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

Testing 20 ads with 3,000 U.S. consumers, Ipsos found that AI-generated spots were often credible enough to blend into real media environments but still lagged human-created work on emotional engagement and business outcomes. The study controlled for strategy by reverse-engineering original briefs and producing fully AI-made counterparts, isolating creative execution as the key variable. For brands and agencies, the takeaway is clear: AI can improve production efficiency, but "good enough" creative may weaken the audience connection that drives effectiveness.

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

Cannes Lions Wrap-Up Live highlighted a core industry tension: marketers are using AI more for efficiency than for creative effectiveness or growth, with CEO Forum responses at 57% for efficiency versus 43% for growth and Contagious/WFA research showing only around a third use AI for creative effectiveness. Panelists argued that AI does not replace marketing fundamentals, warning that better briefs and stronger creative judgment still depend on mastering the basics. Another major takeaway was the "two-audience problem": brands now need content that works for both people and the models, agents, and systems that interpret information on their behalf. For media and brand leaders, the implication is clear: machine-readable consistency, not reach alone, is becoming critical to trust, resonance, and long-term brand impact.

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

At Cannes Lions, the AI debate moved beyond hype and fear toward a more practical question: where human creativity, judgment and experience end, and where machines can add the most value. Speakers and juries highlighted both sides of that divide, from Apple TV Rebrand winning Design Lions Grand Prix with hand-made physical craft to Google’s Project Genie taking the Digital Craft Lions Grand Prix for AI-enabled worldbuilding from text prompts. For marketers, the clearest business takeaway was AI’s role in scaling production and speed, as P&G reported major gains in social asset output, even as industry leaders warned that more automation could also mean more waste and communication clutter.

COMPANIES ARE SPENDING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS ON MARKETING, BUT THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS FALLING

Marketing budgets are edging up while returns are falling, leaving online shops paying more to sustain the same turnover as digital advertising costs rise and competition intensifies. The core problem is no longer a lack of data but too much conflicting platform data, which pushes teams toward "safer" channels and can mask the real drivers of customer acquisition. Roivenue identifies three recurring mistakes: no single source of truth, adding channels before fully understanding existing ones, and measuring conversions or turnover without linking campaigns to actual profit. AI is adding another measurement blind spot, as companies struggle to judge whether traffic from tools such as ChatGPT belongs in the marketing mix or is simply another source of costly distraction.

STUDY: YOUNGER VIEWERS MORE DISTRACTED BUT MORE RECEPTIVE TO ADS

Hub Entertainment Research’s 2026 “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction” study shows ad acceptance at a five-year high, with only one in ten viewers saying they cannot tolerate ads and just under one third willing to pay an extra $4-5 per month to avoid them. Gen Z is more distracted but also more commercially receptive: younger viewers are more likely to multitask during breaks, yet eight in ten say they keep listening to ads, and they are more willing than older audiences to trade higher ad loads for lower subscription costs. The findings also point to a clear targeting and trust opportunity for marketers, as viewers prefer more relevant TV ads, are most comfortable sharing viewing and basic demographic data, and generally trust TV services more than social platforms with personal data. AI earns support when it improves discoverability, reduces repetition, and makes ads less interruptive, but viewers are notably more skeptical about AI-generated commercials and trailers.

CME IS SET TO INTEGRATE AI INTO FILM AND ANIMATION PRODUCTION. IT IS CONSIDERING REVIVING THE ‘BRATŘI V TRIKU’ BRAND

CME plans to integrate AI into local film and animation production across smaller Central and Eastern European markets, using it to unlock projects and genres that traditional budgets would not support. The group is already testing the model in Romania, where a 1970s-set film is in production and a trailer was created in three days, signalling a faster development path for original local content. CME says its approach will remain hybrid, with AI contributing about 40 per cent of content while human creatives retain control, and it is also considering reviving the historic Bratři v triku animation brand.

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

Speakers at the Communication Summit warned that while generative AI can accelerate content production, overreliance risks uniform output, weaker critical thinking, and reduced standout value in attention-driven markets. Petra Jankovičová and Radana Čechová argued that AI should support the seven-step creative process rather than replace human responsibility for ideas, stressing that creation and creativity are not the same. WPP Media’s Boňa Samojlova and Marek Bačo added that marketers’ heavy AI use increases the risk of cognitive offloading and even "cognitive surrender," where AI becomes an autopilot instead of a helper. The business takeaway was clear: AI remains a powerful tool only when paired with human judgement, independent thinking, and a strong understanding of people’s motivations and emotions.

“IT WAS WORKING JUST LAST YEAR, SO WHERE DID IT GO WRONG?” ASKED PARTICIPANTS AT THE CONTENT FIRST CONFERENCE

At the 13th Content First conference, speakers argued that artificial intelligence is reshaping content marketing far beyond text and image generation, affecting brand strategy, community building, influencer work and SEO. Case studies from Kooperativa and Astratex showed that long-term storytelling discipline and a balance between brand and performance now matter as much as execution speed, with AI supporting localisation across 14 markets at Astratex. The key takeaway for marketers was that AI does not replace human judgement: without a clear idea, objective and data-led approach, brands risk producing low-value content instead of durable business results.

M6 UNLIMITED TESTS AI SPOT CREATION FOR SMALLER TV AND STREAMING ADVERTISERS

M6 Unlimited is testing a simpler route into TV and streaming for SMEs and new advertisers by combining lower entry budgets, a future ad manager, and support across strategy, creative production, and measurement. In a proof of concept with Waymark, it used INGA’s existing brand assets to create an AI-generated TV-ready spot, positioning ad sales teams earlier in the creative process for advertisers that do not arrive with finished video. Before any media plan was built, Toluna Insights pre-tested the ad and placed it in the top 20% for attention, brand recall, message recall, brand association, brand fit, and brand action, while also identifying weaker emotional resonance as a clear optimisation point. The case shows how AI-assisted production and testing can lower creative barriers for smaller advertisers while giving sales houses evidence to refine campaigns before wider rollout.

