AdVision: Shaping Tomorrow’s Media, Event Wrap-Up: AdTech Trends And AI in Media
Tighter client budgets, rising expectations and the rapid advance of AI are driving a change in the media industry, with agencies, tech companies and advertisers alike under pressure to prove value and reshape the ecosystem. With this in mind, expert speakers at our recent AdVision event discussed current adtech trends and the future of media, including, you guessed it, AI.
The event brought together sharp thinkers to dig into some of the industry’s most pressing questions, with experts from: Chalice AI, Seedtag, Channel Factory and Talon on the adtech panel; and Medialab, Waypoint, Kepler, Media by Mother and Bicylce on the media panel. They considered: What does AI really mean for media? How can programmatic rebuild its credibility? And how do we craft media strategies built to last, not just to react? We take a look at the main themes:
1. AI Might Be Everywhere, But It’s Not a Silver Bullet
Unsurprisingly, AI dominated the day. But the mood was less “shiny toy” and more “handle with care”. Here’s where our experts see AI having an impact:
- Media planning and buying teams are increasingly using AI and automation for:
- Optimisation and bidding
- Creative variations and testing
- Reporting and analytics
- Some businesses are already experimenting with “no human in the loop” workflows for specific tasks, although this is still the exception, not the norm.
Panellists repeatedly pushed back on the idea that “AI will fix everything”, highlighting that AI is only ever as good as the data, models and incentives we feed it and underlining a risk of “automated ignorance”, scaling the same bad assumptions and biases faster.
They also cautioned that many vendors are slapping “AI” on what is basically simple automation. Teams need to be sharp about what’s genuinely intelligent versus what’s just rule-based.
A practical checklist emerged for evaluating any AI solution in media:
- Data transparency: Where is your data going? Is it training someone else’s model?
- Model ownership: Who owns the models trained on your data: you or the platform?
- Explainability: Can anyone actually explain how the model makes decisions? Or is it just another black box?
- Real outcomes: Is the AI optimising business outcomes (sales, uplift, profit) or simply providing vanity metrics (CTR, cheap impressions)?
- Deployment flexibility: Can you use your models across platforms, or are they locked inside one walled garden?
Of course, panellists also discussed the human angle around AI, looking at:
- How AI should be a “butler, not a boss” to free people from grunt work, allowing them to spend more time on strategy, relationships and creativity where they can add real value.
- Leaders were clear that the jobs that will disappear will be the ones that never evolve, rather than every job in media.
- At the same time, there’s real concern about junior talent – if AI does all the research and groundwork, how do future strategists learn the craft?
The consensus was that AI isn’t replacing agencies or media teams any time soon but people who know how to work with AI will replace people who don’t.
2. Programmatic’s Image Problem And Why It Might Be Fixable
The adtech panel tackled a thorny topic head-on: programmatic hasn’t lived up to its early promise. Instead of being the saviour of the open web, it’s become overly complex and jargon-heavy. It is seen to be plagued by opaque supply chains and black boxes, which is one of the reasons it is the first line on the plan to be cut when budgets tighten. Panellists also discussed how programmatic was over-optimised for clicks and cheap impressions and under-optimised for real business impact.
However, there was genuine optimism that the next wave of AI and better design could fix many of these issues. Discussions highlighted that the industry should stop treating AI as a buzzword and instead start asking questions about transparency and outcomes in the quest for Programmatic 2.0, where outcomes overrule obsession.
Key shifts the panel argued for were:
- Moving from “cheapest eyeball” to “valuable attention”
- Cleaning up the supply chain with fewer unnecessary intermediaries and more clarity on who adds value
- Training optimisation models on:
- Incremental sales
- Brand lift
- Real-world business metrics rather than proxy signals like CTR
Programmatic Out-of-Home (POOH) was held up as a “late but smarter” entrant. While only a small share of digital OOH is traded programmatically today, that’s expected to climb sharply in the next few years.
- Structural drivers are:
- More digital screens
- More inventory made available programmatically
- Agencies reorganising so out-of-home can be bought by digital and programmatic teams, not just traditional specialists
- In addition to technological drivers:
- Richer audience data and measurement
- The ability to target, test and optimise outdoor ads like a digital channel
- Lower barriers for smaller advertisers – you no longer need a six-figure budget to be “big on the streets”
POOH is also benefitting from a wider reset with brands moving away from “cheap impressions at all costs” and back towards high-impact, brand-safe, public environments where creative can really land.
3. Creativity, Storytelling And The Return of “CI”
One of the most interesting topics of the day was discussing how we keep the media human when AI can churn out infinite versions of everything.
