The death of GroupM, followed by Brian Wieser's assertion that the craft of media planning also is effectively dead, were the top "Planning & Buying Insider" columns in 2025.

I uploaded HMN's just-released "2026 Predictions Report" into NotebookLM to map the mind of its authors and break it down into a simple audio overview. Here's what it found.

Following the demise of two of the Big 4 hold co.'s public ad forecasts, this is my first attempt at generating a new composite mixing the remaining two - Dentsu and WPP - with other widely-sourced industry experts.

Separate deals announced by WPP and Horizon within 24 hours of each other tell a story about not just the directions they're heading in, but where the entire industry is going.

Because just like nature, trade reporters abhor a vacuum, and the demise of IPG's and Publicis' forecasts has created one. Plus, WARC has paid its dues and is widely cited across the industry.

Business leaders are one of least trusted groups, but they would stub their toes even more if not for marketing, because marketing is the consumer-first, conscience of business.

This isn't just entertainment - it's cultural strategy. Bad Bunny brings youth, multiculturalism, and global appeal to a franchise seeking its next era of relevance.

If you had told me a year ago that it was going to be Dentsu, I would've said, "huh?" So much for ad industry legacies.