Andy Cross, Insight Manager, The Guardian & Paul Rieger, Head of Qual at Differentology present "The FAME Manifesto”.
This study was born from a bold idea: in a digital world overwhelmed by noise, less can truly be more. Against a backdrop of declining trust, ad fatigue, and disrupted news ecosystems, The Guardian and Differentology set out to challenge a decade of digital belief. Our hypothesis was radical yet intuitive: fewer, high-quality ads could outperform overloaded, intrusive environments commercially and experientially. This idea became FAME (Fewer Ads More Effective): a pioneering research initiative using the most sophisticated methodology in advertising research to date. Through a combination of eye-tracking, facial coding, real-time behavioural capture, and immersive user journeys, they will reveal how heavy ad environments generate stress, erode trust, and drive audiences away. The results transformed The Guardian’s ad strategy, inspired industry debate, and created a replicable framework for a better advertising future. At its heart, FAME proves a simple truth: when we respect the audience, everyone wins.
Bianca Bush, Commercial Insight Director & Tom Roach , Commercial Strategy Director from Acast will present "Podcast Pulse”
Podcast consumption is going through a massive transformation. Whilst audio is still the most dominant means in which we consume podcasts, the ecosystem has drastically evolved. When it comes to podcasting, audiences now listen, watch, like, follow, subscribe and attend. With Differentology, Acast uncovered the most recent trends in podcasting for brands and in this research session, we will talk you through the opportunities podcasting provides brands to connect with audiences.
Gemma Dunbar, Director, Research & Insight and Jessica Williams, Senior Insight Consultant from Mediacom will present a snapshot of their "2026 Consumer Look Ahead Series,”
Offering data-driven insights and predictions on evolving consumer behaviours across various signals. This research provides comprehensive, forward-looking analysis around the health and wellness space, digital wellbeing, community and homelife and broader societal shifts, with actionable implications for brands, grounded in global and UK data sources.”