Speakers discussed how audiences are now more fragmented than ever, especially younger groups who treat TikTok and Instagram like search engines. As a result, the traditional “one big TV idea for everyone” is fading; instead brands need:
- A clear, consistent brand core
- Stories that adapt across platforms and formats
- Creative that feels native in each environment (a TikTok isn’t a TV spot cutdown)
AI has a powerful role to play in scaling creative personalisation, but it can’t decide what a brand stands for. That’s still human territory.
Panellists on the media agency panel considered how the industry is moving from AI to CI – Creative Intelligence. They discussed the great reframing and how if AI is the engine, CI is the driver. That means:
- Humans interpreting what AI tools surface, not blindly accepting it
- Using AI-generated insights and variations as starting point rather than finished work
- Training teams in brand strategy, cultural understanding and emotional storytelling so they can layer meaning on top of machine output
The direction was clear: the media and creative divide needs to shrink fast. Future-fit plans will be co-created, not passed down the line from creative agency to media agency in isolation.
4. Trust, Transparency And The Rise of Independents
“Trust” came up again and again, be it between clients and agencies, agencies and platforms, and even internally within teams.
A few culprits called out why trust has eroded:
- Years of over-optimisation and chasing efficiency at the expense of long-term growth
- Trading deals and proprietary media that make it hard to be truly channel-agnostic
- Clients not always having full access to their own data
- Reporting built around outputs, not outcomes
Several speakers argued that this has left clients treating agencies more like polite suppliers than true partners.
For agencies, the route back to trust looked something like this:
- Sit on the client’s side of the table; talk about revenue, margin, customer growth, not just cost per acquisition (CPAs) and cost per mille (CPMs).
- Be honest about what AI and automation can and can’t do.
- Build contracts and performance-related fees (PRFs) around business outcomes where possible.
- Share data, modelling and assumptions openly; let clients see under the hood.
Independents in the room spoke about winning business precisely because they can align more cleanly to client goals without being constrained by global trading mandates or proprietary media quotas.
At the same time, the fireside chat reminded everyone that platforms still need agencies. Self-serve tools don’t replace the need for someone to orchestrate across channels, stop the walled gardens all over-claiming, and make sense of the total picture.
5. Sustainable Growth: Brand Versus Performance and Testing Versus Comfort Zones
The final panel zoomed out to a big strategic question: how do we grow brands sustainably in a world obsessed with short-term performance?
The “efficiency trap” was referenced by speakers with recent work showing that advertising has become more “efficient” on paper, thanks to higher ROIs, but less effective in reality, with profits from advertising going the wrong way.
Marketers are:
- Shrinking their audiences
- Focusing on narrow niches
- Under-serving older, high-spending groups in the name of efficiency
The uncomfortable conclusion was that in many cases, we’re doing less with less, not more with less. Instead of constantly cutting budgets and hoping AI will squeeze a bit more out, the panels argued for:
- Structured experimentation such as regional tests, incremental channel trials, creative/platform A/Bs
- Combining:
- Market mix modelling (MMM)
- Direct attribution
- Brand tracking to get a full view of both short-term and long-term effects
- Using evidence from tests to make the case for bigger, braver bets – rather than relying on instinct alone
An audience member raised the fact that a huge slice of spend still goes to just three players: Meta, Alphabet and Amazon. Responses to this from the panellists were pragmatic, concluding:
- It’s not inherently “wrong”; those platforms are where audiences are, and they deliver results.
- But growth demands:
- Testing beyond the big three
- Managing cross-platform attribution carefully (to avoid everyone over-claiming the same conversions)
- Exploring channels like pOOH, CTV, influencers and user-generated content as integrated parts of the plan, not side experiments
In summary, you can’t optimise your way to step-change growth. You have to test your way there.
Final Takeaway
AdVision made clear that while technology is advancing fast, what will truly win is the combination of smart strategy, bold creativity and genuine collaboration.
To find out more about our panellists, see their biographies and links to company websites below:
Panellist Biographies
Rob Blake, Managing Director, EMEA, Channel Factory
Rob Blake brings almost two decades of experience driving revenue in leadership roles for companies such as AOL, Advertising.com, Rocket Fuel, and MediaMath. As Managing Director, EMEA at Channel Factory, Rob is responsible for driving growth across the British and Irish markets.
Jim Brigden, Partner, Planning Peaks
Jim has led several iconic digital media businesses to growth and exit: Brainlabs, I Spy, The Search Works and Overture. He is a currently Chair of Campfire, backed by Literacy Capital and Exec Director of Medialab Group.
