Mindgruve attended Digiday’s Media Buying Summit last month, joining hundreds of industry leaders who gathered to discuss the dramatic evolution of media buying and how to stand out in an ever-shifting landscape. Here are our takeaways from three days of sessions, conversations, and insights that helped us understand emerging trends in the age of AI.

AI is rewriting the rules of search

One of the summit’s most compelling themes centered on how AI is transforming search behavior far beyond traditional SEO tactics. People now trust product recommendations from ChatGPT, or their favorite go-to AI tool, more than they trust paid social ads. The implications for advertising are significant. Brands need to identify clear differentiators that help them stand out in AI overviews. Plus, the technical side of brand positioning and consistent messaging across digital touchpoints matters more than ever:

  • Structured data has become critical for how AI reads and understands your brand
  • Content refresh cycles need to happen every three months instead of every year
  • Distinct brand voices help AI recognize and verify brand identities across channels

Brands that invest in AI search now, before the playbook is established, will gain an advantage over competitors who wait for proven tactics to emerge, just as early TikTok adopters captured outsized attention before the platform took off. So what can you do now? Start with these steps:

  • Double down on articulating what makes your brand unique
  • Prioritize AI search as a crucial line-item in your 2026 budgets
  • Earmark 20% of your content strategy to experimenting with AI formats
  • Develop consistent messaging on your site so AI can recognize your brand

Master AI contextual targeting

Today’s AI engines are so advanced that they’re correlating nuanced brand and consumer sentiment, determining optimal ad placement based on content, and reaching audiences at the right moment. Partnership evaluations are also critical. Different AI partners offer different technologies, so evaluate what works for your brand. Pro tip: Expect to fine-tune the AI model several times before your ads consistently show up in the right places.

Invest in your people

Even as AI becomes more adept at handling rote tasks, agencies face a different yet related problem: Capacity challenges. The industry is experiencing rising demand, but many agencies struggle to take on new work because their teams are stretched thin. The issue isn’t staffing — it’s a lack of training on AI tools that could automate routine workflows and allow employees to focus on high-value client work. The solution from forward-thinking companies? Equip the talent you have with a deeper AI skillset to improve efficiencies and minimize busywork.

Training employees on AI starts with framing it as an opportunity rather than a threat. Consider your analytics and media teams: They used to spend hours stitching data together manually before they could even analyze it. Now LLMs handle that integration and identify actionable insights automatically. Marketing mix modeling that once required lengthy monthly cycles now delivers fresh analyses every day. And tools like Amazon Marketing Cloud instantly uncover audience patterns from retail media data that once required painstaking manual review. This transformation frees up your best people to interpret trends, think strategically, and adopt a bird’s-eye view of what drives business results for your clients.

TV advertising demands a blended approach

Even as streaming services keep expanding, linear TV captures substantial consumer attention, especially among older demographics. Sports programming still drives a huge amount of linear viewership. Our advice? Reach audiences across both platforms to see stronger results than advertising in either channel alone. Consider the advantages of each approach:

  • Direct buys: The traditional media buying process gives you access to live sports programming, sponsorship opportunities, and premium placement guarantees.
  • Programmatic buys: The pros of the newer approach? Flexibility in campaign adjustments, frequency control across platforms, and even broader coverage and reach.

Many brand lift studies and foot traffic analyses demonstrate the impact of advertising on TV. And since the emotional power of video storytelling remains as strong as ever, brands that pay attention to consumer behavior are positioning themselves for long-term growth.

Track creator campaigns across the entire funnel

Eighty percent of consumers expect brands to speak to them in ways that sound human and organic, making the creator economy — and creator-led campaigns — more vital than ever. But measuring the success of those campaigns means adapting traditional digital methodologies and using specialized tools built for creator tracking.

The key is to run creator content through the creator’s handle to drive full-funnel performance. Brands have to balance control with creative freedom for their creator partners, because organic content that tests well deserves paid support. Effective creator strategies include:

  • Listening to communities so you don’t miss cultural events
  • Piggybacking on viral moments to reach new audiences
  • Interacting with sub-communities where your audience hangs out
  • Commenting on relevant content for cost-effective engagement

One cautionary note: While organic strategies can guide paid efforts, brands also need to remember that platform-specific content performs better than, say, repurposing a TV commercial for social media. Investing in creator marketing means trusting in authenticity.

Embrace the future

The Digiday Media Buying Summit reinforced what we practice at Mindgruve: Success requires balancing emerging technologies with fundamental skillsets, blending strategies across channels, and maintaining messaging consistency while embracing new platforms. All of which keep us ready to capitalize on new opportunities that drive measurable client growth.

Want to ask a question or learn more? Get in touch with us today.