Traditional Media Planning Faces a Challenge as Three Systems Attract Nearly 80% of Spending
WARC argues for connected systems rather than isolated channel plans.
Image: WARC Future of Media 2026 · original publication Image source ↗
What happened
WARC describes concentrated spending across retail media, paid search and social platforms and proposes systems planning as a response.
What changes
Media investment increasingly connects purchasing data, search intent and social behavior.
Why it matters
Optimizing campaigns in isolation can obscure overlapping audiences, platform dependencies and gaps in coverage.
Implications for businesses
A smaller U.S. business can apply the same principle by identifying which channels create demand, capture intent and help people convert.
Un Rino’s take
The goal is not to be everywhere. It is to understand each channel's role and how information moves between them.
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