Marketing Briefing: Marketers push for more flexible retail media deals amidst economic uncertainty

April 1, 2025 by Kimeko McCoy for DIGIDAY

As if the retail media boom isn’t under enough scrutiny, new tariffs and talk of a potential economic recession have sparked more questions about the negotiation process that is known as joint business planning (JBP).

Already, some advertisers have started to walk away from the negotiation table with retailers, citing concerns over transparency, standardization and measurement. Now, as economic headwinds threaten consumer spending, and in turn marketing budgets, agency execs say brand clients are more hesitant than ever to sign JBP commitments.

“If I was a brand, I’d be cautious about signing anything this year unless there’s extreme outs and all this stuff,” said Boris Litvinov, president at ad agency Left Off Madison. “I wouldn’t be putting all my money into any basket — not only retail media, but JBPs in general.”

Overall, agency execs say it’s rare that brand clients upend their retail media commitments over economic concerns, which have ebbed and flowed over the last few years. However, expect…

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