Hero Conf is the largest independent PPC and paid social conference in the UK. After attending multiple performance marketing sessions, the key takeaway wasn't that paid media is getting harder. It showed that the old mental models are no longer sufficient.
Throughout the day, expert speakers led talks on Programmatic, AI‑led search, Microsoft Ads, Reddit, attention measurement and Connected TV, and one signal was clear: performance growth in 2026 belongs to organisations that lead media as a system, not a set of channels.
Programmatic is the operating system
One of the biggest misconceptions challenged at Hero Conf was the idea that programmatic is ‘just another display network’.
In reality, programmatic is now the automated foundation powering:
Connected TV (CTV)
Digital Out‑of‑Home (DOOH)
Streaming audio
Native formats
Cross‑device retargeting
This matters because it changes how scale, reach and relevance are designed:
Algorithms optimise across environments rather than within silos
Signals compound over time
Creative and measurement dictate outcomes more than manual controls
Takeaway: If programmatic still sits as a line item rather than core infrastructure, growth is being constrained by design.
Connected TV has crossed the line into performance reality
One of the clearest shifts at Hero Conf was how CTV is now discussed as a performance enabler, not a brand experiment.
In our session on how Connected TV complements campaigns, the message resonated strongly because it reframed the question leaders should be asking:
Not “Is CTV upper or lower funnel?” But “What signal does CTV introduce into the system?”
When planned correctly:
CTV delivers high‑attention, premium exposure
Exposure creates addressable audiences
Those audiences are re‑engaged via search, social, native and video
Performance improves downstream, not in isolation
Takeaway: CTV works when treated as signal creation, not as a stand‑alone KPI.
Search is changing faster than PPC teams are adapting
Several sessions highlighted a growing disconnect between how search works now and how paid search is still being managed.
Key shifts discussed:
AI Overviews are reshaping discovery and decision‑making
Traditional PPC advice still assumes large budgets and constant conversion volume
Low‑data environments are becoming the norm, not the exception
The implication is stark:
Manual optimisation frameworks break down
Testing windows stretch too long to be commercially useful
Signal preservation becomes more important than experimentation volume
Takeaway: Search performance now depends as much on external demand creation as on in-platform optimisation.
Microsoft Ads is no longer a ‘Google replica’
One of the more under‑appreciated opportunities discussed was how Microsoft Ads currently offers signals that Google cannot.
Examples include:
LinkedIn‑based targeting (job title, company size, industry)
Behavioural signals across Outlook, Teams and the M365 ecosystem
Incremental reach among decision‑makers is underrepresented elsewhere
Takeaway: Future growth won’t come from squeezing Google harder - it will come from activating distinct intent signals across platforms.
Attention has replaced reach as the real currency
A recurring theme across programmatic and media sessions was the shift from reach‑based planning to attention‑based measurement.
Metrics like:
Audible & Visible On Completion (AVOC)
Attention duration
Exposure quality
are proving far more predictive of:
Brand recall
Ad awareness
Downstream performance impact
Takeaway: High reach with low attention is no longer an acceptable trade‑off.
Platforms like Reddit create 'unreachable' audience moments
Hero Conf also highlighted the growing value of platforms that don’t neatly overlap with traditional media plans.
Reddit, in particular, was positioned as a rare opportunity:
A large proportion of users are not meaningfully reachable via LinkedIn or TikTok
Contextual relevance often outperforms demographic precision
Conversations signal real intent, not inferred behaviour
Takeaway: Competitive advantage increasingly comes from reaching audiences that others structurally cannot.
Measurement maturity is now the limiting factor
Across sessions, it became clear that performance leaders are separated by how they measure - not how much they spend.
Three pillars consistently emerged:
Attention – are ads actually seen and processed?
Incrementality – would this result exist without paid media?
The Search Halo – how other channels increase branded search and capture efficiency
This is why we see frameworks gaining traction, such as:
Profit on Ad Spend (POAS) over ROAS
Review cadences focused on signal health, not just output
Measurement designed to work even when the data is sparse
Takeaway: Measurement is no longer a reporting function - it is a competitive moat.
Final perspective
Hero Conf UK 2026 didn’t signal incremental evolution. It signalled a structural shift in how performance marketing must be led.
The organisations that will win are not those chasing every new format - but those:
Treating programmatic as infrastructure
Designing for attention, not just reach
Using CTV and upper‑funnel media to fuel performance
Moving beyond last‑click comfort
And leading media strategy as a connected commercial system
The future of paid media belongs to leaders who think in systems, not silos.
This year, MTM Paid Media Manager Alavi Sumaia delivered a talk at Hero Conf on how Connected TV (CTV) can strengthen and complement wider campaign strategies. If you couldn’t make it, you can catch up on the key takeaways and download her slides here.
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