From programmatic innovation to the cultural dominance of live sports and advances in healthcare targeting, Butler/Till has been on the ground at major industry events, including the Jounce SPO Summit, 2025 Upfronts, and the Veeva Crossix Summit. Across each of these conferences, three themes emerged: precision media, participatory experiences, and performance-based outcomes. Check out our key takeaways from each below.
Jounce SPO Summit: The New Rules of Programmatic
At the Jounce SPO Summit, our Chief Strategy Officer Scott Ensign joined industry leaders to explore the future of programmatic advertising. Scott spoke on the evolution of the buy-side and the increasingly critical role of sell-side curation.
Key Takeaways:
- Demand Fuels Innovation: Innovation on the supply side depends on strong, informed demand. When marketers push for smarter, safer environments, innovation follows.
- Caution on Platform Consolidation: There’s growing unease around over-reliance on dominant “plasticode” platforms that could stifle creativity and competition.
- CTV’s Growing Pains: While programmatic offers flexibility, CTV and streaming still present challenges in targeting and transparency. More control is needed in these environments.
- Focus on Value, Not Cost: Conversations around intermediary layers should prioritize incremental value, not just cost-cutting.
- GenAI’s Dual Impact: Generative AI is both a disruptor and a tool. It brings efficiency but raises valid questions around trust, control, and human oversight in content and optimization.
Scott’s POV was clear: transparency, innovation, and a balanced approach to automation are key as the supply chain evolves.
2025 Upfronts: Content, Culture, and Commerce Collide
This year’s Upfronts painted a vivid picture of a fragmented yet opportunity-rich media landscape. While the scale of live TV remains undeniable, each platform is building unique strengths in content, data, and brand integration.
NBCUniversal
- Live Leads: With 70% of its content live and major sports rights secured, NBCU is betting on appointment viewing.
- Cultural Currency: From the Olympics to BravoCon, NBCU shows how live moments drive cultural conversation. They emphasized that live delivers upwards of 21% more engagement.
- Measurable Impact: Their emphasis on outcome-based advertising positions them as leaders in performance-driven media.
Disney
- Three Pillars: Content, technology, and data form Disney’s foundation, with real-time creative testing (Disney Composer) and advanced targeting (Disney Compass) at the forefront.
- Sports Powerhouse: With 75 of 2024’s top 100 broadcasts and a growing female audience, Disney is investing in inclusive, mass-reach moments.
- Brand Synergy: ESPN, Hulu, and Disney+ work in tandem, setting the standard for omnichannel storytelling.
Amazon
- Commerce-Driven Content: Amazon is blurring lines between watching and shopping, with pause ads, AI-powered creative, and full-funnel ad solutions.
- Live Sports Expansion: With new rights in NFL, NBA, and women’s leagues, Amazon is courting year-round fan engagement.
- One-Stop Ecosystem: Their strength lies in first-party data, scale, and seamless ad experiences across platforms.
Warner Bros. Discovery
- Return to HBO Max: The rebrand is a return to prestige, aligning ad formats with premium storytelling.
- The Storyverse: WBD is integrating IP into immersive experiences, a novel way to insert brands into fan-favorite franchises.
- Ad Innovation: Tools like DemoDirect and the NEO platform signal a future of precision and performance.
Netflix
- Engagement Reigns: With the most reach among 18–34s and the highest-rated ad experience, Netflix’s ad-tier is gaining ground.
- Ad Tech Advancements: Interactive and pause ads are on the horizon, pushing engagement to new heights.
- Sports Strategy: From docuseries to live events, Netflix is rewriting its own playbook on sports.
Cross-Platform Insight: Live Sports Are the New Superpower
Every platform is anchoring their strategy in sports. Beyond reach, live sports deliver real-time cultural capital—and they’re becoming a testing ground for shoppable ads, interactive formats, and outcome measurement. The lesson: if you want attention, go where the fans are.
Veeva Crossix Summit: Raising the Bar for Healthcare Marketing
At the Crossix Summit, precision and performance took center stage—especially for pharmaceutical and rare disease marketers.
Key Takeaways:
- Multi-Model Measurement: Combining Crossix Matchback with MMM offers brand marketers deeper validation, leading to more confident optimizations.
- Precision for Rare Disease: In niche categories, scale isn’t the goal—strategic, segmented outreach is. Success is built patient by patient, channel by channel.
- Omnichannel ≠ Omnipresent: Thoughtful media selection matters more than being everywhere. Relevance and timing are critical in complex patient journeys.
- cPLD and New Features Ahead: Crossix is launching innovative capabilities to drive more actionable insights. (We’ll share more once details are public.)
This event reinforced a critical healthcare truth: outcomes matter. And we’re seeing a shift from awareness at scale to action at the point of care.
Across every stage and screen, we’re seeing the same story unfold: marketing is becoming more intentional, more measurable, and more human. From the structure of programmatic deals to the storytelling power of live events and the precision required in healthcare, the work ahead demands both rigor and creativity. As the landscape shifts, we remain focused on helping brands show up in the right places, with purpose—and with impact that lasts. Interested in connecting on any of the topics covered? Let’s chat!
Contributors: Scott Ensign, Gina Whelehan, Michelle Roe, Pat Cronin