STUDY: AI LABELING DOES NOT HURT VIDEO AD PERFORMANCE

MediaScience found that labeling a video ad as AI-generated did not reduce performance across brand choice, ad memory, brand recognition, brand attitude, ad liking, or perceived production quality in tests with 900 U.S. respondents. The study evaluated four disclosure formats aligned with proposals under review in the U.S. and EU, as New York’s AI Transparency in Advertising law takes effect in June 2026 and the EU AI Act adds binding disclosure obligations in August 2026. Text labels increased awareness that content was AI-generated, with a first-three-seconds label lifting awareness by 28% and a full-duration label by 36%, while a visual icon was preferred by 42% of respondents but proved least effective at raising awareness.

CZECHS ARE STILL TRYING TO BUILD TRUST IN AI-POWERED ADVERTS. THEY WANT THEM TO BE TRANSPARENT

More than half of Czechs (56%) expect brands to disclose when an advert was created using AI, according to a ResSolution Group survey of 8,000 internet users aged 15+. AI-generated advertising is already reaching the mainstream, with 6 in 10 respondents saying they have encountered it in recent months, yet only 30% believe they can identify it always or in most cases. Trust remains a commercial pressure point: 40% trust AI-generated adverts less than traditional ones, while only 32% say AI use reduces their interest in a brand. Younger audiences are both more exposed to AI advertising and more demanding of transparency, suggesting clear labelling will be central to brand acceptance.

OTO KLEMPÍŘ VS. MARTIN BAXA: THE DIGIMEDIA 2026 CONFERENCE WILL FEATURE A ‘MINISTERIAL’ DEBATE ON PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA

DIGIMEDIA 2026 will open on 3 June in Prague with a debate between current Culture Minister Oto Klempíř and former minister Martin Baxa on the future funding of Czech Television and Czech Radio. The session comes as the Ministry of Culture’s draft Public Service Media Act has completed inter-ministerial consultation, drawing hundreds of comments from 30 entities including 12 ministries. The conference positions the dispute over licence fees versus state-budget funding at the centre of the Czech media market debate, with speakers from public broadcasters, commercial TV, private radio, the Senate and Finland’s YLE joining the discussion. For media and advertising leaders, the opening panel offers an early expert forum on a bill that Klempíř says could take effect on 1 January 2027, although that timetable is already being challenged.

CONSUMERS DON’T HATE AI ADS – THEY HATE BAD ADS

There’s a story I keep reading in the trades, and I want to analyze it because I don’t think it’s fully accurate. It’s the story about how consumers hate AI-generated ads. I don’t think consumers hate AI-generated ads.  I think consumers hate bad ads generated by AI, and the industry is too focused on using… Continue reading CONSUMERS DON’T HATE AI ADS – THEY HATE BAD ADS

NEM DUBROVNIK REVEALS 2026 AGENDA

NEM Dubrovnik has unveiled the full agenda for its 2026 edition, which will bring together more than 300 companies, over 200 buyers and more than 150 exhibitors. The event, taking place in Dubrovnik, will feature over 80 speakers and a market area that has grown by 50% compared with last year. This year’s programme will… Continue reading NEM DUBROVNIK REVEALS 2026 AGENDA

THE PROBLEM WITH MUCH AI-POWERED ADVERTISING IS THAT IT’S MEANINGLESS

Audiences aren’t tired of advertising. They’re tired of low-value, repetitive, over-personalized noise that constantly demands something from them – and AI is turning up the volume. Have you noticed how marketers have become masters of avoidance when talking about ad performance? When ad ROI is poor, we blame ‘ad fatigue.’ We call it a media… Continue reading THE PROBLEM WITH MUCH AI-POWERED ADVERTISING IS THAT IT’S MEANINGLESS

CAN AI DRIVE BRAND STRATEGY? AND WHY IS CREATIVITY DISAPPEARING FROM CREATIVE WORK?

Whilst artificial intelligence can outperform humans in operational tasks, it still has its limitations when it comes to strategic brand management. Its solutions lead to the mediocrity and indistinguishability that characterise contemporary advertising, according to speakers at the Brandstorming conference. Artificial intelligence can now outperform humans in execution and operational tasks, but its capacity for… Continue reading CAN AI DRIVE BRAND STRATEGY? AND WHY IS CREATIVITY DISAPPEARING FROM CREATIVE WORK?

GEN ALPHA DRIVES SHIFT TOWARD AI-POWERED ENTERTAINMENT DISCOVERY

Gracenote has released a new report examining how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way audiences search for and discover entertainment content, with younger viewers leading the adoption of chatbot-driven tools. The report, titled “TV Search and Discovery in the AI Era,” found that 66% of respondents reported increased chatbot use over the past 12 to… Continue reading GEN ALPHA DRIVES SHIFT TOWARD AI-POWERED ENTERTAINMENT DISCOVERY

WHEN ALL THE BRANDS PLAY IT SAFE, YOU CAN’T SEE ANYTHING

One of the main themes of this year’s SXSW conference was the impact of artificial intelligence on people. But what does this mean specifically for brands? How should communication evolve at a time when the audience, the cultural context and the way people discover products are all changing simultaneously? This question permeated this year’s SXSW… Continue reading WHEN ALL THE BRANDS PLAY IT SAFE, YOU CAN’T SEE ANYTHING