Shanil Chande, Chief Programmatic Officer, Talon UK
Shanil Chande is Talon’s first Chief Programmatic Officer, appointed to lead the agency’s UK programmatic strategy and accelerate its digital growth. With over a decade of experience in digital media and programmatic innovation, including roles at IBT Media and Sky, before moving to Hawk where he was most recently Commercial & Partnerships Director for the UK and International markets. Shanil brings deep commercial expertise and a proven track record in driving strategic partnerships and product development. His role marks a key milestone in Talon’s commitment to smarter, data-led OOH solutions, as he heads up a dedicated team of programmatic specialists and integrates automation and technology across the planning and buying process.
Tara Grimes, Director of Media, Media by Mother
Tara has launched Media by Mother in London, after working with the company in New York for the past few years. Her experience ranges from planning and buying, through to strategy – bringing a holistic understanding of how ideas move through media. Media by Mother focuses on driving client growth — not only in business performance, but also in media understanding — helping brands stay prepared for a constantly evolving media landscape.
Phil Gripton, Partner, Waypoint
My mission is growth. I know how to plan it and what to do to achieve it. I have built, rebuilt, grown, merged and sold companies working on both the agency side and as a client. I bring the perspective of a provider, seller and buyer of a wide range of creative, tech and digital services. So I feel your challenges and understand your limiting factors and work with them so that you win.
I am a sales and business development zealot. Having worked across a wide range of B2B industries for over 30 years, I know the vital importance of profitable topline growth – the engine of any enterprise. I identify your growth challenges very fast and develop a process to accelerate performance. You will see the results in real numbers very quickly.
I gained CEO experience with an AIM listed digital pure play and am an alumnus of The Windsor Leadership Trust (CEO Programme). I’ve worked at both listed and private companies such as ICL, PTC, Energis, Cable & Wireless, bigmouth media, Digitas / LBi, Cupid plc and First Utility.
Marko Johns, UK Managing Director & Head of Agency, International, Seedtag
Marko Johns is the UK Managing Director and Head of Agency, International at Seedtag. His expertise lies in agency sales & investment, with a strong focus on international strategic partnerships. He has held leadership roles at Yahoo and Spotify and is a veteran in the digital advertising space. At Seedtag, he leverages his proven track record of fostering long-term, sustainable partnerships and plays a pivotal role in elevating the company’s profile among key agency partners and clients while pushing the boundary of contextual opportunities for the UK team.
Alex Kirk, Managing Director, Medialab
As one of the co-founders of Medialab in 2005, Alex has always been at the forefront of the development and growth of the business. As Managing Director, Alex remains close to the action with the team, bringing his passion for delivering brilliant service and transformative results to our clients.
Mallory Simmonds — CEO, EMEA & APAC, Kepler
Mallory Simmonds is Kepler’s CEO, EMEA & APAC overseeing international operations, partnerships, and client delivery. Over her 11 years at Kepler, she has spearheaded innovative marketing solutions, led the Marketing Analytics department in the U.S., and served as Executive Sponsor of Kepler’s Global Amazon Advertising Unit. After launching Kepler’s London office in 2018, Mallory has been instrumental in expanding the agency’s international footprint and driving global business growth. Outside of work, Mallory is a dedicated triathlete who has represented Great Britain internationally twice and recently requalified, while balancing training with her (favourite) role as mum.
Victoria Usher — CEO & Founder, GingerMay
Victoria Usher is the Founder and CEO of GingerMay, an award-winning, B Corp™ certified PR and communications consultancy specialising in the technology sector. She began her career as a data analyst at Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, and FTSE 500 companies, gaining experience that shaped her data-driven approach to storytelling and strategy.
Victoria has also been personally celebrated for her contributions to the industry. She was named Mentor of the Year by Management Today, received recognition from the International Stevie Awards, and won the Leadership Award at the UK Company Culture Awards. Passionate about developing future leaders, she continues to champion diversity, mentoring, and purpose-driven growth across the sector.
Pedro Avery, Executive Chair & Co-Founder, Bicycle London
“I’m a strategic leader, creative thinker, and entrepreneur with a passion for building ideas, businesses, and people. I’m currently the Co-Founder of Bicycle London, a modern media agency built to challenge convention and help ambitious brands grow. Over the last 30+ years, I’ve led successful agencies, launched new ventures, and advised both global corporations and high-growth startups. My career spans media, technology, creativity, and commerce — but at the heart of everything I do is a belief in integrity, clarity, and brilliant execution.
I thrive in the space where data meets creativity. I’m particularly interested in how marketing technology, modern storytelling, and intelligent media strategies can drive transformation for clients, for teams, and culture. I’ve worked with household names in entertainment, retail, betting, tech, food and drink, and beyond. Alongside my business life, I’m also a writer. I recently completed my debut novel, a geopolitical thriller that explores the shadows of the internet. It’s been a personal and creative milestone, blending fiction with years of observation about the changing world around us. Outside of work, I support causes I care about, stay curious, and love Photography and Art.”