Are we reaching ‘peak screen’? Eight hot takes from Advertising Week NY

Another Advertising Week New York is in the books. While AI naturally reverberated throughout the conference, industry leaders were surprisingly interested in other topics as well, from connected TV to the creator economy. 

Here’s what eight executives from AI Digital, the Video Advertising Bureau, Vidmob and more had to say on the ground: 

Tom Burke, Chief Revenue Officer, AI Digital: “Next year will have a lot more practical use cases [for agentic AI]. I think agentic buying will evolve quite a bit. And I think there will be topics that [we] haven’t even imagined. This stuff is moving so fast… How are agencies and brands going to differentiate themselves? If they’re doing a lot of the work through AI, what’s the 10% that’s going to make them special to win new business?” 

Sean Cunningham, President & CEO, Video Advertising Bureau: “Every advertiser is saying their baseline expectation is proof metrics… The CMO compensation today is weighted way more towards short-term performance metrics than it is long-term brand equity.” 

On the blurring of linear and connected TV: “We’re no longer seeing this idea of a tale of two TV cities, one being traditional linear and one being CTV. One being old, one being new. One having a legacy label versus a tech-driven label. What we’re seeing is the understanding that one is the other. The entirety of this entity is being driven by data, and you can either say we’ve hit CTV at scale or that we’ve advanced linear to the point where it’s CTV.” 

Chris Gadek, CEO, AdQuick: “One theme that came through clearly at AWNY was that the industry may be reaching ‘peak screen.’ Across conversations, there was a growing focus on how younger consumers aren’t disengaging from media, but are looking for more balance between digital and physical experiences. For advertisers, this signals that attention is moving back into the physical world. Big, shared experiences like concerts, movies, sporting events and even large format out-of-home create the kind of real-world experiences that an endless short-form feed can’t replicate.”  

Mark Mannino, CEO, Vidmob: On analyzing creative data: “Don’t show people shopping. The real performance comes when you show the end result, which is a family around a table enjoying good food. We consistently see across multiple clients, whenever you show people doing something, the performance goes down. All consumers care about is the end result. Don’t show the car getting fixed, show the car. If you’re a creative and know that, you have a head start.” 

Lucy Markowitz, Senior Vice President, Vistar Media: “A recurring theme we’re hearing from our clients and industry partners is around the challenge of accessing high-quality consumer audience data and an interest in how mobile carriers can be a part of closing the gap. Despite there being more data available than ever before, advertisers still face challenges accessing quality [and] differentiated signals that give them a more complete picture of their audiences. This includes both how they move through the physical world and how they engage digitally.” 

Chris Modzelewski, Executive Vice President, Ad Solutions & Data Monetization, Intentsify: “One thing is clear from the sessions and our conversations this week: data providers that aren’t preparing for the agentic future will be left behind... What we’re eager to see is how the field coalesces around what comes next: the roles humans will play in the loop, data reconciliation patterns between agents, and feedback loops around optimization. Those conversations will shape the industry for years to come.” 

Todd Porch, CEO of Strategus: “The biggest theme we saw and heard at Adweek was centered on convergence: marketers are no longer thinking in isolated channels. CTV, streaming, creators, commerce, social and retail media are increasingly operating in one connected ecosystem.  

That same shift is showing up in client conversations. Marketers are less focused on debating the value of individual platforms and more focused on which combination can deliver reach, targeting, measurement and ease of execution. They want CTV and streaming to extend the reach of linear, but they also want clear proof of business impact, connecting exposure to store visits, donations, leads, subscriptions and other measurable outcomes.” 

Josephine Wong, Chief Revenue Officer, POP.STORE: “The buzz is all about how creators are negotiating like traditional Hollywood directors now, protecting their ownership, locking down royalties, and keeping a piece of the long-term equity. We’re seeing top creators raise serious capital just to scale up their own independent content production. Creators aren't just talent for hire anymore; they’re building their own entertainment empires. For advertisers, the message is clear: the future isn’t about transactional sponsorships, it’s about backing the people who already own the culture.”