World-renowned marketing expert Professor Byron Sharp says brands must target the entire market if they want to grow. Mass media is critical to marketing success. And there is no more mass media than television. Its reach is unsurpassed by any other media type – after all, there are nearly 7 million viewers in front of a screen every day, and television reaches 95% of the TV population on a monthly basis.
Viewers also pay much more attention to ads on TV than they do to ads on social media. And thus, TV has a major impact on sales. Television is also essential for online brands and e-commerce sites these days. Even with a lower budget, the investment pays off for small brands. Because with TV, you clearly know what you’re getting – mass impact, attention, brand recall and higher sales. So TV helps brands score and achieve their goals.
And because good scores belong with sports, ScreenVoice MAGAZINE writes this month about the Super Bowl, the most anticipated sporting event in America. The commercials aired during the final intermission are the most expensive and also the most anticipated. Find out what makes Super Bowl advertising special and which brands have managed to creatively enhance the sporting event with their commercials.
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MASCOTS ARE BACK, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW THEM
14. 7. 2026Mascots 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.
AI ADS ARE GOOD ENOUGH — AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM
6. 7. 2026Testing 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.
AN IMMERSIVE CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS COLLABORATION FOR SKIN-CARE BRANDS WITH SENSITIVE STORIES TO TELL
26. 6. 2026CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS and its in-house studio LA FACTORY created “Marquer l’Invisible” for Avène, linking Cicalfate+ to a documentary-style story about scars, tattooing, repair and protection without turning the content into a product demonstration. The activation combined production, premium CANAL+ app placement, a 20-second STREAM+ pre-roll teaser, and social distribution through Clique, giving advertisers a clear example of integrated branded content execution. Rolled out from 6 April 2026 and targeting women aged 25–54, the campaign shows how co-constructing the story, media setting and brand role from the outset can strengthen authenticity, cultural relevance and audience fit.
A TEST OF THE STRENGTH OF CZECH BRANDS: HOW DO THEY FAREWELL WITHOUT A NAME OR LOGO?
25. 6. 2026Research by ResSolution Group and Media Age found that none of six tested Czech brands achieved more than 50% recognition when logos, names and distinctive symbols were removed, with Pilsner Urquell leading at 45% and Škoda Auto at 39%. The findings suggest that minimalist brand executions can weaken recall and increase competitor confusion, as seen in bottled water where Mattoni was mistaken for a rival by 12% of respondents, matching its correct identification rate. Recognition was generally stronger among respondents under 35, while category relevance influenced results in insurance and gender differences were evident for Pilsner Urquell and Škoda Auto.
FIVE MARKETING TRUTHS: RITSON AND SHARP REACHED A CONSENSUS IN CANNES
23. 6. 2026At Cannes Lions, Mark Ritson and Byron Sharp made a rare joint appearance to test where two of marketing’s most cited voices could agree, despite a long-standing reputation for public disagreement. They found common ground on mental availability as a core brand task, arguing that marketers must focus less on what a brand means and more on the situations, needs and stimuli that trigger recall at the point of purchase. They also aligned on distinctive brand elements as practical tools for recognition, with a clear warning that internal brand fatigue can push teams to weaken assets consumers still rely on. On mass marketing, both framed the opportunity as a revival of sophisticated reach: building brands by covering the full relevant market while adapting execution to real-world differences.
TOY STORY 5 HEADS TO CINEMAS — AND ITS HEROES ARE BACK AS ADVERTISING STARS
18. 6. 2026Toy Story 5 returns Woody, Buzz and the franchise’s wider commercial engine to cinemas, with brand activity spanning advertising spots, limited-edition products, competitions and experiential events. The film’s marketing appeal remains rooted in a rare advantage for advertisers: characters that translate almost directly from the screen into consumer products and family-focused campaigns. The new installment also gives brands a timely narrative hook by framing childhood around the tension between traditional play and digital distraction, creating clear relevance for campaigns across telecommunications, food, travel and consumer goods.
COMMUNICATION SUMMIT: ADVERTISING IS THREATENED BY CREATIVE LAZINESS; WE MUST NOT GIVE UP ON THINKING
15. 6. 2026Speakers 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.
M6 UNLIMITED TESTS AI SPOT CREATION FOR SMALLER TV AND STREAMING ADVERTISERS
22. 5. 2026M6 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
22. 5. 2026MediaScience 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.
THE TV ADVERTISING PARADOX, A THINKTV NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDY (2/2)
22. 5. 2026ThinkTV New Zealand built its campaign around the contradiction that linear TV was being called obsolete while still delivering scale, attention, and brand outcomes, using evidence-led messaging aimed primarily at CMOs and CFOs rather than broadcasters speaking for themselves. The centerpiece was an 80-page standalone edition of NZ Marketing magazine, with 4,000 copies distributed to marketers, agencies, and key decision-makers, supported by eight weeks of out-of-home, four months of TV, and a dedicated website. The campaign’s core visual distilled the issue into a single question: TV reach is stable, so why is investment falling? LinkedIn then amplified the debate, with marketers publicly challenging agency recommendations and growing reliance on YouTube.
SHREK CELEBRATES 25 YEARS: THE GREEN OGRE REMAINS A GREAT SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
16. 5. 2026A quarter of a century has just passed since the birth of the grumpy ogre from the swamp, who won over several generations of fans and remains one of the most recognisable film characters in the world. His distinctive humour and iconic visual style continue to attract the attention of marketers and major brands. The… Continue reading THEME OF THE MONTH: TV MAKES YOU WIN
TOP GUN TURNS 40: THE HIT FRANCHISE HAS INSPIRED A WAVE OF FILM-THEMED ADVERTISING
15. 5. 2026Forty years have passed since the premiere of Top Gun, yet the film’s iconic aesthetic continues to influence the worlds of advertising and pop culture. Fighter jets, aviator sunglasses, cockpit shots, motifs of speed and adrenaline-fuelled imagery have appeared over the years in campaigns by car manufacturers, fashion brands, airlines and many other companies. Top… Continue reading THEME OF THE MONTH: TV MAKES YOU WIN