total commerce results rather than merely shifting trade dollars into digital ads. [forbes.com](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kirimasters/2025/02/07/retail-medias-next-challenge-proving-real-results/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)   Additionally, an article from CustomerThink titled "Retail Media and CPGs: How do Brands Optimize Investments?" explores the challenges CPG brands face with the proliferation of RMNs. The article emphasizes the necessity for brands to elevate discussions about fund allocation to maximize returns and sustain mutually profitable relationships with retail partners, rather than simply increasing spending without strategic alignment. [customerthink.com](https://customerthink.com/retail-media-and-cpgs-how-do-brands-optimize-investments/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)   These insights underscore the imperative for brands to move beyond treating RMNs as a mere "tax" and instead strategically integrate their investments to drive overall commerce outcomes. --- #### Tag: [ Shopper](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/shopper) [ Digital Shelf](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/digital-shelf) [ Retail Media](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/retail-media) #### Share: - [Follow us on Facebook ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/retail-media-the-new-tax-on-cpg-brands) - [Follow us on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/retail-media-the-new-tax-on-cpg-brands&text=Retail%20Media:%20The%20New%20Tax%20on%20CPG%20Brands) - [Follow us on Linkedin ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/retail-media-the-new-tax-on-cpg-brands) - [Follow us on Pinterest ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/retail-media-the-new-tax-on-cpg-brands&text=Retail%20Media:%20The%20New%20Tax%20on%20CPG%20Brands?description=Retailers%20have%20built%20an%20$80B%20tollbooth,%20and%20brands%20are%20paying%20up.%20Retail%20Media%20Networks%20(RMNs)%20promise%20precision%20targeting,%20but%20if%20all%20you're%20doing%20is%20shifting[...]&media=https://9368802.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/9368802/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Retail%20Media%20The%20New%20Tax%20on%20CPG%20Brands%3FRetailers%20have%20built%20an%2080B%20tollbooth%2c%20and%20brands%20are%20paying%20up.jpeg) --- [ #### The Shopper Marketing Playbook is Dead. Long Live Commerce! ##### Previous Post ](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/the-shopper-marketing-playbook-is-dead.-long-live-commerce) [#### The Digital Shelf is Brutal. Here's How to Win. ##### Next Post ](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/the-digital-shelf-is-brutal.-heres-how-to-win) ### Leave a Reply --- ## Related Posts [ Retail Media](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/retail-media) [ Morgan McAlenney ](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/author/morgan-mcalenney) 11 September, 2025 #### [Merchants Still Move the Market](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/merchants-still-move-the-market) Don't Ignore the Store Floor for RMN Reactivity The looming Retail Media quandary: if the retail... [Read More](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/merchants-still-move-the-market) [ Commerce](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/commerce), [ Shopper](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/shopper), [ Digital Shelf](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/digital-shelf), [ Retail Media](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/retail-media), [ Merchandising](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/merchandising), [ Purchase funnel](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/purchase-funnel), [ Playbook](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/playbook), [ Agency](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/agency), [ Brand](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/brand), [ Promotion](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/promotion), [ Amazon](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/amazon), [ TikTok](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/tiktok), [ Prime Day](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/prime-day), [ Influencer](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/influencer) [ Morgan McAlenney ](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/author/morgan-mcalenney) 11 July, 2025 #### [Prime Learnings](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/prime-learnings) Prime Day Is Dead. Long Live Prime Week. What used to be a one or two-day dopamine drip of Amazon... [Read More](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/prime-learnings) [ Retail Media](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/retail-media), [ ROAS](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/tag/roas) [ McCord Chapman ](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/author/mccord-chapman) 21 February, 2025 #### [Commerce ROAS Myths](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/commerce-roas-myths) 7 Common Commerce ROAS Myths [Read More](https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/commerce-roas-myths) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Morgan McAlenney", "url" : "https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/author/morgan-mcalenney" }, "dateModified" : "2025-02-20T22:20:03.829Z", "datePublished" : "2025-02-20T19:04:01.000Z", "headline" : "Retail Media: The New Tax on CPG Brands?", "image" : [ "https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Retail%20Media%20The%20New%20Tax%20on%20CPG%20Brands%3FRetailers%20have%20built%20an%2080B%20tollbooth%2c%20and%20brands%20are%20paying%20up.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/public-label/retail-media-the-new-tax-on-cpg-brands", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.publiclabelagency.com/hubfs/PL-Flag-Logo-BLACK-version.png" }, "name" : "Meet the People" } } ```