Most brands chase reach and wonder why nothing happens. The truth: consumers act after 3–8 meaningful exposures across different environments—not after seeing the same ad again. “3-to-8 To Motivate” explains how real frequency works and why it outperforms reach every time.

Food, beverage, frozen, and household brands are all competing in the same auctions with the same data. What separates winners in 2026 isn’t targeting. I’s creative. As signals flatten and CPMs rise, messaging clarity, speed, and adaptability have become the real growth levers, exposing why legacy agency models are starting to break.

This year proved growth isn’t polite. It rewards the brands and CMOs willing to push past table-steaks thinking, find white space, fix broken funnels, clean up martech, and create work that actually moves culture. From smarter remarketing to tighter social, from buying your own damn products to doing something cool with 10% of your budget, the path forward is simple: get sharper, get braver, get louder.

2025 exposed every weak spot in marketing: KPIs that weren’t defined, pixels that didn’t fire, funnels that leaked, and teams that hesitated when speed mattered most. Our new piece, “What This Year Taught Us About Growth, Part 1,” distills the exact lessons CMOs need to carry into 2026 — from fixing tech and tightening targeting to building campaigns that survive chaos. Growth isn’t about conditions anymore. It’s about conviction, clarity, and speed.

Left Off Madison has unlocked a new way for brands to reach sports fans—turning MRI-Simmons data into precise, addressable audiences across 100+ platforms, from CTV and social to display. Covering 20+ major leagues and powered by 60,000+ consumer attributes, the platform gives marketers a smarter alternative to expensive sponsorships—delivering true sports-fan targeting with accountability, flexibility, and ROI.

Nearly 40% of U.S. adults now say advertising is “way too annoying,” up 27% in just two years. This isn’t just a media or targeting issue—it’s a creativity, strategy, and accountability problem. As skepticism and ad avoidance rise, better briefs, braver ideas, and stronger client–agency partnerships are no longer optional—they’re essential to earning attention back.