Marketers are throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. A Netflix ad character made a cameo in one of its series. Zoom hired a news influencer to host a sponsored video series about solopreneurs. The old TV commercial isn’t dead, but it’s clearly not the whole game anymore.
The Numbers Behind the Shift
The latest upfront market tells the story. Ad spending on broadcast TV dropped 5.3% compared to 2025, according to Media Dynamics, the consulting firm tracking these outlays. Cable TV fared worse, with marketers cutting outlays by 7.7%. Streaming is the bright spot: ad commitments there rose 30%.
Influencers and the Spoof That Backfired
The current preferred vehicle is digital-born personalities. A greater share of young consumers recognizes authenticity in creators and influencers than in traditional TV stars and movie journalists. However, influencers are not immune to foolish decisions.
Good Good Golf, a popular golf content channel on YouTube, got into trouble in August when a 15-second commercial clip went viral for the wrong reasons. It showed one of Good Good’s founders shoving a woman. The clip was meant as a spoof on golfers’ obsession with their clubs, but it backfired. The uproar cost Good Good its advertising partnership with Callaway Golf, and it led to the exits of Good Good’s CEO and president.
“The uproar from consumers cost Good Good its advertising partnership with Callaway Golf, and it led to the exits of Good Good’s CEO and president.”
Measurement Without a Common Yardstick
For years, advertisers have wrestled with measuring how many people watched a commercial. The digital era has made that job much more difficult. Nielsen and its competitors are all developing new methods to track every kind of viewing, yet the industry still splits into separate camps, each using its own audience-tracking system from major media companies and the advertising community.
No standard measurement exists for comparing online audiences, which means marketers lack a clear way to judge whether their spending is paying off.
Programmatic Buys and Wear Out
The rise of streaming has driven the adoption of programmatic ad buying, which uses algorithms to place spots in front of specific audiences, such as first-time car buyers or expectant mothers. This kind of targeting also leads to consumers seeing the same ads over and over, a phenomenon known as “wear out,” or resistance to engaging with the spot.
Sports as the Last Crowd Capture
Streaming services have made scripted shows and reality television easy to watch on demand, which means advertisers are now looking for bigger live audiences elsewhere. Sports remain one of the few remaining places where they can reach massive crowds, and that has drawn dozens of companies that rarely bought sports advertising into the market. The result is rising costs and a more competitive environment for marketers trying to secure space during broadcasts.
AI Production and the Fine Print Question
Ad agencies can save money by using AI to produce images. Yet the question remains whether they should. Certain TV commercials now include small print that discloses the use of AI in their production. Some of the attempts are easy to spot, and the graphics appear uneven. As this becomes more frequent, there may be resistance from viewers.
| Area | Trend |
|---|---|
| Broadcast TV spending | Down 5.3% vs. 2025 |
| Cable TV spending | Down 7.7% |
| Streaming commitments | Up 30% |
| Influencer marketing | On the rise |
| AI production | Rising, with disclosure |
What This Means for Madison Avenue
Real problems exist, yet so do real openings. Leaders of Madison Avenue must command influencers, measurement, programmatic purchases, sports positioning and AI creation. The field is gathering marketing and advertising leaders in New York on Oct. 7 for the Variety Experience and Culture Summit: The IRL Advantage Presented by OUTFRONT.
Marketers are ready to test almost anything, which leaves open the larger question of whether any of these approaches actually succeed.
Key Facts Box
– Broadcast TV spending down 5.3% vs. 2025
– Cable TV spending down 7.7%
– Streaming commitments up 30%
– Good Good lost Callaway Golf partnership and saw CEO/president exits
Source material: “Madison Avenue Makeover: Marketers Face Big Challenges in Bid to Reach Elusive Consumers,” Variety.
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