COUNTDOWN TO AWNY 2026
Predictions and Expectations for Advertising Week New York 2026
Ahead of AWNY 2026, we spoke to industry leaders about what they expect to dominate the conversation, how it would have shifted from last year, and what they will be watching closely throughout the week.
Mike Ellery, Chief Creative Officer, Sparks
As AI takes on a larger role across advertising, Mike Ellery, Chief Creative Officer at Sparks, believes it is making real human connection more valuable, not less.
Mike Reznick, President and COO of SoundStack, and Dr. Tamara Zubatiy, CEO and Co-Founder of Barometer
On this episode of AW360 Live, Dr. Tamara Zubatiy, CEO and Co-Founder of Barometer, and Mike Reznick, President and COO of SoundStack, join us to explore what those changes mean for marketers heading into 2027.
Rose Baki, Senior Partner and Head of Strategy at Lippincott
Rose Baki of Lippincott, joins us ahead of AWNY to talk about the organizational barriers slowing marketing down and why creativity should be treated as a business advantage.
PARTNER CONTENT
Multimodal AI: The Future of High-Performance Ad Targeting
The next era of targeting belongs to AI systems that see the whole picture — and to the leaders who know how to orchestrate them.
If Everything Is Shoppable, Become Unstoppable: Brand and Commerce That Converts
Christi Geary, Head of AMP Agency (Advantage Marketing Partners), led a fast-paced discussion on thriving in today’s shoppable world—where brand love meets buyer behavior.
Creative that Lasts: Making the Most of Every Impression
Tina DeSarno, Chief IA Officer at MarketCast, kicked off the panel by setting the scene and describing the current issues marketers face.
Empowering Small Businesses Through Smarter Advertising
Lauren Johnson, Deputy Editor of Retail Media and Commerce of Adweek, led a panel on how PayPal is working to uplift small businesses.
In Experiential Marketing, is it Riskier to Include or Exclude Environmental Sustainability?
As marketers balance shifting technologies, fragmented audiences and tighter budgets, environmental impact can feel like one more demand on an already crowded brief. But it is also an area where thoughtful decisions can strengthen the experience rather than compromise it.
For Advertising Week Executives, Preparation Starts With Setting Priorities
Three executives describe how they organize their thinking ahead of Advertising Week New York, with the Kindle Scribe serving as a tool for notes, planning and revisions.
