Around 4% of smartphone users currently make use of agentic AI capabilities but that figure is expected to rise to 38% by 2030, according to new research.

Avios, the global reward currency programme, supercharged its marketing effectiveness by making its offers more relevant for customers and enabling them to spend the rewards immediately with a large range of trusted partners.

Consumers increasingly expect brands to reflect modern life, participate in meaningful conversations and connect with the values and realities of society, according to a new study that has quantified the impact of cultural relevance to UK brands.

As creativity increases, so does effectiveness: a new WARC report highlights that nearly half (45%) of highly awarded creative ideas are also awarded for effectiveness.

Marcus Yong, VP - Global Marketing at travel brand Klook, joins WARC's Rica Facundo to discuss how smaller creators can help target niche segments while still scaling for reach, based on frameworks from WARC's Pace Principle 2.0 research. Brands are increasingly looking toward micro and nano creators for social cut-through. Despite the long-standing practice of influencer marketing, Klook identified that traditional methods were not fostering community or driving sales effectively, leading them to explore a more relationship-based approach with creators. Research indicates that micro and niche influencers have a greater impact on consumer purchasing decisions, with many consumers reporting they are more likely to buy products recommended by these smaller influencers.

Boots' Peter Grant, CreativeX's Anastasia Leng and DAIVID's Ian Forrester join WARC's David Tiltman to share the lessons from a pilot experiment at health and beauty retailer Boots and what it has taught them about the future of creative effectiveness. The gap between creative and media is closing, with large-scale creative data and next-gen measurement tools combining to predict commercial outcomes, not just clicks. Boots partnered with CreativeX to establish creative observability and measure the quality of their creative assets, while also collaborating with DAIVID to assess attention and emotional responses to their ads. The pilot involved analysing around 3,500 creative assets, using a creative quality score and attention/emotion metrics to optimise performance on platforms like Meta and YouTube, resulting in significant uplifts in view-through rates and reductions in cost per completed view.

Mindscope's Lea Karam and TikTok's Elias W. Bassil join WARC's Alex Brownsell to discuss the alchemy of customer consideration. Failing to usher buyers from discovery to purchase in the fewest possible steps is often seen as a setback. This belief misunderstands the consumer purchase journey, according to new research. A new study by Mindscope and TikTok reveals that the psychological 'pause' before a purchase is a deliberate act of self-regulation, and brands are getting it wrong.

Effectiveness expert James Hurman joins WARC's David Tiltman to discuss the key ideas in his new book 'Future Demand', why performance marketing is plateauing, how brands really grow, and the nuances of building a dual measurement system. There are only a certain amount of people in the market at any given time, so brands must nurture future buyers to achieve sustainable growth. Advertising does not cause sales, but makes sure brands win a greater share of them. Research found that 84% of purchases went to brands that the buyer had in their consideration set before they entered the market.