Catalyst Media Consulting
Catalyst Media Consulting is a privately held boutique consultancy that advises enterprise retailers, CPG brands, and adtech companies on retail media network strategy, data monetization, and clean room implementation, staffed by a collective of former senior executives from Target, Best Buy, 7-Eleven, and Merkle.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersOwatonna, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Catalyst Media Consulting does
Catalyst Media Consulting is a privately held boutique consultancy founded in 2022 by Michelle Dooley and headquartered in Owatonna, Minnesota. The firm operates as a collective of former senior retail media and adtech executives, including principals and advisors with prior tenure at Target (Roundel), Best Buy, 7-Eleven, Merkle, Meta, and LiveRamp, who collectively have built or scaled retail media businesses generating over $1.5 billion in ad revenue.
The company's core offerings are three professional service lines plus an add-on: (1) the Retail Media Workshop, a facilitated virtual or in-person training using the proprietary Retail Media Playbook and including optional opportunity assessment; (2) the Data Monetization Assessment, which audits data, products, and strategy to produce P&L development and a path-to-revenue plan; (3) Retail Media Acceleration, an advisory engagement covering financial modeling, organizational design, operational excellence, and differentiation strategies for clients scaling from pre-revenue through $500M+; and (4) Career Coaching, an individual professional development service. Underlying the engagements are proprietary methodologies including the Retail Media Playbook, a Data Monetization Assessment framework, and a three-model revenue sizing architecture (1% of Total Revenue Model, ARPU Model, Operating Margin Model).
The business model is professional services with quote-based, custom-scoped engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market combines direct email outreach for free consultations, a content-led top-of-funnel via the company's blog and LinkedIn presence, a strategic content partnership with Snowflake, and the MN Retail Media Meetup community initiative. Customers are enterprise retailers and CPG brands, with named references including Target/Roundel, Best Buy, 7-Eleven, Hershey's, Masterfoods, Mondelez, and Kellogg's. The firm is privately held, founder-controlled, with 1-10 employees and no disclosed external funding.
Catalyst Media Consulting firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Catalyst Media Consulting
- Legal name
- Catalyst Media Consulting
- Website
- https://catalystmediaconsulting.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Catalyst Media Consulting is a privately held boutique consultancy that advises enterprise retailers, CPG brands, and adtech companies on retail media network strategy, data monetization, and clean room implementation, staffed by a collective of former senior executives from Target, Best Buy, 7-Eleven, and Merkle.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Catalyst Media Consulting industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail Media Consulting
- NAICS
- Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Brand & Portfolio Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAB), Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB)
Keywords
Where Catalyst Media Consulting is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Owatonna
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Catalyst Media Consulting business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Retail Media Workshop: Virtual or in-person facilitated workshop providing deep dive into Retail Media inner-workings. Content customized to learning objectives and includes the Retail Media Playbook, proprietary insights, key personas, critical stakeholders, and guided Opportunity Assessment.
- Data Monetization Assessment: Deep dive into business to assess current Retail Media opportunity including discovery and data audits, business strategy recommendations, persona development, P&L development, and path to revenue.
- Retail Media Acceleration Advisory: Advisory services for scaled revenue and profit growth, from pre-revenue to $10 million to $500 million in revenue and beyond. Includes financial modeling, organizational design, operational excellence, and differentiation strategies.
- Career Coaching: Private coaching services for professionals navigating career challenges including negotiations, career transitions, and entrepreneurship.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Catalyst Media Consulting product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Catalyst Media Consulting is a boutique consultancy that delivers Retail Media and AdTech advisory services to retailers, brands, and technology companies. The firm offers three core service lines: Retail Media Workshops (facilitated training), Data Monetization Assessments (strategic analysis and business planning), and Retail Media Acceleration (ongoing advisory for revenue scaling), plus an add-on Career Coaching service. Engagements are delivered by a collective of former retail media executives who provide in-house, real-world expertise to clients building or scaling commerce media networks.
Product overview
Catalyst Media Consulting is a boutique retail media consultancy offering a portfolio of consulting services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include three main service lines: the Retail Media Workshop (customized training and opportunity assessment), the Data Monetization Assessment (strategic analysis and business planning), and Retail Media Acceleration (advisory services for revenue growth). An additional add-on service is Career Coaching for individual professional development. These services are delivered by a collective of former Retail Media and AdTech executives who provide in-house expertise to clients building or scaling retail media networks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Retail Media Workshop Virtual or in-person facilitated workshop providing a deep dive into the inner-workings of Retail Media. Content is customized to learning objectives and includes the Retail Media Playbook, proprietary insights into Retail Media priorities and scale, key personas, critical stakeholders, and an optional guided Opportunity Assessment to define the client's unique value proposition and market opportunity. Targeted at enterprises building or scaling retail media networks.
- Data Monetization Assessment A deep dive into a client's business to assess its current Retail Media opportunity, evaluating data and products to define an achievable market value with requirements for success. Deliverables include discovery and data audits, business strategy recommendations, persona development, P&L development, and a path to revenue. Built for companies at any stage, from pre-revenue to scaling.
