Blogging By Dr. Philip Jay LeNoble discusses the sales and sales management structure of media marketing and advertising including principles, practices and behaviorial theory. After 15 years of publishing Retail In$ights and serving as CEO of Executive Decision Systems, Inc., the author is led to provide a continuum of solutions for businesses.
This year’s Super Bowl made one thing painfully clear. Advertising is having an identity crisis, and it is playing out in real time on the most expensive stage in the world.
On one end of the spectrum, brands are terrified. They are afraid of saying the wrong thing, offending the wrong group, or being dragged into a conversation they did not intend to have. On the other end, a few brave brands are remembering that advertising is supposed to mean something, not just avoid scrutiny.
Rocket’s decision to hire Lady Gaga to sing the "Mister Rogers" theme over a story about community and belonging felt almost radical. “Be a good neighbor” should not be a brave message. In 2026, it is. In a country that can barely agree on what those words mean anymore, Rocket chose to say them anyway. Brands that are not afraid to have a perspective will always gain more fans than they lose. Playing it safe is the fastest way to be forgotten.
At the same time, this Super Bowl was drenched in nostalgia. Millennials are officially running the world, and they are spending eight million dollars at a time to recreate their childhoods. Green Day. Backstreet Boys. Mister Rogers. Dunkin’ ads that feel like they wandered in from a ‘90s sitcom. Somewhere, a CMO is pitching Topanga with a Skip-It for next year.
Nostalgia works because it is comfortable. It reminds us of a time before everything felt so complicated. But when every brand is pulling from the same cultural scrapbook, the work starts to blur together. Familiarity alone is not a strategy. It is a shortcut, and shortcuts rarely lead to anything memorable.
Nowhere was this tension more obvious than in the AI category. Subscription-only platforms spent Super Bowl money to mock the idea of ads, even though most consumers still do not understand what separates one AI platform from another. Perception mattered more than nuance. When OpenAI floated the possibility of ads, Anthropic seized the opportunity to position itself in contrast. Meta continues to run AI ads for its smart glasses. This is a land grab. While understanding is still low, these companies are racing to claim attention and trust before consumers fully know what they are choosing.
Then there were the brands that actually understood how culture moves now. Fanatics did not treat the Super Bowl as the moment. They treated it as the finale. Instead of another yelling ex-athlete shouting odds, they let Kendall Jenner roast her exes for 90 seconds. The spot was already driving massive app downloads before the game even aired because it launched on social first and went viral organically. The Super Bowl buy was the exclamation point, not the starting line.
That is the lesson most brands still refuse to learn: The Super Bowl is not a strategy, it is a stage.
In a country that feels like a dumpster fire most days, advertising still has the power to make people feel something. Sometimes that something is laughter, like Ben Stiller crashing through a drum set. Sometimes it is something stranger and deeper, like a horse, an eagle, and "Free Bird" reminding us we are still in here somewhere, or a collection of backsides in Levi's doing effortlessly cool in a way only they can do it. That is not escapism. That is connection.
And connection, when done honestly, is still undefeated.
I’ll admit it: I used to love personas. I’d spend hours crafting profiles like “Lauren, the 39-year-old suburban mom who buys oat milk on Tuesdays” and feel like I’d cracked the code of human behavior. It felt smart, surgical, genius even. But now I’m cringing thinking about it.
In hindsight, we were kidding ourselves. Those personas were rarely as useful in the wild as they were in the pitch deck. And when the industry got tired of micro-targeting fatigue, we swung hard in the opposite direction: lumping millions of people into generational buckets.
Suddenly, whole campaigns were built on clichés like “Gen Z loves authenticity” or “Boomers don’t get tech.” It’s a clean shortcut, sure—but at best it creates watered-down work, and at worst it alienates the very people we’re trying to reach.
The Myth of Generational Homogeneity
Take millennials. At age 38, I’m one. But I’m a remarried city-dweller with no kids on the horizon, while most of my closest millennial contemporaries live in the suburbs, juggle kids’ schedules, and spend their weekends on baseball diamonds and trampoline parks. Same “generation.” Diverging priorities and buying behaviors.
That’s the problem. When we treat a generation as a monolith, we erase the nuances that actually matter. We end up with one-size-fits-none marketing -- and waste money chasing a phantom audience that doesn’t exist.
Culture already proves this. Gaming is a $200-billion industry spanning teenagers to retirees, with the average gamer now 34. Pickleball went from a retiree stereotype to the fastest-growing sport in America, played by college kids, mid-career professionals, and retirees alike. Passions don’t stay locked in one generation.
If marketers ignore that, we’re not just missing the mark, we’re leaving money on the table.
Beyond Generations: What Really Connects People
The strongest connections today are happening across age lines. A 22-year-old and a 62-year-old can bond more over pickleball, side hustles, or the same Discord community than with anyone who just shares their birth year.
The communities driving culture right now are age-agnostic: BookTok, fantasy football leagues, craft mocktail clubs. They’re defined by what people care about and how they show up.
