Digiday Media Buying Summit

Pick up your badge at the registration desk, Sponsored by Infolinks.

Join us promptly at 2 pm for opening remarks and content sessions. 

In this creator session, hear from different agency experts on how they work with creators in new ways, from the red carpet to serialized content. They also discuss how finding niche communities can open more ways to partner with creators, how to deal with changes in the social landscape and political environment, and how influencer marketing budgets are shifting.

Kepler discusses the ways DEI programs shape recruiting, operations, and support across the organization globally. How do ERGs, client surveys and health checks play a role? Justin also dives into business growth and a Kepler Academy program geared toward training upcoming marketing talent.

In this fireside chat, Sargento and Cognitiv will share how they partnered to transform media buying with AI-powered deep learning. Learn how real-time optimizations and in-store data helped shape a smarter, more effective approach to audience targeting and campaign performance. Hear what worked, what surprised them, and how AI is revolutionizing the future of CPG advertising.

Independent media agencies tout their agility and attention to detail as a draw for advertisers who feel they’re overlooked by holding companies. Hear from an ex-holding company investment executive about the advantages (and challenges) of investing for clients on linear, walled gardens and programmatically without a holding company’s scale (or burden).

Retail Media is no longer just a trend—it’s a dominant force in media investment. With brands now allocating over 20% of their total media budgets to RMNs, the landscape is rapidly evolving. Yet, media buyers and agencies continue to grapple with the complexities of buying, operating, and measuring RMN campaigns effectively.

This fireside chat will unpack key insights from Digiday’s upcoming State of the Industry Report, commissioned by Vantage, shedding light on how agencies and advertisers are navigating the RMN ecosystem. Paul Lentz from CVS Media Exchange and Drew Cashmore from Vantage will explore the evolving role of agencies, the hybrid nature of self-serve vs. managed services, and the industry’s need for greater transparency and access.

Three years ago, ex-holding company veteran Dave Gaines got the chance to build a media agency from the ground up — a chance that doesn’t come around often. What’s gone into it in tools and expertise? What’s no longer needed that was once seen as essential? And how does the compensation model change with clients today?

TV remains one of the most powerful advertising channels, but with the rise of streaming, agencies must navigate a complex landscape of AVOD, FAST, SVOD, and PayTV. This session will break down the latest viewership data to reveal key media buying insights that every agency should know. We’ll simplify the direct vs. programmatic debate, show you how to leverage TV’s unmatched sight, sound, and motion, and provide a clear roadmap for entering, optimizing, and pivoting in today’s fragmented TV ecosystem. You’ll walk away with 3 key fundamentals to help you build a winning TV strategy in just 10 minutes.

Grab a coffee and a light snack before agencies and brands head to the Town Hall.

Agencies & Brands Only 

Presented by Elite Media Group 

Join this open and honest discussion to explore the industry’s challenges and opportunities. This discussion will be conducted under Chatham House Rules and will begin with Digiday’s exclusive research and its infamous Challenge Board.

Sandbox Sessions:

4:55 pm: AdDaptive – Leverage offline data for more accurate, scalable, and transparent campaigns

5:05 pm: Instreamatic

By invite only.

Round 1!

The 8-Minute Meetings are designed to help connect participants with innovative technology platforms and build valuable business relationships. Please note that pre-registration is required.

Cocktails provided by EX.CO

Join us for a cocktail to wrap day one of the summit. Open to all.

Join fellow industry colleagues for dinner if you don’t have plans.

Join us for breakfast before sessions begin.

Content sessions begin.

In this session, explore how Ally integrates creative and media strategies, leverages attention metrics and non-traditional ad formats, and navigates CTV’s opportunities and challenges. With real-world examples from Ally — across social, CTV and search — we’ll cover why linear campaigns no longer fit today’s online platforms and how to use speed and agility for moment-driven marketing.

Retail media’s growth has come fast and furious since the pandemic. But has it been too much in too little time? Because the industry is feeling growing pains, mainly from assertions it’s no longer as effective as it once was, partly because of its growth. This panel of experts unpacks the problems — and how to still wring value out of the channel.

Max is redefining streaming with shoppable ads, delivering iconic TV moments paired with seamless shopping experiences. This presentation explores how interactive ad technology enhances viewer engagement, transforming fan-favorite franchises into e-commerce opportunities. Learn how Max is curating premium storytelling and shopping across its iconic inventory of IP and driving deeper connections and measurable results in the streaming era.

The landscape of women’s sports has exploded in size and popularity, presenting exciting opportunities for brands. Learn how leading agencies, Big Com and Tombras are navigating this dynamic market. Gain valuable insights into their strategies for sports investment and discover how to maximize brand impact.

This presentation will explore the strategic advantages of utilizing zero-party data to unlock consumer intent, leading to enhanced digital campaign performance. By understanding the specific needs and preferences of our audience, we can create personalised marketing efforts that deliver immersive creative experiences across mobile/desktop and CTV devices. The results speak for themselves: 3X boosts in engagement, purchase intent, overall brand lift and better attention rate.

In an era of abundant data but unclear insights, growth often starts with asking the right data-driven questions before searching for answers. We’ll explore how the independent agency QRY leverages AI-driven advertising data to plan across scale, price and outcomes, and how to explain media investments and growth strategies for c-suites and boards.

Google’s third-party cookie “opt-out choice” for Chrome users is fast approaching, and businesses need to act now to future-proof their advertising strategies. As a testing grantee in Google’s Privacy Sandbox, we’ll share insights into the evolving privacy landscape, what we’ve learned from early testing, and actionable recommendations to help you adapt. Join us to explore how to stay ahead in a privacy-first world while maintaining effective, data-driven advertising.

Grab a coffee and light snack before the Town Hall begins.

Agencies Only 

Join this open and honest discussion to delve into the industry’s challenges and opportunities. This discussion will be conducted under Chatham House Rules and will begin with Digiday’s exclusive research and its infamous Challenge Board.

Sandbox Sessions:

11:45 am: Channel Factory -Winning in Walled Gardens: Transforming Challenges into Brand Impact

11:55 am: 1440

12:05 pm: Akkio – From AI to ROI: How to Deliver Stronger Client Campaigns Through Automation

All are welcome.

Take a break from today’s content, catch up on work, and we’ll see you for 8-Meetings and challenge board at 5:30 pm.

Round 2!

8-Minute Meetings are designed to help connect participants with innovative technology platforms and build valuable business relationships. Please note that pre-registration is required.

Meet industry colleagues for a cocktail. Open to all.

Grab dinner with friends if you don’t have other plans. 

Grab a quick breakfast before content sessions begin.

Meet the editorial team back in the Cascade Ballroom for more content sessions.

This session will delve into practical AI applications, shift towards non-linear architectures, and what this means for media strategies. We’ll also examine the shift from deterministic to non-deterministic models, new billing structures and the importance of building flexible, ‘model-agnostic’ AI platforms that can adapt to future innovations.

Agencies discuss the authenticity of DEI in their campaign, how to look at generational differences and the client conversations around representation and minority-owned channels. They also dive into examples of how these trends have impacted media spending, conversations in the CMO’s office, and how brands need to be braver.

Media and creative teams have long worked in isolation—but is that holding campaigns back? This session explores how brands and agencies can integrate strategy, streamline collaboration, and adapt to evolving roles in media and marketing. From workflow innovations to talent development, we’ll rethink what it takes to create more effective, connected campaigns in today’s ad landscape.

The CEO of Mediaplus shares best practices on securing new clients, how to work with international clients looking to establish a U.S. foothold, and how to operate as an independent media agency with connections in the right places.

Thank you for joining us in Nashville!