Head of Target’s media business to leave

The face of Target’s media business is leaving the company at a time when competitors are ramping up their own offerings. Kristi Argyilan, president of Roundel, will depart the Minneapolis-based chain on Oct. 30. Target is conducting an external search for her replacement, a spokeswoman says. With the company since 2014, Argyilan led the rebranding effort last year from Target Media Network to Roundel. She also helped grow a partnership with Disney that included providing Target sales data to advertisers on Disney channels. The Target spokeswoman said that Argyilan’s departure is not related to Roundel’s performance. “In fact, we’re incredibly pleased with the growth we’ve seen within our media business, and look forward to continuing to innovate in this space,” she said. Yet many marketers are looking to leverage their own customer data into an offering for advertisers by building their own media networks. While Target may have an advantage, having begun building its network more than four years ago, it’s no longer alone. In August, CVS debuted CVS Media Exchange, its own media network for advertisers. Chief Marketing Officer Norman de Greve recently told Ad Age that CVS is seeing a “tremendous amount of interest” from brands. Best Buy and TripAdvisor also have their own networks, and Forrester has predicted retailer media businesses as a top trend. Earlier this month, Ad Age published a pitch deck to advertisers from Walmart Media Group. The deck highlights the effectiveness of “purchase-based” data over other targeting. News of Argyilan’s departure was first reported by Business Insider.

Head of Target’s media business to leave

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