Ad Week Europe reminded us that while technology races ahead and buzzwords come and go, the core ingredients of impactful advertising remain refreshingly consistent. Across standout talks and thought-provoking panels, three powerful themes emerged: the enduring value of human insight, the evolving dance between tech and emotion, and the urgent need for authentic inclusion. Our Client Managing Director, Jane Power, breaks down these three clear themes – both timely and timeless.
The ingredients for impactful advertising haven’t changed.
Still, the best work begins with a brilliant brief, grounded in a clear human insight, iterated through collaboration with a variety of voices and experts. It’s not about chasing trends — it’s about getting the fundamentals right.
This was brought to life with Katie Evans from Burger King who told the story of their standout ‘Bundles of Joy’ campaign started from a simple three-word brief to BBH: drive delivery awareness. This single-minded KPI was provided with relevant context; Burger King couldn’t afford to outspend the heavyweights of the market so this idea would need to be impactful, and without the budget for a big TVC it would need to exist only in digital video and OOH. The inspired campaign that followed was grounded in the insight – validated robustly by a Mumsnet survey – that many new mothers crave a burger after giving birth. I have to say that the delivery/delivery alignment was inspired.
Another stark insight was at the heart of a powerful partnership between Mamas and Papas and Tommy’s, the pregnancy and baby charity. This important collaboration came about because the Mamas and Papas customer care team receive at least one call every day from someone who has experienced baby loss, and needs to return an item they had already bought. The partnership started with training from Tommy’s for Mamas and Papas employees to ensure they have the right level of understanding and the appropriate language to support customers through this heartbreaking time, and has now extended to funding vital research in this field. Sarah Ashby from Mamas & Papas reflected on how it can be challenging or unusual for a CFO to be leading an initiative that is taking revenue away from the bottom line, but that the absolute alignment between the insight and the cause meant it was a perfect partnership.
We’re balancing the promise of tech with the power of emotion, meaning measurement is more important than ever.
There was much talk about tech, and how we can – and will continue to – harness its power to enhance, augment, and deliver campaigns. AI has been a game-changer in terms of the speed and precision of targeting and, for certain channels, has ushered in an era of bespoke advertising where people reward personalisation with attention.
On the subject of mass vs targeted reach, and on how “telly” now includes pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll, pause ads, and home screen experiences, Dino Myers-Lamptey of The Barber Shop, reflected on the continued scale of TV, and the need to not be distracted by instant intent indicators. While targeting and CTV offer great opportunities for curated targeted experiences, he reminded us to not lose sight of the power of a shared communal view to deliver impact at scale, and that the role of a media planner is more complex and essential than ever.
From media to messaging; Lee Bofkin of Global Street Art spoke of how AI can’t and won’t replace the need for human ingenuity to understand and develop ideas that make you feel. While AI can be used as a tool to collate inspiration, when it comes to ideation “you only get back what you prompt for” so the direction is to use AI to support creativity, not replace it.
With tech and targeting evolving, Martin Radford of AudienceProject chaired a panel on what measurement needs to do to keep up with this ever-changing landscape. He reported that smart TVs are the only device adoption still growing, meaning there is – for now – no further disruptor on the horizon. It wasn’t surprising to see a Medialab alumni extol the value of measurement – Emily Weldon, now at Ebiquity, was part of the chorus calling for a holistic measurement framework including econometrics, brand lift studies, incrementality tests, and a never-ending need to test and learn.
Inclusion isn’t a moment — it’s a movement.
There’s still work to do to make our industry more inclusive, representative, and empathetic. It’s a sad state of affairs, but with DEI coming off the agenda across the world due to political clout, it is an area that continues to need our collective focus. As an industry that influences behaviour and culture, and is rooted in storytelling, it is our responsibility to continue this drive.
Annisha Taylor of Ofcom urged ongoing commitment — not one-off bias training — and encouraged leaders to “look around the room and see who’s missing”. During a lively debate about the power of influencers, Sabrina Francis of the7stars declared that “advertising decides who gets heard”, so we have a responsibility to ensure we are inclusive through every touchpoint. This was brought to life by Yusuf Ciftci of the Refugee Council, who spoke of the need for authentic stories, not labels or numbers to ensure accurate representation to challenge stigmas and drive change. It means being brave enough to challenge bias, listen deeply, and tell stories that reflect the world as it really is — not just the version we’re comfortable with.
At Medialab, we’re proud to be active in all these areas. Our independence means we’re truly channel-agnostic, focused on building brilliant, insight-led campaigns underpinned by data-driven measurement. Through our Communities, we’re constantly striving to grow, challenge ourselves, and lead inclusively — within our teams and within our industry.
