mediasense vs MEEDIA

Ad Industry Lacks Strategic Thinkers, Misaligned Incentives Blamed

A report from the WFA and marketing advisory Mediasense reveals that strategic thinking is becoming increasingly crucial as AI automates routine tasks, yet the industry faces a shortage of such talent. The study, based on a survey of marketers, found that strategic thinking topped the list of talent shortages, cited by 72% of respondents. While the quality of marketing talent is generally rated positively, accessing the right skills is difficult. The report emphasizes that developing internal talent is key, but current incentive structures often discourage strategic development, favoring execution and efficiency over impact. Agencies are still evaluated on executional delivery, even as AI commodifies that layer. To close the capability gap, advertisers and agencies must adapt their incentive structures and take a long-term view on talent development.

• WFA and Mediasense published a report on the growing importance of strategic thinking in advertising amid AI adoption.
• 72% of marketers surveyed identified strategic thinking as one of their top three talent shortages.
• 46% of marketers rated the quality of marketing talent as strong or very strong.

ISBA and mediasense report establishes first capability baseline for UK digital retail media networks

New research assesses campaign, reporting and measurement capabilities across five leading UK retail media networks.

Mediasense's Jack Shearring: Governance Beats Gadgets in Marketing

Jack Shearring, vice president of strategy at Mediasense and Drum Awards Festival juror, emphasizes that governance, not technology, is the key to successful marketing transformation. He argues that many organizations have sophisticated tech but unclear data ownership and fragmented agency relationships. For 2026, he would invest in measurement infrastructure over flashy tools, noting that better inputs matter more than better tools in a world of platform automation. He advocates for managing brand and performance as complementary, and for a shift toward probabilistic, modelled, and judgement-driven measurement. Leadership, he says, will favor those who ask good questions and create clarity, not necessarily those with the most knowledge.

• Jack Shearring is vice president of strategy at Mediasense.
• Shearring is a juror at the 2026 Drum Awards Festival.
• He advocates investing in measurement infrastructure for 2026.

How kicker Integrates Editorial Standards and Brand Partnerships

In a podcast interview with turi2, kicker's Sales Director Lukas Ringer and Editorial Director Tobias Goldbrunner discussed how the sports publisher successfully balances journalistic integrity with advertising. Rather than implementing quick, low-value ad integrations, kicker prioritizes high-quality branded content that delivers real value to readers. Despite the early exit of the German national team during the World Cup, kicker generated over 3 billion pageviews by offering deep, analytical coverage. Ringer emphasized that local and regional league results provide highly targeted, valuable audiences for advertisers, and expressed confidence in their monetization strategy despite broader industry concerns about shrinking advertising budgets.

• kicker recorded over 3 billion pageviews on its website during the World Cup period.
• Sales Director Lukas Ringer stated that kicker avoids simple logo-slapping integrations in favor of high-quality branded content.
• The publisher leverages regional and local league data to offer highly targeted audience segments to advertisers.

Study: 43% Trust Social Media Over Traditional News

A combined reading of reports in HORIZONT and MEEDIA on the Social‑Media‑Atlas 2026 shows 43% of internet users now trust social‑media posts more than editorial news. The representative study of about 3,600 internet users aged 16+, commissioned by PER Agency with IMWF and conducted via Toluna, finds trust in social media rose six percentage points year‑on‑year and is strongest among adults 20–49. Two‑thirds of respondents primarily rely on posts from private contacts; 35% frequently follow private recommendations (Generation Z 47%, Generation Y 46%). Most users are active on platforms and many report encountering misleading or untrue content. The coverage warns that AI‑generated fakes on social platforms pose a growing risk to voter information ahead of September state elections in Germany (Saxony‑Anhalt, Lower Saxony, Berlin, Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern).

• 43% of internet users say they trust social‑media posts more than editorial news (Social‑Media‑Atlas 2026).
• Survey of about 3,600 internet users aged 16+, commissioned by PER Agency with IMWF and conducted via Toluna.
• Trust in social media rose by 6 percentage points year‑on‑year and is strongest among adults aged 20–49.

Court: IP and Timestamp Insufficient for Newsletter Consent

The Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgericht) Düsseldorf ruled that technical log data such as IP address, e‑mail address and timestamp alone do not prove a person's consent to receive newsletters under a double-opt-in process. In the case, a marketing company could produce technical logs but failed to provide a copy of the actual confirmation (double-opt-in) e‑mail; the court found this insufficient to establish a specific individual's consent. The decision underscores that marketers should permanently archive the sent confirmation e‑mails (including recipient, content and send time) rather than relying solely on logs or metadata. The report cites CRM Blog and was published by MEEDIA on 2026-08-28.

• The Verwaltungsgericht Düsseldorf ruled that IP address, e-mail address and timestamp alone do not suffice to prove a recipient's newsletter consent under double-opt-in.
• A marketing company in the case provided technical log data but could not present a copy of the sent double-opt-in confirmation e-mail.
• The court viewed the absence of an archived confirmation e-mail (despite the company earlier claiming to archive them) as undermining the asserted consent.