Connected content, not content at scale, is the next creative shift: Omnicom report

New Delhi: The traditional content-at-scale model, built around one hero asset and multiple cutdowns, is losing effectiveness in a fragmented media environment, according to a new report by Omnicom Media and Omnicom Production. The report, titled Connected Content: The Force Multiplier for Maximising Brand Influence, argues that brands can no longer depend only on producing more versions of the same campaign idea. It says advertising now has to move with consumers across platforms, formats, creators, commerce environments, search, streaming, social conversations and AI-led discovery. The research is based on a survey of 1,178 US adults aged 18-72 conducted between March 27 and April 2, 2026. Its findings are therefore not India-specific, but the report frames a larger global issue for marketers: whether the old creative production model can still work when consumer journeys are no longer linear. The report says the traditional creative model was built for linear TV, where the 30-second commercial became the main expression of a brand idea. The campaign would typically move from brief to creative development, production, launch and optimisation, with media planning running as a separate process. That model later evolved into what the report calls content at scale, where the main campaign idea remained at the centre and was adapted into shorter, audience-specific or channel-specific executions for digital, video, social and other environments. Omnicom argues that this approach is no longer enough. The report says consumers now move through a wider set of media and influence points. Short-form video, live streaming, podcasts, newsletters, influencer content and community formats now sit alongside traditional formats such as television commercials and display ads. It also says the purchase journey has become less predictable. According to Omnicom’s Connected Commerce 2024 research cited in the report, 80 per cent of consumers do not follow a linear path in their shopping journey. Advertising is also competing with more sources of influence. The report says 71 per cent of consumers said people affect their overall opinions about brands, while 45 per cent cited AI and 43 per cent cited influencers. Brand advertising was cited by 31 per cent. The report also points to a growing ad experience problem. According to the findings, only half of consumers said they notice advertising on TV. The figure was 47 per cent for social media, 45 per cent for YouTube and 40 per cent for streaming services. When advertising feels forced or intrusive, the reaction is stronger. The report says 73 per cent of consumers reported a negative feeling about non-skippable video ads, while 69 per cent said the same about pop-up ads. The cost of a poor ad experience is also seen as a brand problem, not just a platform problem. The report says 80 per cent of consumers agree that a bad ad is worse than no ad at all. It also says 51 per cent of consumers believe a bad ad reflects worse on the brand than on the platform serving it. Omnicom’s central argument is that brands need to shift from consistency alone to fit. The report does not call for abandoning strong creative ideas. Instead, it says the assumption that a single expression of the idea is sufficient must change. A brand’s voice and values may remain consistent, but the way that voice is expressed has to adapt to the environment in which the ad appears. The report defines connected content as a model where creative, delivery, platform context, consumer mindset, frequency, timing and format work together. It says the future is not about simply deploying assets, but creating a connected chain of influence where content evolves over time. Consumer data in the report supports this argument. It says 84 per cent of consumers connect with ads that feel relatable to them. It also says 76 per cent connect with ads that are relevant to the content they are watching or listening to. The report says 76 per cent of consumers like when brands tailor ads to specific platforms. It adds that 78 per cent of consumers feel connected to an ad when it appears at the right moment, matching the media content, platform and consumer need state. The findings also suggest that a better ad experience can affect brand outcomes. The report says 49 per cent of consumers said an improved ad experience would make them feel more positively about a brand, while 30 per cent said it would increase their likelihood to purchase the advertised product. Sequential storytelling also emerged as a useful route. The report says 40 per cent of consumers said ads that use sequential storytelling make them want to purchase from the brand, while 37 per cent said such ads make them want to recommend the brand. The report also examines the role of AI in advertising. It says consumers are aware that AI is already present in advertising and often identify AI-generated ads by their feel, including polished imagery, generic text or lack of personality. According to the report, 81 per cent of consumers believe at least a quarter of the ads they encounter are already AI-generated. At the same time, 78 per cent believe AI-generated ads should be clearly labelled. Consumers are not rejecting AI outright. The report says 52 per cent believe AI can make advertising better, while 64 per cent believe it can help brands move away from generic, one-size-fits-all messaging. It also says 69 per cent would see it as positive if AI helped reduce the number of ads people see while improving relevance. However, the acceptance of AI is conditional. Only 16 per cent of consumers said they were receptive to AI being used to create the entire ad. The report says 64 per cent believe AI should be involved in advertising only if humans are involved too. The report describes the preferred model as human-led but machine-optimised. It says AI can support targeting, delivery, adaptation and relevance, but human judgment remains necessary for meaning, emotion, trust and brand personality. For marketers, the implication is clear. More content alone will not solve the problem of fragmented attention. The challenge is to build creative systems that learn from audience behaviour, platform signals, commerce signals and performance data, and then adapt future messaging accordingly. The report says AI should not be seen as a single-point solution for isolated tasks. Its larger role, it argues, is in connecting strategy, content architecture, production, activation and learning across the marketing lifecycle. That shifts the role of creative production from output to intelligence. The future asset, according to the report, is not a single deliverable but a connected system of reusable intelligence that can evolve over time. In simple terms, Omnicom’s report suggests that the next creative challenge for brands is not producing more versions of a campaign. It is making sure the right version appears in the right format, at the right moment, with enough relevance to improve the consumer experience rather than interrupt it.