#media-planning

#media-planning

Kantar's latest media data is a wake-up call for marketers: they are not their audience. As 2026 planning kicks in, it's time to burst the think bubble, spot the gaps, and seize opportunities to better connect with consumers. Consumers are not marketers. Again: consumers are not marketers. Why repeat? Because findings from annual global ad equity study suggest marketers need to be reminded not to conflate their own experiences with consumer truths.

"I think the biggest change is the lack of rigidity, which I think is a good thing in that sort of classic funnel marketers always like to talk about. What we're seeing, or have seen over the last few years, is that channels can play any role. And that's brilliant from a planning point of view, because it gives us creativity. It gives us flexibility to kind of do more interesting things, rather than the sort of classic broadcast-to-narrowcast targeting that we used to do."

Audience planning has long relied on segmentation. It's how we bring structure to the chaos - turning abstract brand personas into something targetable and measurable. But the way we define audiences hasn't kept pace with the way people actually behave. Today's media environment is fragmented, fast-moving, and deeply personal. People don't consume content in neat, linear ways. They're scrolling, streaming, skipping, switching. And yet, much of our audience strategy is still based on static, retrospective data: a collection of pre-built segments, often designed for another time, place, or platform.

LightBoxTV and Starcount's partnership combines advanced audience insights with TV planning, ensuring emotionally relevant media strategies that align with consumer values.

Dollar General has tapped iProspect as its paid media agency of record to enhance media planning and efficiency in advertising expenditures.

ADWEEK has selected the jury for the 2025 Media Plan of the Year Awards, featuring senior leaders from agencies and brands to judge entries.