newsletter: recordings from media, marketing & effectiveness 2026 now available
May 1, 2026
In a fragmented media landscape, one question matters more than ever: what actually drives business growth?
Last week at thinktv’s Media, Marketing & Effectiveness conference, we brought together some of the industry’s sharpest minds to address that critical question with data, insights, and recommendations for success.
We kicked things off with a clear-eyed look at the evolving TV landscape. Yes, linear audiences are fragmenting, but Canadians are still watching TV at scale across all platforms. Of course scale alone isn’t enough, what matters is impact. TV delivers both with unmatched reach, time spent, and the attention required to drive outcomes, making it the largest profit driver in the media mix.
Then came the proof.
While there is lots of evidence that TV works in the aggregate, we know that marketers want feedback on a campaign level, and that’s where David Phillips came in with hot-off the presses results from a recent Environics Analytics study. Using advanced data and clean room analysis, EA research found that over 90% of TV campaigns studied delivered significant sales lift, and more than two-thirds drove increased foot traffic. The results reinforce a simple truth: TV doesn’t just build brands, it drives business outcomes. Watch David’s full presentation here.
Erez Levin, media futurist and ad quality evangelist, tackled the growing issue in digital of declining ad quality.
As spend shifts towards low-visibility, low-quality ad placements, advertisers are often paying premium prices for media with little chance of being seen, let alone remembered. Erez’s challenge to the industry: move beyond easily-gamed attribution metrics and focus on signals that reflect real opportunity to influence consumers. His upcoming whitepaper Navigating Quality will dive deeper, but Erez’s presentation is a must-watch now.
No discussion of marketing effectiveness is complete without Mark Ritson, who delivered a candid (and characteristically sharp) reminder of what actually works.
Mark’s talk was focused on creative, but he managed to cover many of marketing’s key principles along the way.
Mark’s first piece of advice to marketers was to put advertising in perspective. Promotion is only one of the 4 Ps. Price, Place, and above all Product all need to be right for success.
On creative, he advised:
- Make it emotional: Emotion drives advertising effectiveness, but only if the brand shows up early and clearly (Mark warned against overly cinematic ads that delay revealing the brand and lose impact).
- Make it distinctive: Use brand assets relentlessly. Logos, characters, jingles, colours, and sonic cues build memory.
- Make it last: Fewer, better campaigns. Run them longer. Stop chasing novelty.
As always, a summary could never do justice to Mark’s wit and insights, so if you missed it, but sure to watch the full video here.
AI (and its implications) was another key theme. Matt Devlin outlined the shift to an “The Age of Abundance,” where content is limitless and automation accelerates commoditization. Shane Skillen built on this with a clear challenge for brands: it’s no longer enough to be “top of mind,” you must also be “top of model”. Brands must show up in AI-driven recommendations and be strong enough to be chosen.
Across every session, one idea kept surfacing: attention is the foundation of effectiveness. In an increasingly fragmented landscape, TV remains a proven leader, combining scale, attention, and impact to deliver proven business growth.
For brands and agencies navigating growing complexity, the takeaway is simple: effectiveness isn’t about chasing the newest tactic, it’s about getting the fundamentals right. Success relies on strong creative, clear branding, meaningful reach, and the right media mix.
Explore the full presentations to dive deeper into the insights and strategies shared on stage.
Thanks again to everyone who joined us live.