MASCOTS ARE BACK, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW THEM

14. 7. 2026 | 6 min read Future-focused brands know that mascots can embody a brand and bring it to life.

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.

A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS AD BREAK AS PRIMETIME ENTERTAINMENT

23. 2. 2026 Background In the Netherlands, Christmas commercials hold a special place in television culture. Much like the Super Bowl in the United States is known for its spectacular commercials, the Dutch festive season is the moment when brands showcase their most creative, emotional storytelling. Over the years, several Christmas campaigns have achieved iconic status, moving and entertaining millions of viewers and winning the Ster Gouden Loeki, the public award for best commercial. These campaigns demonstrate how advertising can contribute to the collective holiday spirit.

WHAT GIVES A SUPER BOWL AD SHELF LIFE IN 2026

10. 2. 2026 | 4 min read For decades, the price tag to advertise during the Super Bowl has been justified by access to a centralized audience. As attention disperses across platforms and star power extends to creators, marketers are rethinking how Super Bowl investments translate into consumer recall.

THE FESTIVE FORMULA: HOW TO WIN LASTING AUDIENCE ATTENTION THIS CHRISTMAS

2. 11. 2025 | 6 min read Christmas ads may be big business, but attention is hard won. Lumen’s Mike Follett reveals how advertisers can sustain festive impact year after year.

HUMOR AND MUSIC ARE THE WAY TO GET GEN Z’S ATTENTION

8. 8. 2025 | 1 min read Almost half (49%) of US Gen Zers are much more likely to pay attention to ads that make them laugh or use music they like, per a June report from Edison Research and SiriusXM Media.

STUDY USA: BLIND BOXES ARE EFFECTIVE FOR GETTING PEOPLE TO BUY STUFF, FINDS STUDY

31. 7. 2025 | 2 min read People looking for hard-to-find Labubu dolls will be familiar with blind boxes – when it’s unclear which doll you’ll get – and now there’s scientific research to prove that combining this mystery with perceived scarcity can be effective in motivating people to buy.

BRAND LOVE SCALES—SO STOP SETTLING FOR BEING LIKED

29. 7. 2025 | 4 min read Here’s the brutal truth: Being liked by your customer isn’t enough. It never was.

HOW AUTHENTIC PRODUCT PLACEMENT CAPTURES THE STREAMING GENERATION

9. 7. 2025 | 7 min read For many brands, traditional paid media no longer guarantees the results that it used to. Linear TV programming can rack up six-figure invoices, even for start-ups or smaller brands, and more and more consumers are actively avoiding ads on streaming services, no matter the cost.

ADS & DATA X SPA REINE ECO-PACK: UNLOCKING INCREMENTAL REACH THROUGH DATA-DRIVEN TV TARGETING

22. 5. 2025 SPA Reine’s Eco-Pack campaign with Ads & Data sets a new benchmark in media innovation by combining linear TV with Addressable TV (Smart AD) to deliver incremental reach and optimize frequency. In a still water category under growing pressure from tap water and price-driven private labels, SPA Reine worked with Ads&Data to reaffirm its leadership by using data to reach more consumers, and to reach them in a smarter way. The campaign built on learnings from the award-winning Cristal case (read more here), and introduced a new layer of sophistication, frequency optimization for light TV viewers, now made possible for the first time in Belgium. The result: a powerful demonstration of how data-driven targeting can amplify both media efficiency and brand impact.

MULTISCREEN TV’S ‘WINNING HAND’: PERFORMANCE + TRANSPARENCY = BUSINESS SUCCESS

26. 3. 2025 | 5 min read Multiscreen TV: Smart, Strategic and Seriously Effective Marketers are constantly seeking ways to maximize impact, build trust and drive measurable business outcomes. The solution isn’t a gamble – it’s a sure bet when making a strategic investment in multiscreen TV. With its professionally produced content, unmatched audience engagement and brand-safe environment, multiscreen TV delivers results that brands can bet on.

BRITISH SENSE OF HUMOUR DRAWS YOUNG EUROPEANS TO UK SHOWS AND FILMS

18. 2. 2025 | 3 min read The ‘unique’ and ‘ironic’ British sense of humour is a key reason why young Europeans watch UK-made television shows and films, according to new research from King’s College London.

RITSON’S 10-STEP GUIDE TO ‘STAND ON THE SHOULDERS’ OF ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS GIANTS

3. 10. 2024 | 9 min read We’ve entered a golden age for advertising effectiveness, but not enough marketers are taking advantage of all the work done by the giants of the field, says Mark Ritson, speaking at Marketing Week’s Festival of Marketing.

WITH TV EVOLVING, WHAT GOES INTO A REMARKABLE AD TODAY?

7. 8. 2024 | 5 min read TV can offer attention, trust and emotional clout. Coincidentally, these are also the foundations of a good story — just make sure that story is a short one.

BEYOND THE PITCH – FUSE & SYSTEM1 STUDY REVEALS WINNING STRATEGY FOR SPORT SPONSORSHIP

6. 8. 2024 | 4 min read Brands can score a ‘Sport Dividend’ through effective sport sponsorship, according to a new study by global sports and marketing agency FUSE in partnership with creative effectiveness platform System1.

LES BINET: AVOID PUSHING BRAND AND PERFORMANCE AT THE SAME TIME

13. 7. 2024 | 3 min read Both brand building and performance advertising are vital for growth, but it’s a mistake to try to do two jobs at once, argues effectiveness expert Les Binet.

2024 OLYMPICS COME ALIVE WITH MEDIA AI

9. 7. 2024 | 7 min read AI can’t compete, but, it can enhance and verify storytelling.

DPG MEDIA AND GAIA’S UNITED EFFORT TO FIGHT PUPPY MILLS

20. 6. 2024 Puppy mills, where dogs are bred for profit with little regard for their welfare, remain a troubling issue. To combat this, GAIA, a Belgian non-profit organisation dedicated to animal rights, partnered with Integreate by DPG Media to launch an impactful media campaign. This campaign not only raised significant awareness but also earned prestigious awards, including two golden Native Advertising Awards for Best Integrated Program and Best Use of AFP Broadcast, the Grand Prix Content Marketing Award for Best Content Strategy (Distribution) and the BOCA Award for Best Content Strategy (non-profit).