mediasense vs Tinuiti

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.

Circana Introduces AI Predictive Commerce Signals for Audience Targeting

Circana, LLC has introduced new predictive commerce signals for its Circana Complete Audiences solution, leveraging AI and commerce intelligence to anticipate consumer demand and translate shopping behavior changes into actionable, measurable audiences. The signals identify consumers likely to enter a category, increase spend, switch brands, or disengage, enabling advertisers to shift from historical to forward-looking audience strategies. Built on household intelligence, the solution covers 129 million modeled U.S. households and nearly 2.6 million UPCs, backed by 500 billion deterministic signals. In a test across 13 brands, campaigns using the signals saw performance improvements ranging from 11% to 36%, with a median uplift of 22%. Circana's EVP of Global Media, Jill Smith, emphasized understanding where demand is heading. Tinuiti's EVP of Strategic Planning, Tavo Castro, highlighted the complementarity with their Adaptive Commerce approach.

• Circana introduced predictive commerce signals for its Complete Audiences solution, powered by AI and commerce intelligence.
• The signals identify consumers likely to enter a category, spend more, switch brands, or disengage.
• The solution covers 129 million modeled U.S. households and nearly 2.6 million UPCs, backed by 500 billion deterministic signals.

Brands capitalize on post-Fall Prime Day momentum

The article discusses how Amazon's Prime Big Deals Days has shifted the retail calendar, making October the official start of the holiday shopping season. It highlights that consumers are now researching and buying earlier each year due to sustained inflation. The event has become a key acquisition channel and testing ground for sellers ahead of Black Friday. The article summarizes a podcast episode featuring Joe O'Connor from Tinuiti, who discusses strategies for brands to capitalize on the post-Prime Day momentum, including adjusting ad budgets and targeting the right audiences. The focus is on the evolution of Amazon's fall event and how brands can strategically navigate the period between Prime Day and Black Friday to maintain sales momentum and customer engagement.

• Amazon's Prime Big Deals Days has made October the official start of holiday shopping.
• Consumers are researching and buying earlier each year due to sustained inflation.
• The fall Prime Day has become a key acquisition channel for sellers.

AI Agents Need Clean Data Foundation, Tinuiti CEO Says

In a podcast interview with AdExchanger, Abbey Klaassen, CEO of Tinuiti, emphasizes that successful AI agents depend on a clean and connected data foundation. She argues that the 'unsexy' work of data infrastructure is the true differentiator, not the agents themselves. Tinuiti's proprietary tech stack, Bliss Point, is evolving from a measurement tool into a 'governed agent-enabled orchestration system' where AI agents and humans collaborate, with humans serving as 'judges' rather than merely 'in the loop'. Klaassen also discusses the complexity of modern media mixes, the need to optimize holistically across channels, the hidden costs of too many vendors, and the evolution of agency compensation in the age of AI.

• Tinuiti CEO Abbey Klaassen says AI agents are only useful if the data feeding them is clean and connected.
• Tinuiti's proprietary tech stack Bliss Point is evolving into a 'governed agent-enabled orchestration system'.
• Klaassen prefers the term 'human as judge' over 'human in the loop' for AI agent oversight.