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.

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.

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

26. 6. 2026 | 7 min read Marketing costs are rising, competition from both local and low-cost Asian rivals is becoming increasingly fierce, and maintaining a healthy profit margin is a challenge. Online shops that base their decisions on data are the most successful in this regard. Advertising may be more expensive, but those who best understand how their customers make decisions are still able to grow healthily today.

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 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.

STRONG EMOTIONS LEAD TO STRONG RESULTS, SAYS NEW SCREENFORCE STUDY

14. 6. 2026 | 5 min read The new Screenforce study, entitled Follow the Feelings – Emotional Advertising as an Effectiveness Booster, explores the full spectrum of emotions, their practical significance and a detailed understanding of creative approaches to advertising.

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.

APPLE SPENDS THE MOST, BUT OTHERS ARE GRABBING THE LIMELIGHT. WHAT DETERMINES A VIEWER’S VALUE?

31. 5. 2026 | 3 min read The highest investment in content does not automatically translate into the greatest audience attention. At the same time, streaming platforms are beginning to shift their perspective on their most valuable customers. Viewers who watch adverts and spend more time engaging with content are becoming increasingly valuable.

THE TV ADVERTISING PARADOX, A THINKTV NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDY (2/2)

22. 5. 2026 The strategic response: the TV advertising paradox.

MARK RITSON: WHAT REALLY DETERMINES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVERTISING CREATIVE

11. 5. 2026 | 9 min read Is there a formula for effective advertising? During his presentation at the Media, Marketing & Effectiveness conference, Mark Ritson offered his perspective on the subject. He combined data from System1 and Effie with research by Paul Dyson to demonstrate why some campaigns perform many times better than others. He argues that successful advertising rests on three key principles: emotional impact, instant brand recognition and the ability to work over the long term. He also challenges a number of modern marketing habits, from an obsession with constant change to the underestimation of television as a brand-building medium.

TV NOW AND NEXT: A FIXED POINT AMID THE TRANSFORMATION OF MEDIA

27. 4. 2026 | 8 min read The world of video viewing has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade. New platforms have emerged, viewing habits have changed, and the options for how and where content can be consumed have expanded. Yet despite this dynamism, it is becoming clear that Total TV, which includes traditional broadcasting and streaming services, remains a dominant and stable element of the media landscape.

THE TV ADVERTISING PARADOX, A THINKTV NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDY (1/2)

24. 4. 2026 In late 2024, ThinkTV New Zealand, under the leadership of Jacqueline Freeman, GM Communications, undertook a full market review to understand how television was being perceived, valued, and used across the New Zealand marketing ecosystem. This was a broad diagnostic rather than a simple pulse check. It drew on perspectives from CMOs, CFOs, insights people, media agencies, creatives, and people working at the front line within television itself. The objective was not to validate assumptions already sitting in the market. It was to uncover what had changed, where belief had shifted, and why.

OMNICONNECT: WITHOUT THE RIGHT METRICS, YOU CAN’T MANAGE MARKETING TODAY

30. 3. 2026 | 5 min read This year’s OmniConnect conference demonstrated that well-defined metrics are key to marketing management, brand growth and return on investment. Alongside global insights, local case studies were also presented, confirming the growing role of data, AI and attention management in modern communication.

ATTENTION IS NOT THE GOAL; IT IS A BRIDGE TO CAMPAIGN EFFECTIVENESS

30. 3. 2026 | 5 min read Advertising needs to return to a focus on effectiveness rather than chasing cheap impressions and clicks. Attention can play a key role as a bridge between reach and results. However, using it effectively lies in planning, not optimisation. This was highlighted by Malcolm Devoy of PHD at the OmniConnect conference.

STUDY: EUROPE REMAINS LOYAL TO TELEVISION, WITH VIDEO VIEWING DOMINATED BY THE BIG SCREEN IN THE LIVING ROOM

30. 3. 2026 | 9 min read RTL AdAlliance has published the fifth edition of its annual Living Room Study, which this year covers an even broader audience, thanks to newly added markets such as China and Hungary. The study clearly shows that television continues to play a key role in Europe even in the age of streaming services — it remains the main place for watching video, the centre of the shared viewing experience, and the natural home of local content.

AI TRENDS IN ADVERTISING, MARKETING AND THE MEDIA IN 2026

22. 3. 2026 | 13 min read Artificial intelligence is transforming the way people discover brands, marketing is becoming system-driven, and creativity is emerging as the key driver of growth, according to a new report by EACA and Advertising Week entitled “AI Forecasts & Predictions for 2026”.

THINKBOX: TOTAL TV IS FUNDAMENTAL FOR GETTING ADS SEEN

12. 3. 2026 | 2 min read The time people spend watching different video content is useful to know. But the most important analysis for advertisers is the time spent watching the advertising.