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Criteo partners with dentsu for global commerce media expansion

Criteo and dentsu announce comprehensive partnership integrating AI-powered commerce platforms for enhanced campaign performance and audience targeting.

Luis Rijo

• 5 min read

Criteo and dentsu announced a global partnership today that positions the advertising technology company's complete Commerce Media Platform stack within one of the world's largest marketing agency networks for the first time. The collaboration, disclosed through Criteo's investor relations channel, represents a significant expansion of commerce media capabilities across dentsu's global client portfolio.

The partnership integrates Criteo's AI-enhanced commerce solutions with dentsu's existing media infrastructure, creating what both companies describe as a transformational approach to performance marketing. According to Criteo's announcement, "Criteo (Nasdaq: CRTO), the global platform connecting the commerce ecosystem, today announced plans for an expanded global partnership with dentsu, a leading global marketing and advertising agency network, that will create more effective commerce and performance media campaigns for dentsu's clients."

The agreement marks the first deployment of Criteo's complete Commerce Media Platform stack by a major holding company. This comprehensive integration encompasses Criteo's audience targeting capabilities, programmatic buying tools, measurement frameworks, and consultancy services. The technical architecture combines two distinct data assets: dentsu.Audiences, the agency's global data and identity solution, with Criteo's Commerce Audiences, built from what the company describes as the world's largest open commerce dataset.

According to the partnership details, "The companies are combining dentsu.Audiences, dentsu's global data and identity solution, with Criteo's Commerce Audiences, which are built from the world's largest open commerce dataset, to create a unique and powerful offering that can be activated across Criteo's demand platforms."

The technical integration enables cross-platform audience activation across Criteo's demand-side platforms. This consolidation addresses the fragmentation challenges that have historically complicated retail media network management for advertisers operating across multiple commerce environments.

The partnership occurs amid significant structural changes in the advertising technology sector. Criteo currently operates 225 retail media programs for major retailers including Target, JCPenney, and Walgreens. The company's retail media segment generated $90 million in contribution ex-TAC during the fourth quarter of 2024, representing 23% growth at constant currency.

Clive Record, President Partnerships and Solutions of dentsu, stated: "We want our clients to grow in the Algorithmic Era, and the integration of Criteo's commerce SKU signals and product intelligence will help power our range of Next Gen media solutions." The statement references dentsu's strategic focus on AI-powered advertising solutions as traditional cookie-based targeting approaches face increasing restrictions.

The collaboration addresses persistent challenges in retail media network management. Industry analysts have noted that fragmentation across multiple retail media platforms creates operational inefficiencies for advertisers. This partnership aims to provide standardized workflows and measurement capabilities across diverse commerce environments.

Criteo reported revenue of $553 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, with contribution ex-TAC reaching $334 million. The company's retail media segment demonstrated particular strength, growing 23% at constant currency to reach $90 million in contribution ex-TAC for the quarter. These figures exceed analyst expectations of $328.8 million for contribution ex-TAC.

The partnership development coincides with leadership changes at Criteo. Michael Komasinski, formerly CEO of the Americas and President of Global Data & Technology at dentsu, was appointed as Criteo's new Chief Executive Officer in February 2025. This executive transition creates operational continuity between the two organizations.

Brian Gleason, Chief Revenue Officer and President of Retail Media at Criteo, noted: "We're thrilled to partner with dentsu and provide a holistic set of solutions that will propel commerce media momentum for its clients."

The partnership positions both companies to address the growing demand for commerce-specific advertising solutions. Retail media spending has demonstrated consistent growth as brands seek alternatives to traditional digital advertising channels. The collaboration enables dentsu's client portfolio to access Criteo's commerce data signals and AI-powered optimization capabilities.

The integration addresses specific technical challenges in commerce media campaign management. Traditional display advertising platforms often lack the product-level intelligence required for effective commerce campaigns. Criteo's platform provides SKU-level data and product intelligence that enables more precise audience targeting and campaign optimization.

The partnership implementation involves multiple technical components. Dentsu will leverage Criteo's Commerce Media Platform across various advertising formats and channels. The integration includes both demand-side and supply-side capabilities, enabling comprehensive campaign management across the commerce ecosystem.

The collaboration extends beyond technology integration to include strategic consultancy services. Criteo's expertise in commerce media campaign optimization complements dentsu's client relationship management and media planning capabilities. This combination aims to deliver improved return on advertising spend for brands operating in competitive commerce environments.

The partnership reflects broader consolidation trends within the advertising technology sector. Major holding companies are increasingly seeking comprehensive technology platforms rather than managing multiple point solutions. This approach reduces operational complexity while potentially improving campaign performance through unified data and optimization capabilities.

The collaboration addresses specific challenges faced by marketing professionals managing commerce media campaigns. Fragmented measurement systems across multiple retail media networks have created attribution and optimization difficulties. The unified platform approach aims to provide consistent metrics and optimization capabilities across diverse commerce environments.

Marketing teams operating multi-retailer campaigns may benefit from standardized reporting and campaign management workflows. The integration of dentsu's client relationships with Criteo's technical capabilities could reduce the operational overhead associated with commerce media campaign management.

The partnership also reflects the growing importance of AI-powered optimization in commerce advertising. Traditional media planning approaches often lack the real-time responsiveness required for effective commerce campaigns. The integrated platform combines human strategic expertise with automated optimization capabilities.

The partnership's technical foundation relies on the integration of distinct data assets. Criteo's Commerce Audiences leverage transaction data from its retail media network, while dentsu.Audiences incorporates broader consumer behavior signals. This combination enables more comprehensive audience modeling and targeting capabilities.

The platform architecture supports cross-channel campaign activation. Advertisers can execute campaigns across owned media properties, retail media networks, and programmatic advertising channels through unified interfaces. This consolidation reduces the technical complexity associated with managing commerce media campaigns across multiple platforms.

The announcement coincides with increased industry focus on commerce media capabilities. Traditional digital advertising metrics often fail to capture the direct sales impact of advertising investments. Commerce media platforms provide more direct attribution between advertising exposure and purchase behavior.

The partnership development occurs as privacy regulations continue to reshape digital advertising practices. Third-party cookie deprecation has increased demand for first-party data solutions. Commerce media platforms, which rely on transaction data rather than browsing behavior, offer alternative approaches to audience targeting and measurement.

The collaboration may influence competitive dynamics within the advertising technology sector. Other major holding companies may pursue similar comprehensive platform partnerships rather than managing multiple vendor relationships. This trend could accelerate consolidation within the commerce media technology space.

The partnership's success could demonstrate the viability of integrated commerce media approaches. Marketing professionals may increasingly favor platforms that combine data assets, technology capabilities, and strategic expertise rather than assembling solutions from multiple vendors.

The collaboration addresses fundamental challenges in commerce media campaign management while positioning both organizations for continued growth in the expanding retail media sector. The integration of AI-powered optimization with comprehensive data assets represents a significant development in advertising technology capabilities.

Timeline

June 13, 2025: Criteo and dentsu announce global commerce media partnership, marking first deployment of complete Commerce Media Platform stack by major holding company.

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