Capturing attention — the first job of advertising — has never been so difficult. With consumers distracted by alerts, texts, posts, emails and likes — not to mention the constant churn of daily life — it’s little wonder that more advertisers are breaking tradition and experimenting at a dizzying pace. In just the past few months, Netflix granted a marketing partner permission to put its well-known ad character into one of its series in a cameo, and Zoom tapped a prominent news influencer to help examine what the company calls “solopreneurs” in a sponsored video series.
No one is giving up on good ol’ TV ads. But never before have advertisers seemed so willing to embrace something else. Recent financials tell the tale.
In the industry’s most recent upfront market, when U.S. media companies tried to sell the bulk of their commercial inventory, ad spending on broadcast TV dropped by approximately 5.3% compared to 2025, according to an analysis by Media Dynamics, a consulting firm that tracks such outlays. Spending on cable TV fell even more, with marketers cutting outlays by 7.7%. Meanwhile, the volume of ad commitments put toward streaming rose a whopping 30%.
With new types of advertising come new challenges. Those issues and the wealth of new opportunities will be on display Oct. 7 as Variety assembles marketing and advertising leaders in New York for the Variety Experience and Culture Summit: The IRL Advantage Presented by OUTFRONT. In preparation for a day of conversations, insights and analysis, we’ve studied five major areas of expertise that modern Madison Avenue leaders need to master: Influencers and Creators: Digital-native personalities born of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, et al. are the most au courant vehicle in the business of ballyhoo.
The data is clear: more young consumers recognize authenticity in creators and influencers than they do in many celebrities and journalists attached to traditional TV vehicles and movies. And yet, influencers aren’t immune to boneheaded moves. Good Good Golf, a popular golf content channel on YouTube, generated an unwelcome controversy in August after a 15-second clip from a commercial Good Good made went viral for all the wrong reasons,showing one of Good Good’s founders shoving a woman.
It was meant as a spoof on golfers’ obsession with their beloved golf clubs, but it backfired — to say the least. The uproar from consumers costGood Good its advertising partnership with Callaway Golf, and it led to the exits of Good Good’s CEO and president. Measurement: Advertisers have, for decades, struggled to determine exactly how many people were exposed to a commercial, but that task has become exponentially more difficult in the digital age.
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