Ads are losing the influence war, and this Omnicom study explains why

New Delhi: Omnicom Media has released a new research report, The Future of Brand Influence, arguing that brand growth is being reshaped by a fragmented influence ecosystem where traditional advertising is now only one of several forces shaping consumer decisions, alongside influencers, peer commentary, retail environments and AI-driven recommendations.

Supported by research conducted by Omnicom Media Intelligence, the report says the long-standing fundamentals of brand growth, physical and mental availability, now need to be expanded to include emotional availability, as consumers exert greater control over how, where and from whom they receive information.

“Influence used to be relatively linear and predictable,” said Joanna O’Connell, Chief Intelligence Officer, Omnicom Media North America and lead author of the study. “Today, brand messaging exists alongside everything from influencer opinions to AI-generated answers, and that means brands must earn emotional relevance and trust across a much broader set of touchpoints.”

The study also provides context for several first-to-market collaborations between Omnicom and leading retailers and social platforms, which the company said will be unveiled this week at CES, aimed at helping brands enhance influence at key moments across the consumer journey, from discovery through purchase and loyalty.

The report pointed to a shift in how people form opinions and make decisions. It said 71% of respondents believe what people are saying about a brand matters more than its advertising. Nearly half said AI (45%) and influencers (43%) matter more than advertising in shaping brand perceptions.

It added that 54% trust people, such as influencers or peers on social platforms, more than publications or institutions, rising to 67% among Gen Z. Only 32% said a brand’s advertising most affects their overall opinion, compared with 40% who cited what people online are saying.

“Trust is migrating from institutions to individuals, and increasingly to machines as well,” O’Connell said. “That shift fundamentally changes how brands need to show up if they want to remain relevant and influential.”

The report said generative AI is accelerating how quickly consumers move from inquiry to expertise to purchase. It said 70% of respondents believe GenAI enables them to become an expert in any product or service category, including researching pros and cons and comparing brands.

At the same time, attention is increasingly fragmented, with 63% describing their attention span as “just OK” or “not great”. Nearly four in ten said they do not notice ads on social media even in high-ad-load environments, while ad blockers, ad-free subscriptions, signal loss and VPN usage continue to erode traditional advertising reach, the report said.

Omnicom Media said economic factors are increasingly competing with emotional loyalty. More than 30% of respondents reported buying cheaper versions of their usual brands, up from 19% earlier in the year.

The report said 75% consider brand relatability essential for purchase decisions, yet 72% believe brands care more about earning dollars than building loyalty. It added that 55% feel brands no longer try to connect with them the way they used to.

Summing up the impact, O’Connell said, “These findings reveal a media ecosystem in which brand influence is either being blocked, deprioritized, diluted, or self-sabotaged.”

The report argued that while physical, mental and emotional availability remain critical drivers of growth, the routes to achieving them have changed. It defines physical availability as frictionless access across digital and physical channels, mental availability as the ability to cut through marketplace noise where reach and frequency are “table stakes”, and emotional availability as a decisive lever for authentic connection at scale.

It said brands need to “market to humans” by tapping emotion at scale, including leveraging live experiences, investing in influencers as authentic brand ambassadors and scalable media channels, leaning into retail media, and treating search as a behaviour by meeting consumers where they are.

It also called on brands to “market to machines” by preparing for AI’s growing role in consumer decisions through Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) strategies.

“The future of brand influence isn’t about choosing between humans and machines,” O’Connell said. “It’s about designing systems that serve both. Brands that do this well can turn discovery, consideration, purchase, and loyalty into a self-reinforcing growth flywheel.”

The study surveyed 1,000 US adults aged 18–72 between October 15 and 20, 2025, using OMG Signal, Omnicom Media’s standing consumer panel.

Omnicom Media said it operates as a global media management network powered by the Omni Intelligence Platform, with $73.5 billion in billings, 40,000+ specialists across 70+ markets, and assets spanning identity, commerce and intelligence.