- Retail Media Acceleration Advisory engagement for scaled revenue and profit growth, covering the journey from pre-revenue to $10 million to $500 million and beyond. Includes financial modeling, organizational design, operational excellence, and differentiation strategies. Delivered as ad-hoc expertise or tailored projects for retailers and brands building retail media businesses.
- Career Coaching Private coaching services focused on career advancement, negotiation, career transitions, and entrepreneurship. Helps individual professionals in the retail media and adtech space reclaim their value and build careers from a place of authenticity.
Quantifiable outcome
- Revenue scaling from $160M to $1.6B achieved for Target Roundel
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Catalyst Media Consulting
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Catalyst Media Consulting technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Catalyst Media Consulting partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SnowflakecoreCo-authored content series with Snowflake on monetizing data clean rooms. The partnership produced 'The Official Guidebook for Monetizing Data Clean Rooms' published on Snowflake's blog, positioning Catalyst Media as thought leaders in the retail media clean room space.
- MN Retail Media MeetupminorCo-founded by Chelsea Mohs, Catalyst Media Principal, as a community initiative to foster industry collaboration and innovation in retail media.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Catalyst Media Consulting competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wpromote: Wpromote is a digital marketing agency with significant retail media and commerce media capabilities serving CPG and retail clients. Comparable to Catalyst in its blend of media strategy and activation services, with broader channel coverage.
- The Mars Agency: The Mars Agency is a commerce marketing agency focused on retail media, shopper marketing, and CPG/retailer connections. Comparable to Catalyst given shared emphasis on retailer-CPG monetization models and CPG client base.
- Flywheel (Omnicom): Flywheel is a global retail and commerce media agency within Omnicom that plans, buys, and optimizes retail media for brands and retailers. It directly overlaps Catalyst's retail media acceleration and data monetization offerings, with greater scale and agency backing.
- Tinuiti: Tinuiti is a performance marketing agency with one of the largest dedicated retail media practices in the US. Directly comparable in advisory + managed services around Amazon, Walmart, and Target retail media networks.
Emerging players
- Kepler Group: Kepler Group is a data-driven marketing consultancy focused on digital media, analytics, and customer experience for retail and consumer brands. Comparable in offering consulting and activation services for retail media buyers and sellers.
- Curalate: Curalate focuses on commerce and social media marketing technology for retailers and brands. Adjacent to Catalyst's retail media and data monetization services, with a stronger technology product orientation.
Broad incumbents
- GroupM Nexus: GroupM Nexus is WPP's global media services group with retail media and commerce media capabilities. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering retail media planning, activation, and measurement at enterprise scale.
- Accenture Strategy: Accenture Strategy operates a major retail and consumer goods practice that includes commerce media network advisory. Comparable to Catalyst on enterprise retail media strategy engagements but with vastly greater bench and geographic reach.
- Merkle: Merkle (Dentsu) is a data-driven customer experience agency with deep CPG and retail media expertise; Chelsea Mohs is a former Merkle executive. Comparable in retail media data strategy and CRM/loyalty work, though at significantly larger scale.
- Publicis Sapient: Publicis Sapient is a large digital transformation consultancy with retail and commerce media advisory practices serving Fortune 500 retailers. Comparable as a much larger alternative for retailers seeking retail media strategy and platform builds.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Customer concentration
Catalyst Media Consulting social profiles
Digital presenceCatalyst Media Consulting financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Catalyst Media Consulting leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Catalyst Media Consulting subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Catalyst Media Consulting funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Catalyst Media Consulting M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Catalyst Media Consulting
What does Catalyst Media Consulting do?
Catalyst Media Consulting is a boutique consultancy that delivers Retail Media and AdTech advisory services to retailers, brands, and technology companies. The firm offers three core service lines: Retail Media Workshops (facilitated training), Data Monetization Assessments (strategic analysis and business planning), and Retail Media Acceleration (ongoing advisory for revenue scaling), plus an add-on Career Coaching service. Engagements are delivered by a collective of former retail media executives who provide in-house, real-world expertise to clients building or scaling commerce media networks.
Is Catalyst Media Consulting a public or private company?
Catalyst Media Consulting is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Catalyst Media Consulting founded?
Catalyst Media Consulting was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Catalyst Media Consulting based?
Catalyst Media Consulting is headquartered in Owatonna, United States, in the North America region.
How does Catalyst Media Consulting make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Media Workshop is the primary driver. The others are data Monetization Assessment, retail Media Acceleration Advisory and career Coaching.
Who are Catalyst Media Consulting's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wpromote, The Mars Agency, Flywheel (Omnicom) and Tinuiti. Emerging players are Kepler Group and Curalate. Broad incumbents are GroupM Nexus, Accenture Strategy, Merkle and Publicis Sapient.
Does Catalyst Media Consulting have an API?
No public API is recorded for Catalyst Media Consulting.
What industry is Catalyst Media Consulting in?
Catalyst Media Consulting's product category is Retail Media Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAA, Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting, with a secondary code of MPAAAFAB, Brand & Portfolio Strategy Consulting. Its NAICS code is 541613 and its SIC code is 8742.