FIFA 2026: HOW THIS YEAR’S ADS CELEBRATE FANS WITH HUMOUR, SELF-DEPRECATION AND FOOTBALL PATHOS

7. 7. 2026 | 5 min read For brands in the advertising industry, the Football World Cup has often been a celebration of successes or individual star players. The MAM editorial team has selected six striking adverts that show this trend is changing. The focus is now shifting to the fans – through humour, irony, pathos and fan rituals.

AI ADS ARE GOOD ENOUGH — AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM

6. 7. 2026 | 15 min read AI can now produce credible, efficient ads, but human-created ads still drive better business outcomes — for now.

TROJAN, ČERMÁK, KOTEK AND MORE: CZECH ACTORS BRING CHARISMA, HUMOUR AND AUTHORITY TO TELEVISION ADVERTISING

2. 7. 2026 | 8 min read Celebrities are a powerful draw in advertising, and actors are particularly effective. Which actors are favourites with brands, and which of their adverts have proved the most successful?

THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE FILM VELKÝ VLASTNECKÝ VÝLET WON SILVER AT THE CANNES LIONS

2. 7. 2026 | 3 min read The only Czech campaign awarded at this year’s Cannes Lions festival was the communication campaign for the documentary film Velký vlastenecký výlet. The project, produced by Punk Film with support from the creative workshop Fun House, the Leo Prague agency and other teams from Publicis Groupe, won a Silver Lion.

THE EFFIE AWARDS KICK OFF, ADD A NEW CATEGORY FOR B2B AND REVISE THE RULES FOR DIGITAL ENTRIES

30. 6. 2026 | 3 min read The Effie Awards Czech Republic, a competition recognising effective marketing communication, is entering its 29th year. This year, the Association of Communication Agencies (AKA) is introducing a new category for B2B products and services, whilst also refining the criteria for evaluating digital campaigns.

CANNES LIONS WRAP-UP: PART TWO – FROM EFFECTIVENESS TO GROWTH, FROM VOLUME TO TRUST

28. 6. 2026 | 13 min read Another part of the overall round-up of the Cannes Lions festival was a panel discussion featuring the heads of content from three platforms: Lions, Contagious and WARC. They took their seats at a table on stage to review the main themes of the past week.

CANNES LIONS WRAP-UP: PART ONE – THE WORLD OF AI AND PEOPLE

28. 6. 2026 | 7 min read AI was one of the main themes at Cannes Lions, but the tone of the debate has shifted. Naive enthusiasm and even irrational fears about the loss of human creativity have given way to more practical and profound topics.

AN IMMERSIVE CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS COLLABORATION FOR SKIN-CARE BRANDS WITH SENSITIVE STORIES TO TELL

26. 6. 2026 LA FACTORY, the creative studio of CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS, produced “Marquer l’Invisible” (roughly, “Making the Invisible Visible”) as an immersive documentary-style piece for the skincare brand Avène.

A TEST OF THE STRENGTH OF CZECH BRANDS: HOW DO THEY FAREWELL WITHOUT A NAME OR LOGO?

25. 6. 2026 | 4 min read A test of the visual identity of six selected brands from various categories, in which the logos were not shown, revealed that more than half of the respondents were unable to recognise any of the brands. The ResSolution Group and Media Age agencies investigated how the brands fared in the test.

FIVE MARKETING TRUTHS: RITSON AND SHARP REACHED A CONSENSUS IN CANNES

23. 6. 2026 | 9 min read Mark Ritson and Byron Sharp are among the most prominent and most frequently cited figures in contemporary marketing. At the Cannes Lions festival, their rare joint appearance was based on a simple premise: given that they are known for frequently competing against one another, are there any issues on which they can actually agree?

STUDY: YOUNGER VIEWERS MORE DISTRACTED BUT MORE RECEPTIVE TO ADS

22. 6. 2026 | 5 min read A new study finds the long-term rise in ad acceptance continues, with ad intolerance falling to a record low across all age groups, and that viewers are supportive of AI tools if they are used to improve discoverability and the viewing experience.

STUDY USA: PROGRAMMATIC CTV PAUSE ADS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN TRADITIONAL SPOTS

18. 6. 2026 | 2 min read WunderKIND Ads has released a new study analyzing the impact of Pause Ads compared with traditional CTV spots that show Pause Ads delivered nearly two times higher attention than standard 60-second CTV ads.

TOY STORY 5 HEADS TO CINEMAS — AND ITS HEROES ARE BACK AS ADVERTISING STARS

18. 6. 2026 | 9 min read Woody, Buzz and their friends are returning to cinema screens — and with them comes an army of brands eager to harness the power of one of the world’s best-known animated franchises. The release of Toy Story 5 is accompanied by advertising spots, limited-edition products, competitions and experiential events that connect the film world with customers’ everyday lives.

COMMUNICATION SUMMIT: ADVERTISING IS THREATENED BY CREATIVE LAZINESS; WE MUST NOT GIVE UP ON THINKING

15. 6. 2026 | 8 min read Generative AI tools speed up content creation and save time, but there is a risk that they will lead to uniformity in output and a decline in critical thinking. At this year’s Communication Summit, there was a discussion on how to use AI as an assistant, rather than as an autopilot for marketing communications.

FIFA WORLD CUP: VIEWERS REMEMBER MORE THAN JUST THE GOALS. LINKING UP WITH ADVERTISING PAYS OFF FOR BRANDS!

12. 6. 2026 | 10 min read Gooaaal! From the windows of homes comes a chorus of cheers, sweeping through the city like a roaring wave. Everyday life stops for a few seconds. At that moment, football is not just a game, but a shared ritual full of tension, emotion and moments that viewers remember long after the final whistle. And advertising enters this incredible atmosphere — not as an ordinary break between events on the pitch, but as part of an experience that can connect a brand with joy, victory and fan passion.

WHEN A SMALL BRAND REACHES HALF THE NATION: WHAT DID THE TEST OF THREE CAMPAIGNS FROM THE ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS REVEAL?

10. 6. 2026 | 8 min read The research agency Behavio tested three ad campaigns that ran during the 2026 World Cup to find out what viewers actually took away from the adverts.

THE WORLD CUP WILL CAPTURE YOUNGER CONSUMERS’ ATTENTION AND BUDGETS

8. 6. 2026 | 3 min read Many companies are betting on the World Cup to capture consumers’ attention, build awareness, and drive spending.

AN AD THAT WAITS UNTIL YOU TAKE A BREAK. PAUSE ADS TURN VIEWING BREAKS INTO A NEW ADVERTISING SPACE

4. 6. 2026 | 12 min read Streaming platforms and online TV services are looking for ways to monetise advertising without making the viewing experience unpleasant for audiences. One of the solutions is pause ads: advertisements that do not interrupt the action itself but appear only when the viewer pauses playback. At first glance, this unobtrusive format neatly illustrates where the entire advertising business is heading: towards greater interactivity, contextual relevance, and the search for a fine line between relevance and overload.