Performance marketing made brands sharper but not deeper. Over-optimisation has stripped away what actually makes campaigns work: emotion. Research from System1 and the IPA shows that emotional storytelling is the single biggest driver of long-term profit. This article explores why digital-first CMOs must learn to feel again, and why the future of effective marketing lies not in efficiency, but in empathy.

Digital-first growth is stalling. Costs are rising, reach is shrinking, and signals are fading. This guide shows how brands can rebalance their media mix by adding above-the-line activity without losing measurement discipline. With real examples from FMCG and automotive brands, it proves that brand building can make performance work harder.

TV is not competing with digital. It is amplifying it. When brands use TV, search volumes rise, click-through rates improve, and conversions become more efficient. Far from being outdated, TV builds the trust and mental availability that digital channels rely on. This is why smart marketers now treat TV as the multiplier that makes digital work harder.