Observed Signal · Jun 16, 2026 · Awards · Source: Digiday · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Digiday 2026 Media Buying & Planning Awards Winners
Digiday published the winners of its 2026 Media Buying and Planning Awards, highlighting campaigns and agencies that used AI, data-driven planning and omnichannel strategies. Kepler won Most Innovative Media Agency after expanding into an intelligence-led growth consultancy and launching its Kip platform and Kip AIR for generative-AI visibility. Samsung Ads and Havas won Best Connected/Streaming TV Campaign for Domino’s GameBreaks, an interactive CTV format on Samsung TV Plus. Kraft Heinz’s Heinz Verified (Kraft Heinz & Salt XC) won B2B Media Campaign of the Year after a national B2C2B approach that included Uber Eats integration and generated over 300 million impressions across six markets. The awards list includes new AI categories and recognizes a wide range of creative, media-mix, retail media, and omnichannel work across brands and agencies.
Industry recognition highlights adoption of AI, interactive CTV and omnichannel planning but represents awards coverage rather than a platform-level technical or policy change.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Kepler won Most Innovative Media Agency and launched Kip and Kip AIR to measure brand visibility in generative AI environments.
- Samsung Ads and Havas partnered with Domino’s to run GameBreaks, an interactive CTV format on Samsung TV Plus, winning Best Connected/Streaming TV Campaign.
- Kraft Heinz & Salt XC’s Heinz Verified won B2B Media Campaign of the Year and generated more than 300 million impressions across six major markets.
- Digiday added new AI-focused award categories in 2026, including Best AI Platform and Best Creative Use of AI.
- Cognitiv’s DLAP won Best AI Platform (new category) at the awards.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Digiday Announces 2026 Media Buying & Planning Winners
Digiday published the winners of its 2026 Media Buying and Planning Awards, highlighting campaigns and companies that used AI, data-driven planning and omnichannel strategies. Kepler won Most Innovative Media Agency for its AI-led consultancy work and its proprietary Kip platform (including a Kip AIR capability to measure visibility in generative-AI environments). Samsung Ads and Havas won Best Connected/Streaming TV Campaign for Domino’s GameBreaks interactive CTV format on Samsung TV Plus. Heinz Away From Home (Kraft Heinz) won B2B Media Campaign of the Year for its Heinz Verified program, which used trade media, digital lead generation, creator partnerships and an Uber Eats integration and generated more than 300 million impressions. The awards list includes several new AI categories and a broad set of winners across planning, creative, omnichannel and emerging-technology campaigns.
Digiday Announces 2026 Media Buying & Planning Finalists
Digiday published the list of finalists for the 2026 Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards on June 2, 2026. Finalists span agencies, brands, publishers and technology vendors across categories including Media Campaign of the Year, Media Plan of the Year and Best Omnichannel Campaign. Highlighted nominations include Uber Advertising’s full‑funnel holiday campaign for Diageo; the NFL and CBS/Paramount+ for the “Count on Sundays” 360 campaign; and WPP Media & Mazda for the docuseries “First to the Finish,” which reported 16 million minutes watched and nearly 587,000 full-series viewers. The awards also feature new AI-related categories (Best AI Platform; Best Creative Use of AI; Best Use of AI in Planning/Search) and recognize campaigns using omnichannel, CTV, DOOH and data-driven tactics.
Adweek Names 2026 Media Plan of the Year Winners
Adweek published its 2026 Media Plan of the Year awards, recognizing media agencies and brand-side planners across 22 categories for campaigns that shifted cultural conversations and delivered measurable results. Winners highlighted creative, cross-channel executions — from Kleenex partnering with PHD UK and artist Mr Doodle to drive sales, to Humana and Spark Foundry building an AI-driven system in the Microsoft Bing ecosystem to boost Medicare enrollments. Campaigns included experiential activations (Oscar Mayer’s Wienie 500), social-first debunking (Unilever’s Vaseline Verified), streamer-driven public safety (Havas Play France and Sapeurs‑Pompiers de France), and inclusive cause marketing (GMF with Havas Play France). The feature lists performance metrics and outcomes for featured campaigns and agencies, illustrating diverse tactics across OOH, streaming, AI, social, experiential, and insight-led work.
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