THEME OF THE MONTH: SUSTAINABILITY

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPERS ARE NOT IGNORING AI

Back-to-school spending is projected to hit $146.8 billion, while multiple surveys show parents are using AI primarily as a research and comparison tool rather than handing over full purchasing control. PwC found 73% of parents plan to use AI agents in their shopping journey, Tinuiti reported 68% are already using conversational AI for tasks such as finding deals, comparing products, and summarizing reviews, and Accenture found only 9% would allow fully autonomous purchases. For brands and media buyers, the opportunity is growing, but so is the need to address trust, verification, and cybersecurity concerns as budget pressure rises and shoppers extend the season earlier into July.

TV NOVA CONSOLIDATES ITS SPORTS CHANNELS BUSINESS, HEADED BY JAN RADĚJ

TV Nova has created a dedicated Sport Sales team to consolidate advertising sales across Nova Sport and Oneplay Sport following the integration of O2 TV into the Nova Group. Jan Raděj, formerly Head of Sales & Marketing for the Oneplay Sport channels at O2, will lead the unit and oversee commercial development and sales coordination across the group’s sports channels. For advertisers, the move is designed to simplify access to TV Nova’s combined sports portfolio and support more effective campaign planning across 12 sports channels.

MAJORITY OF BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPERS GET A HEAD START ON THE SEASON

Back-to-school shopping is starting early, with 62% of shoppers already buying by early July, while value remains central as 46% of those still shopping are waiting for the best deals and 23% are spreading purchases to manage budgets. K-12 spending is projected to reach a record $43.3 billion, with families planning to spend an average of $863.86, led by electronics, clothing and accessories, shoes, and school supplies. College shoppers are expected to push spending to a record $103.5 billion, while online purchasing intent has softened for both K-12 and college segments compared with last year.

MASCOTS ARE BACK, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW THEM

Mascots are re-emerging as "behaviour era" brand assets, built not just for recognition but for interaction, entertainment, and real-time participation across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Examples including Duolingo’s owl, Jake from State Farm, Wendy’s social persona, and Slackbot show how characters can translate brand strategy into behaviour in both consumer and B2B contexts. For marketers, the takeaway is clear: as products and identities become more abstract, mascots can function as omnichannel interfaces that make brands feel more human, culturally current, and easier to connect with over time.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPERS HEAD TO MASS MERCHANTS, DEPARTMENT STORES

Deloitte’s 2026 survey shows back-to-school spending is expected to stay flat, with parents of K-12 students projected to spend $557 per child as financial concerns and value-seeking shape purchase decisions. Mass merchants are set to capture 80% of planned spending, while 57% of consumers expect the economy to worsen and 60% plan to shop at more affordable retailers. The report also points to a later shopping peak in late July and early August, a return to pre-pandemic timing, while parents using broader digital tools are expected to spend more and GenAI users lead at $737 per child.

SIX CZECH COMMERCIALS THAT, ACCORDING TO RESEARCH, WERE SUCCESSFUL. WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?

Ipsos’ analysis of 60 Czech campaigns from 2025 found that humour, emotion, empathy and original ideas most strongly drive ad effectiveness, with each campaign rated by at least 100 respondents and more than 6,000 ratings collected online in January 2025. The study links creative experience to brand awareness, empathy to short-term brand choice, and creative ideas to long-term brand relationships, giving marketers a clear framework for evaluating impact. O2, Air Bank, Kooperativa, Vodafone, Kaufland and Bauhaus emerged as the top-performing campaigns, with the strongest work combining entertainment, everyday relevance and a practical solution. For brands, the takeaway is that localized humour and specific consumer problems outperform generic messaging, including in ESG-related communication.

NOVA IS ATTRACTING AUDITIONERS FOR ‘SUPERSTAR’ THROUGH BORHYOVÁ AND KORANTENG AS WELL

TV Nova has launched a new SuperStar audition campaign under the slogan “Where are you?”, using four 20- to 30-second trailers to drive applications from singers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. One spot features Televizní noviny presenters Lucie Borhyová and Rey Koranteng, extending the show’s reach through familiar news personalities, while other creatives build the search theme through messages embedded in everyday settings. All videos end with the SuperStar logo and a direct call to find the new star, giving the campaign a clear performance objective across YouTube and Nova’s official channels.

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

World Cup advertising is shifting from star players to fan-centred storytelling, with brands using humour, self-deprecation, rituals and emotional tension to stand out during one of the world’s most-watched sporting events. The selected campaigns show distinct strategic routes: AXE celebrates fans looking ridiculous, Visa links contactless payments to everyday matchday moments, and Pizza Hut builds on intergenerational viewing memories. Microsoft uses the tournament as a high-pressure backdrop to demonstrate Microsoft 365 Copilot in practical work scenarios, while Coca-Cola and The Home Depot tap football emotion and cultural familiarity through VAR drama and David Beckham’s off-pitch persona.

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.

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

Velký vlastenecký výlet delivered the Czech Republic’s only win at this year’s Cannes Lions, earning a Silver Lion for a campaign created by Fun House, Leo Prague and other Publicis Groupe teams. Built as more than conventional film promotion, the campaign combined visual identity, a website, social content, digital activations and the Grand Patriotic Committee initiative to mirror how disinformation narratives spread. The jury highlighted its courage in addressing a polarising social issue and its ability to turn a documentary release into a communication platform that exposed disinformation mechanisms in real time.

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

The Effie Awards Czech Republic has opened entries for its 29th year, adding a new B2B Products and Services category for campaigns aimed at corporate clients and specialist audiences. AKA has also revised the Digital Marketing and Social Media rules so entries must show a standalone digital strategy, a distinct digital solution, and evidence of the digital component’s impact, with judging focused on metrics such as CPA, ROAS, PNO, conversion rates, and incremental or causal effects. Entries opened on 30 June, the early bird period runs until 20 July, finalists will be announced on 10 November, and the awards ceremony is scheduled for 25 November 2026.

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.