And when brands show they “get it,” they don’t just gain relevance. They create belonging. That’s a stronger currency than generational cool points.
A New Playbook: Beyond Birth Year Buckets
Before your next brief, strike “Gen Z” from the target audience slide. Replace it with a passion, mindset, or habit.
This post was previously published in an earlier edition of Marketing Insider.
Whilst the following was published back in November, it wasn't available for us to grab for you until today. Enjoy! Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D.
Insights
November 28, 2025
2026 TV Advertising Predictions: What to Expect
Trends, technologies, and opportunities to watch in the coming year
The TV advertising landscape is changing faster than ever. What worked in 2024 looks different from 2025, and 2026 promises even more evolution.
For small businesses, these changes are largely good news. The trends reshaping TV advertising are making it more accessible, more measurable, and more effective for businesses of all sizes.
Here are seven predictions for TV advertising in 2026, and what they mean for your business.
Prediction 1: AI-Powered Creative Goes Mainstream
The biggest barrier to TV advertising has always been production cost. Professional commercials required expensive agencies, video production crews, and weeks of development.
That's changing fast.
In 2026, AI-generated commercials will become the norm, not the exception. Tools that can create professional-quality video ads from text prompts, website content, or simple inputs will mature significantly.
What this means for small businesses:
No production budget required to get started
Faster iteration on creative concepts
Personalized ads for different audiences become feasible
The playing field levels between small businesses and big brands
Platforms like Adwave are already demonstrating this future. Provide a website URL, and AI generates a broadcast-ready commercial in minutes. By 2026, this will feel as normal as creating a social media post.
Prediction 2: FAST Channels Continue Explosive Growth
Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) channels are booming. Services like Tubi, Pluto TV, and Freevee are attracting massive audiences who want free content with ads rather than paid subscriptions.
The numbers are dramatic:
FAST revenue is projected to exceed $12 billion by 2027
More than 80% of streaming households use at least one FAST service
Ad loads on FAST channels are typically lower than traditional TV
What this means for small businesses:
More premium inventory available at accessible prices
Audiences accustomed to ads during streaming content
New channels opening up for local targeting
CPMs remaining competitive as supply grows
In 2026, expect FAST to become a primary channel for CTV advertising, not just a secondary option.
Prediction 3: Attribution Gets Easier (and More Expected)
"Half my advertising is wasted. The trouble is, I don't know which half."
That classic quote is becoming less true every year. TV advertising attribution is improving rapidly, and 2026 will bring significant advances.
What's improving:
Cross-device tracking connecting TV views to digital actions
QR code scanning becoming more normalized
Brand lift studies becoming more accessible
Real-time dashboards showing campaign performance
What this means for small businesses:
Clearer picture of what's working
Better ability to optimize campaigns in real-time
Stronger case for TV in the marketing mix
Reduced "leap of faith" for first-time advertisers
The passive TV ad experience is evolving. Interactive elements are becoming more common:
QR codes linking to websites, offers, or apps
Voice commands ("OK Google, learn more about...")
Click-to-action on smart TVs
Shoppable ads with direct purchase capabilities
What this means for small businesses:
Shorter path from impression to conversion
New creative possibilities
Better tracking through interactive engagement
More direct response capabilities from brand campaigns
In 2026, including a QR code in your TV ad won't be innovative. It will be expected.
Prediction 5: Local Advertising Gets More Programmatic
Local TV advertising has historically been messy: different systems for different markets, manual negotiations, limited targeting options.
That's changing as programmatic buying expands to local markets:
More inventory available through self-serve platforms
Better geographic targeting at the ZIP code level
Easier to run multi-market campaigns
Simplified pricing and buying processes
What this means for small businesses:
Easier access to local TV without agency relationships
More precise targeting around your locations
Ability to test in one market before expanding
Better budget control and flexibility
The technology making national programmatic CTV possible is trickling down to local markets, making small business TV advertising more accessible than ever.
Prediction 6: SMB Adoption Accelerates
The biggest trend may be who's advertising, not how.
Small and medium businesses have historically avoided TV advertising, assuming it wasn't "for them." That assumption is breaking down:
Lower minimum budgets (starting at $50 on platforms like Adwave)
Simplified creative production through AI
Better targeting reaching relevant local audiences
Clearer ROI measurement
What this means:
More businesses competing for attention (act now before it's crowded)
Platform improvements driven by SMB needs
More case studies and success stories from businesses like yours
TV advertising becoming a standard part of SMB marketing mix
If you've been waiting to try TV advertising, 2026 may be the year your competitors stop waiting.
Prediction 7: New Entrants Shake Up the Market
The TV advertising technology market is attracting significant investment and innovation. Expect:
New platforms making buying even simpler
Better creative tools for non-experts
More pricing competition benefiting advertisers
Innovative targeting and measurement capabilities
The dominance of traditional TV ad buying is eroding as new players prove there are better ways to serve small business advertisers.
