Advertising is moving faster than ever before. New platforms rise overnight, consumer expectations shift constantly, and AI is changing what’s possible in both creativity and measurement. At ADVANCE 2025, the session The New Era of Advertising brought together leaders from across industries to discuss how brands can stay ahead (and thrive) in this evolving environment.

Moderated by Smartly’s Brianna Gays, the conversation featured:

• Brian Borkowski, Fox
• Andy Webb, Uber
• Eddie Revis, Magnolia Bakery

Together, they explored how top brands are blending storytelling with performance, creativity with accountability, and building smarter campaigns that not only look good but also drive measurable results.

Brianna set the stage by highlighting just how profound the shift has been: “What we now know is that 9 in 10 consumers are using AI. Not surprising. I think I use it every day. What's interesting is 68% of marketers are using it in their daily work. We have completely changed and transformed the way that we operate. We exist as consumers and as marketers. It is a moment, it is an inflection point.”

Brand and Performance Are No Longer Separate

Panelists agreed that the line between brand-building and performance marketing has officially disappeared. Today’s most effective campaigns must deliver on both fronts: building long-term equity through storytelling while also proving short-term impact.

At Fox, this means pairing the reach of premium media with outcome-based solutions for advertisers who expect proof of performance, not just exposure. "I don't treat it differently, honestly, they're part of the same agenda,” shared Brian Borkowski.

Uber approaches brand and performance as a continuum, embedding the brand into daily routines in ways that drive both preference and trips. At Magnolia Bakery, brand-building is achieved through nostalgia, cultural moments, and storytelling, with every campaign also designed to ladder back to conversions that sustain the company’s fast-growing direct-to-consumer business.

The takeaway: it’s no longer a choice between brand and performance. In the new era of advertising, the two must operate as one.

Agility Is the New Mandate

If there’s one constant in advertising today, it’s change. Consumer expectations evolve by the hour, formats shift overnight, and new platforms can explode in relevance seemingly out of nowhere. The panelists emphasized that agility is no longer a “nice to have,” it’s a mandate.

For Uber, agility means being able to pivot campaigns quickly to meet consumers in the moment, whether that’s highlighting new mobility options during major events or tailoring creative content for cultural conversations happening in real-time. For Magnolia Bakery, agility is evident in the ability to quickly launch seasonal campaigns (such as holiday gift boxes or trending flavors) without compromising brand quality. For Fox, agility is about helping advertisers capture attention across streaming, digital, and broadcast platforms with consistent measurement and optimization tools.

This kind of responsiveness requires more than fast production cycles. It demands organizational cultures that encourage experimentation, where “failing fast” is accepted, and where insights are continuously fed back into the system.

Brianna underscored how this shift is reshaping the very foundation of advertising: “Some have heard, or some of the reporters may have heard, this idea of creative intelligence. We've been through a couple of eras of media intelligence, audience intelligence, and now creative intelligence, because that's what I believe in, what I'm saying”. Creative intelligence connects data and culture to drive better decisions, helping teams not only move faster but also move smarter.

Accountability Defines Leadership

No matter the category, whether you’re scaling a beloved retail brand, running a global mobility platform, or leading a major media company, accountability has become the ultimate measure of leadership.

"The consumer expectations have just changed so rapidly, and they expect a lot more from brands now... and there's almost this zero tolerance for a lack of authenticity from a brand,” emphasized Brian Borkowski.

The panelists emphasized that creativity remains essential, but in today’s environment, creative excellence without accountability is insufficient. Advertisers are expected to show tangible results, and marketing leaders are expected to tie those results directly to business growth.

For Magnolia Bakery, that means every story told on social media has to ultimately translate into sales for its e-commerce business. For Uber, accountability means proving to riders and drivers that brand investments create real-world utility and loyalty. And for Fox, accountability means moving beyond reach and impressions to demonstrate incremental business outcomes for advertisers.

The convergence of creativity and accountability is reshaping what it means to lead marketing organizations, and the leaders who can bring those two forces together are setting the standard for the industry.

Measurement Is Being Rewritten

Traditional attribution models, once the backbone of digital advertising, are quickly losing relevance. With privacy-first policies reshaping data access and consumer journeys becoming increasingly complex, panelists agreed that marketers must adopt new models that reflect reality, rather than relying on legacy assumptions.

AI is playing a critical role here. By enabling dynamic, multi-touch attribution models, marketers can gain a deeper understanding of how different touchpoints work together to influence outcomes. But measurement in the new era is not just about technology. It’s about treating measurement as a continuous feedback system — a loop that informs creative decisions, budget allocations, and optimization strategies in real-time.

Looking Ahead: From Disruption to Reinvention

Laura Desmond opened ADVANCE 2025 by reminding the industry that AI is a force powerful enough to reshape every medium and creative process. This panel brought that vision down to the ground level, showing what reinvention looks like in practice.

For these leaders, the “new era of advertising” is not about choosing between trade-offs — brand versus performance, human versus machine, creativity versus accountability. It’s about convergence. 

It’s about building systems where these forces strengthen each other, where agility drives responsiveness, and where accountability ensures marketing earns its seat at the table.

"I think if in 2026, AI can take some of those tasks away and let people focus on the great developments of their job, whether that be how do we design the campaigns themselves to reach the right audience with the messaging, that would be really powerful,” emphasized Andy Webb.

Marketers who embrace this convergence will not only keep up with disruption, but they will also help define the future of the industry.

Key Takeaway

The new era of advertising is here, and it’s defined by integration. Brand and performance, creativity and accountability, agility and precision all belong together. The marketers who master this balance will be the ones driving growth in 2025 and beyond.

ADVANCE 2025 is only the beginning. The revolutionary ideas shared in New York are already reshaping marketing, and if you weren’t in the room, these recaps are your next best bet. More takeaways will be rolling out in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to make sure you can stay ahead.

Join the conversation with #ADVANCE2025 on LinkedIn.

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