Beyond the Stage: ANA Masters of Marketing 2026

Last week our team was at the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference in Orlando. And while there were incredible speakers taking the stage, I was out in the hallway at Simulmedia’s booth. Missing all the action? Far from it. From setting up early to packing up late, there was a constant flow of people to see and hear from. The sessions may have set the agenda, but it was the networking breaks, coffee line chats and booth conversations that sparked some of the best takeaways. As attendees came over to chat and spin our wheel for a prize, a few themes kept coming up: why showing up in person still matters, how AI and technology can make us better at our jobs rather than replacing us, and why proving results has never been more important.

The Excitement of In-Person

The crowd wasn't just happy to be together in person, they loved talking about how happy they were to be together in person. At a time when virtual meetings are an industry norm, the event brought together thousands of marketers from brands, agencies and partners. They all came with their own goals and priorities, but one thing held true: everyone was there to connect. It struck me how they all took time out of an already packed work week to be in Orlando, even with a virtual option available. They could have watched the panels from their desks. Instead, they wanted to be in the room to talk them through, push back on the ideas and meet people they didn't know they were looking for.

The same idea carries into the work itself. Some of the most memorable campaigns I talked about with people put real people at the center. People first, brand second. They don't sell, they tease, they tell a story, and that's exactly what makes people lean in. TV provides a high-attention environment for those stories to land.

Technology Should Simplify, Not Complicate

If people showing up matters for exchanging ideas, people matter just as much in the work. AI was one of the biggest topics at ANA this year. That's not new, but the tone has changed. The conversation has shifted from "AI is going to take our jobs" to "how do we use AI to do our jobs better?" The goal is to amplify people, not replace them. AI won't do your job better than you, but it can help you do it better than you could on your own.

There's a real opportunity to use technology to remove friction, make smarter decisions and help marketers move faster and more cost-effectively. The teams getting the most out of it aren't handing everything over to automation. They're pairing good tools with people who know what to do with what those tools surface.

Growth Over Activity

A question I heard over and over again at the booth was how we measure performance. Marketers want more accountability from their media investments.

It's no longer enough to report on impressions delivered. Marketers want to know who they're actually reaching, how often they're reaching them, and whether that spend is driving real business outcomes. There's no shortage of tools for measuring performance, yet many marketers still struggle to connect what they spend to the results it drives.

This is where TV has a real chance to prove its value. Looking at linear and CTV together gives marketers a clearer view of unduplicated reach, helps them manage frequency, and lets them prioritize net-new households instead of serving ads to the same audiences over and over.

Trust Is Earned Through Outcomes

All of this comes back to trust, and one topic that kept coming up is that advertising alone can't manufacture trust. It's earned by delivering on what you promise. That's true for brands and their customers, and it's just as true for media partners. Accountability, transparency and measurable results are what turn a one-time campaign into a lasting relationship. It's the standard we hold ourselves to, and one we heard a lot of marketers asking for this year.

Looking Ahead

I left Orlando energized about where marketing is headed. The event served as a reminder that the most valuable parts of this industry are still human. Some of the best ideas come from unexpected conversations, ones you can only have in person. AI is making us faster and sharper, but only when people are steering it. The stories that land are the ones that tease rather than sell, and as the bar for measurement keeps rising, trust will belong to the partners who can show what their work actually delivered. It was refreshing to feel like the next chapter of marketing isn’t about more tools or more complexity. It’s about pairing smarter technology with real human expertise, and that’s a place we’re glad to be.