How to Prepare Your Business for These Changes
These predictions aren't just interesting, they're actionable. Here's how to position your business:
Start Now, Not Later
The best way to understand TV advertising in 2026 is to have experience from 2025. Start with a small test campaign:
Learn how targeting works in your market
Understand your audience's response
Build baseline metrics to measure against
Get comfortable with the tools and processes
Plan for AI-First Creative
As AI creative improves, plan to take advantage:
Ensure your website and assets are high-quality (AI pulls from them)
Document your brand guidelines clearly
Build a library of images and messaging
Be ready to iterate quickly on creative concepts
Embrace Measurement
When attribution improves, you want to be ready:
Set up tracking on your website now
Train your team to ask "how did you hear about us?"
Define success metrics before you need them
Build the habit of reviewing performance data
Stay Informed
The landscape is evolving quickly. Stay current:
Follow industry publications
Connect with your advertising platforms
Watch what competitors are doing
Test new features as they launch
Make 2026 Your TV Advertising Year
The trends are clear: TV advertising is becoming more accessible, more measurable, and more effective for small businesses. The question isn't whether these changes are coming, it's whether you'll be ready for them.
Adwave is built for this future. AI-powered creative generation, low minimum budgets, simple self-serve buying, and clear performance dashboards. Everything that's coming mainstream in 2026 is available today.
Don't wait for the future to arrive. Create your first TV ad now and enter 2026 with experience, insights, and momentum.
As of February 17, 2026, the broadcast television sales landscape is defined by an urgent, AI-driven shift from "experimentation" to "execution" in a "Total TV" (linear + streaming) model, aimed at maximizing reach and accountability in a landscape where streaming viewership has surpassed combined cable and broadcast, say reports.
Key Sales and Sales Management Trends (As of 2/17/2026):
"Total TV" Implementation: Broadcasters are breaking down silos between linear and digital teams to sell audiences, not just channels, treating streaming and linear as a unified inventory source.
AI-Driven Performance: Sales management is adopting AI to automate workflows, reduce production costs for SMBs, and enable real-time campaign optimization, moving away from "set-it-and-forget-it" models.
Speed as a Competitive Moat: Sales teams are accelerating internal workflows to meet advertiser demands for rapid, data-driven proofs. Delayed approvals are causing missed opportunities, with competitors winning on speed and personalization.
First-Party Data Necessity: Building and using direct viewer data is no longer optional but foundational to competitive, outcomes-based measurement.
Localism via Technology: Local ad sales are shifting to programmatic, allowing for ZIP-code level targeting, with high-stakes, local sports content on broadcast driving revenue, while political advertising continues to utilize digital/streaming tools.
Content and Commerce Convergence: Broadcasters are developing shoppable TV experiences (QR codes, interactive ads) to prove ROI, making TV a direct-response driver.
Industry Consolidation: Major networks (like Hearst) are actively exploring deals to build scale to compete with tech giants.
Technological and Operational Shifts:
IP-Native Infrastructure: The transition to IP-based workflows has moved from pilot projects to required, "essential" technology in 2026, allowing for more flexible, software-defined operations.
"Agentic" AI in Ad Ops: Sales ops teams are evolving from "doing" to "directing" by using AI agents to handle repetitive tasks, enabling human sales management to focus on higher-order strategy.
Key 2026 Media Events Driving Revenue:
Super Bowl LX (Feb 8, 2026): Reached $8–10 million for 30-second spots, with NBCUniversal selling out inventory across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo.
Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics & NBA All-Star Game: Managed via hybrid IP/digital infrastructures by partners like Comcast Business.
Backed by football -- both the NFL and college -- TV viewing of persons two years and older climbed to 12-month high in January 2026, according to Nielsen’s Total TV/Streaming Snapshot.
But live, legacy TV networks and streaming platforms continued their share trends of the market, respectively, of overall decline and ascending year-over-year.
Broadcast dipped one percentage point to 21.5% (from 22.5%), while cable was down 3.2 percentage points to 21.2% (from 24.4%). All the while streaming rose 4.4 percentage points to 47% share.
On a month-to-month basis (January 2026 to December 2025), both broadcast and cable rose with high-performing sports.
For broadcasts, the NFL accounted for the top 15 telecasts.
On the cable side, ESPN witnessed an increase of 82% in its sports programming, with news networks climbing 17% for Fox News Channel and CNN up by 29%.
Looking at ESPN and Fox News together, the two channels pulled in 21% of all cable TV viewing.
Streaming witnessed a 3% hike in total viewing from December, and 10% higher share versus January 2025.
A number of streamers showed year-over-year gains. YouTube remained in the top spot with 12.5% (vs. 10.8% in January 2025), while Netflix was next at 8.8% (versus 8.6%) and Disney, for all its platforms, came in at 4.9% (4.7%), while Prime Video had 4.1% (3.7%); Roku, 3.0% (2.1%), and Tubi, 2.1% (1.7%).
