Show Me the Media Money: Outernet Reports from The Drum Live

As proud sponsors of The Drum Live 2025, we had the chance to dive into one of the industry’s biggest questions: who really has the toughest gig in modern marketing?

With media more fragmented than ever, from traditional billboards to influencer-driven content, the panel - entitled Show Me The Media Money explored where smart brands should be placing their bets in 2026.

Our own Dan Patton, Director of Digital Publishing and Audience Data, joined Sally Weavers (Founder, Craft Media), Gonca Bubani (Media Thought Leadership Director, Kantar), and Richard Clay (Chief Strategy Officer, Zenith UK) in a lively session hosted by Cameron Clark, Global Editor at The Drum.

Tackling Fragmentation Head-On

Cameron set the stage with the challenge of fragmentation. Sally highlighted how channels are now pulling double duty, serving multiple roles at once. Richard questioned whether the traditional purchase funnel is in the middle of a rewrite?

But Gonca brought an optimistic view: new Kantar research shows 57% of people are more welcoming towards advertising than they were last year. The shift, she suggested, comes from better personalisation and holistic planning. Campaigns are increasingly built across channels, measured in smarter ways, and designed to feel more connected. In fact, her data shows that over half of campaign impact comes from exposure across more than one channel, a reminder that no single platform wins alone.

Where Brands Will Win in 2026

Dan captured the current mood: traditional channels may be under pressure, but we’re seeing a resurgence in experiential marketing, in-person events, social, and retail-driven campaigns. The battle for attention is tougher than ever and cut-through will be the defining challenge of 2026.

This is where Outernet plays a unique role, blending experiential and DOOH with amplification through social media and influencer marketing. Independent research from 2CV shows that over half of visitors to Outernet share what they experience on screen. In an era of digital clutter, these “unskippable, unmissable” shared moments help brands stand out and stay memorable.

Dan also introduced Outernet’s new audience analytics service, PIAMS (Public Immersive Audience Measurement System), giving advertisers TV-style overnight reporting to bring accountability to this evolving space.

Balancing the Media Mix

The panel agreed that TV remains a strong player in the wider mix, but Richard reminded us that the real key lies in optimisation and balance. For Dan, it comes back to simplicity: brands want the easiest, most cost-effective route to the biggest impact and legacy assumptions about TV being the “default winner” don’t always hold.

Instead, brands should be asking: how can we create something unmissable?
He pointed to Comfort’s recent campaign at Outernet London, which paired bold DOOH creative with heavy investment in influencers. The risk paid off, but as Dan cautioned, every brand’s mix must be tailored to their unique objectives.

Looking Ahead to 2026

The session wrapped with a future-focused question: What’s the one thing marketers should keep front of mind heading into 2026?

• Sally Weavers: “Is anyone actually going to notice this?”

• Richard Clay: Expect AI to reshape media planning, but balance speed with human judgement.

• Gonca Bubani: Don’t plan in silos.

• Dan Patton: Reach is still vital, but embrace experiential to create cut-through and social shareability.

The final takeaway: Fragmentation isn’t going away, but smart brands are learning to turn it into a strength. By blending channels, harnessing experiences, and demanding accountability, marketers can build campaigns that don’t just get noticed, they get remembered.