Loblaw Advance^TM leader recognized at Retail Media Awards

Ray Balberman, Director of Client Strategy at Loblaw Advance^TM, has been honoured by the Path to Purchase Institute (P2PI) as a recipient of a Retail Media Award at the inaugural ceremony in Chicago.

The accolade acknowledges innovative leaders who are successfully leveraging retail media in digital and omnichannel campaigns and making impactful change in their organization and the industry.

“It’s a privilege to be recognized by my peers as someone helping to shape the future of the retail media industry,” says Balberman. “This award is a vote of confidence for our team’s strategy, our investments in technology and our products.”

Balberman has an impressive track record of running campaigns that help clients achieve business objectives as well as developing new products and partnerships that create impactful solutions for clients.

"Being recognized by a US industry publication puts us alongside a group of top global peers in the retail media industry," says Balberman.

He shared the stage with leaders from some of the world’s biggest performing retail, CPG and technology companies, "This award recognizes that Loblaw Advance is truly a leader in the space, not just in Canada, but globally."

Balberman is seen as a thought leader and subject matter expert in retail media: He’s taught in Humber College’s post-graduate Advertising Media Management program in Toronto and sits on the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada's Retail Media Committee. He provided strong input in the association’s 2023 Retail Media Guide, a publication that helps marketers navigate the growing retail media industry. Balberman continues to leverage his knowledge to provide strategic guidelines and audience targeting recommendations in order to bring relevant and useful products to clients.

"The most rewarding part is getting the vote of confidence that my contributions are helping to shape a strong company culture," says Balberman.

As a leader, he believes it’s important to value work-life balance and support the professional growth of all team members. (He is known around the office for lending books from his library on consumer behaviour.)

The awards ceremony took place during P2PI’s Retail Media Summit at the historic Palmer House Hotel in June. Winners were profiled in the July-August 2023 issue of P2PI Magazine. View the full list of award recipients.