DoorDash Ads Head: CMO Will Become a More Influential Role

DoorDash recently announced a massive expansion of its commerce media business, introducing new ad formats, measurement capabilities in partnership with LiveRamp, and off-platform media tools to help brands reach target audiences along the consumer decision journey. Toby Espinosa, Vice President of DoorDash Ads, told The Drum that the core of these advancements is not the media itself, but empowering CMOs.

“From a measurement perspective, as the funnel narrows, CMOs will only become more influential because now when they speak, they have the data,” Espinosa said. He believes commerce media—and the growing first-party transaction data behind it—is changing how marketers prove return on investment.

From Data Desert to Growth Engine

For years, marketers have struggled to accurately demonstrate how their investments translate into business growth. DoorDash’s new partnership with LiveRamp allows advertisers to match their own customer data with DoorDash audiences in a privacy-safe environment, helping brands understand whether campaigns are truly reaching new customers rather than just converting existing ones.

Meanwhile, DoorDash is expanding off-platform media capabilities through Symbiosys, enabling advertisers to activate audiences beyond DoorDash across channels such as social, search, and display. Since its acquisition in 2025, media spend through the platform has nearly doubled.

The new immersive homepage ad format, Spotlight, is designed to help brands make an impact early in the consumer decision process, reportedly achieving click-through rates twice that of banner ads.

Riding the Wave of Change

Espinosa reflected on the parallels between DoorDash’s early days and today’s AI-driven transformation: “We were surfers on the mobile revolution. AI is another giant wave, and we are learning.” While technology continues to evolve, he believes the core customer problems remain the same: local merchants want to grow, couriers need income, and consumers need help.

The Evolving Commerce Media Platform

Currently, the combined ecosystem of DoorDash, Wolt, and Deliveroo supports over 400,000 advertisers globally. Espinosa noted that commerce media not only converts demand but also influences it. He pointed out that consumers’ daily impulse purchases often turn into delightful scenarios, which are far more valuable to advertisers than a single transaction.

Commerce Media Becomes a CMO Issue

In the past, commerce media budgets were often managed by e-commerce teams or performance marketing departments. Espinosa noted that this is changing. “We still primarily work with e-commerce teams, but we are starting to think about how to collaborate with CMOs.” The new tools are examples of showcasing the value of commerce media to CMOs, as they are familiar with platforms like LiveRamp or Epsilon.He describes himself as "the biggest advocate of marketing in the C-suite" and believes that growth will become even more critical for businesses over the next decade. Commerce media has expanded from conversion to customer acquisition, brand building, and audience insights, attracting higher-level marketing leaders.

Solving the Purchase Paradox

As commerce media spans owned inventory, retail media networks, social platforms, and programmatic channels, marketers face fragmentation challenges. Espinosa hopes to "make buying simple," which is one of the driving forces behind the new launch. He predicts: "In the next 12 to 18 months, we will evolve to a stage that completely changes measurement and measurement science within organizations."

If this vision comes true, commerce media will fundamentally change how marketing leaders prove their value.