This fall, Butler/Till was here, there, and absolutely everywhere. From New York to half a dozen industry stages, our teams spent the season absorbing insights, sharing our own perspectives, and connecting with the people who are shaping the future of marketing. We have been publishing takeaways along the way, but across all of these conversations, what themes really rose to the top?
After dozens of sessions, panels, dinners, and hallway conversations, here are the trends that defined the season and what they mean for the brands we support every day.
1. AI Is Reshaping the Marketing Landscape, But Humans Are Still the Difference
Whether we were at eMarketer, Opticon, PulsePoint HealthNEXT, the Data and Programmatic Summit, and more, one message came through loud and clear. AI is accelerating almost everything, but it has not replaced the need for human judgment, creativity, and alignment.
Teams that win are the ones combining the efficiency of AI with strategic expertise, clear communication, and smart processes. There is a willingness across the industry to test new applications for AI, but many organizations are still measuring success with tools and methods that were built for another era. The opportunity now is to evolve execution and measurement together.
At Butler/Till, we are embracing AI while staying rooted in the fundamentals that matter. Clear strategies. Smart frameworks. Human insight. And full transparency along the way.
2. Audience Precision Is Now a Non-negotiable
From Crossix Audience Day to PulsePoint’s HealthNEXT Summit, the conversation kept returning to the same theme. Precision matters more than ever.
Fragmented data, noisy identity signals, and siloed planning make it increasingly difficult to reach the right people with consistency. Success today requires deeper audience segmentation, constant refinement, and a commitment to measurement that closes the loop instead of guessing what works. Brands must move toward synchronized strategies that bring HCP, DTC, and programmatic efforts together and eliminate inefficiencies.
Our teams are already applying this. Testing audiences more often. Reducing identity noise. Building unified HCP and DTC journeys. And holding every partner to the highest standard of transparency and compliance.
3. Creative Is Becoming a Living, Breathing Ecosystem
A major shift across events like the Future of Digital Summit and Opticon is the idea that creative can no longer be a one-and-done asset. Brands are moving to modular content that can bend, stretch, and personalize based on performance and audience needs.
Creators and everyday experts are playing a bigger role. And with so many discovery journeys now beginning on social platforms or in conversational search engines, brands must show up authentically and with purpose.
The thread across industries is clear. Creative should feel alive. It should evolve. And it should be built to perform across screens, surfaces, and formats.
4. CTV and Premium Video Are Officially Performance Channels
CTV is not emerging anymore. It is here, it is scaling fast, and it is outperforming expectations as both a brand and commerce driver.
This fall, we saw example after example of brands using CTV paired with retail and audience data to move far deeper down the funnel. The shift is no longer about replacing traditional TV. It is about layering premium video with audience intelligence, modular creative, and measurement that can prove business outcomes.
For marketers, the question is not “should we test CTV” anymore. It is “how do we maximize CTV as part of a full-funnel ecosystem.”
5. Measurement Is the Great Equalizer
Every event reinforced the same reality. Measurement is no longer a reporting function. It is the foundation of decision-making.
Retail media measurement is evolving quickly. AI-driven referral traffic is changing how marketers interpret analytics. And both HCP and consumer campaigns demand frameworks that connect creative, audience strategy, and channel performance in a way that is actually actionable.
The strongest brands are moving away from vanity metrics and leaning into indicators that predict real outcomes. Correlation analysis, creative-level tagging, attribution that withstands noise, and analytics that teach us something instead of simply summarizing results.
This is an area where Butler/Till has always been confident. Our measurement philosophy centers on clarity, simplicity, and truth. And it is becoming even more important as the market shifts.
6. Trust, Compliance, and Sustainability Are the New Currency
Across healthcare and programmatic conversations, we saw a noticeable shift toward values-based decision-making.
HCPs trust branded content because it is vetted and reliable. Patients need clarity to overcome inertia. Consumers look for signals of authenticity in every touchpoint. And in the programmatic world, sustainability is no longer a fringe conversation. It is central to how the ecosystem behaves.
From avoiding high-emission inventory to prioritizing safe, high-quality placements, agencies and brands are increasingly judged on the responsibility of their choices.
As a B Corp and 100% employee-owned organization, Butler/Till is proud to be leading in this space through initiatives like sustainable supply path optimization and Green PMPs.
Looking Ahead
If this fall made one thing clear, it is that the future of marketing belongs to organizations that can move with speed, clarity, and intention. AI will continue to evolve. Audiences will continue to shift. Measurement frameworks will continue to tighten. And creative will continue to expand beyond traditional formats.
But the core will stay the same. Brands need partners who care about the details and are not afraid to experiment. Partners who can turn insights into action. Partners who show up prepared and stay committed to doing what is right for clients, consumers, and the industry.
This conference season reminded us why we are passionate about being in the room. And as we look toward 2026, we are more energized than ever to keep leading, learning, and helping our clients navigate what comes next.
