TV remains the power house for building brands – The future of TV at Cannes with Channel 4

“All media works… but driving the most profits — the ultimate business outcome — is TV.”

At Cannes Lions this year, Rak Patel, chief commercial officer of Channel 4, underscored TV’s vital role in driving profitability and highlighted Channel 4’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and their shift towards an advertiser-led, agency-aligned strategy emphasising the importance of “radical collaboration”, including with ITV, Sky and Comcast.

The Media Leader traveled across Cannes speaking to media professionals to find out why TV should be an essential part of marketing strategies, and what the future of TV advertising will be. A central theme emerging from the discussions was the enduring power and evolving role of television in the advertising landscape.

Industry experts echoed Rak’s sentiments. Paul Gayfer, chief strategy officer at Goodstuff Communications, said that “TV remains the powerhouse for building brands” due to its unparalleled reach, engagement, and content quality.

Claire Marker, chief client officer at Manning Gottlieb OMD, emphasised TV’s effectiveness for planners and buyers, its impact and the memorable “in-home” and shared experience it provides. She celebrated the work broadcasters have done to open TV to a wider market: “you don’t have to be a large advertiser with huge budgets, you can be a smaller player and TV will really help you drive that growth your business needs.”

Genevieve Tompkins, CEO of Goodstuff Communications, reinforced TV’s integral place in culture, stating it “sets the agenda and is fundamentally important to the fabric of society”. TV “has the ability to bring people together” she said.

Antonia Faulkner, senior director corporate communications and ads marketing, EMEA at Samsung Ads, spoke about the exciting growth within the TV and video industry.

“TV is the defacto hub of the home and a shared experience”, she said. “And now that we have launched CTV we have added all this data to an already powerful medium.”

Ross Jenkins, EMEA and APAC CEO at Mediahub, highlighted TV’s concurrent viewing “we absorb this thing together — there’s something inherently powerful in that”.

Patel pointed out that TV’s “superpower” lies in the trusted creative content fostered by regulation and governance, combined with its high-quality content, immense reach, and echoed the power of shared viewing.

Naomi Walkland, chief marketing officer at Motorway, concluded that TV helps brands build familiarity before intent, allowing them to reach a broad customer base and strengthen their brand in both the short and long term.

Also published in: The Media Leader