As we kick off 2026, we asked members of The Media Leader’s Future 100 Club to share their aspirations for the year ahead. From sustainability and trust to talent and collaboration, here’s what the industry’s rising stars are hoping for in 2026.

Social media may be attractive, cheaper and addictive but Media Pulse’s Deborah Gurofsky asks is it memorable?

The brief – The Media Leader’s daily round-up of media news.

Lumen’s Mike Follett responds to feedback on his provocative comment that planners “do your fucking jobs”, lest they risk replacement by AI tools.

A new study examined how high-attention media formats boost profitability, uncovering an ‘astonishing absurdity’ in marketing practice.

Lumen Research and TVision’s latest report found the traditional festive formula is no longer effective in grabbing attention and advised brands to lean into unique iconography and music.

TV has earned trust because its numbers are verified, scrutinised and benchmarked. Social media? Not so much. Google needs to decide where YouTube stands. 

VCCP Media’s chief strategy officer joins host Jack Benjamin to discuss research into how distinctive brand assets are key for maximising attentive impressions.

An audit of Adelaide’s attention metrics conducted by MediaSense found its methodology is outcome-driven, transparent, reproducable and independently verifiable. AU scores were correlated with improved ad performance.

We ban smartphones from our kids, but design media plans that depend on them. If mobile screen time has now overtaken TV, isn’t it finally time to do something about this contradiction?