How media players are cutting through the noise in 2027

The media industry has spent years adding more to the mix: more platforms, more formats, more data and, most recently, more artificial intelligence. In 2027, however, the bigger question may be whether any of it is actually making media more effective.

As AI becomes embedded across planning, content creation and audience intelligence, simply using the technology is no longer enough. At the same time, fragmented audiences and an abundance of content are putting greater pressure on media players to deliver attention, relevance and measurable impact rather than reach alone.

That shift is already taking shape. Forrester's "Media and advertising predictions" for 2027 expects established media growth engines to come under pressure, while new advertising models and AI-mediated discovery push the industry to rethink how media value is measured.

Against this backdrop, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to five media and marketing leaders on what they believe will shape 2027, from smarter uses of AI and changing content formats to audience insights, media fragmentation and the growing push from reach towards relevance.

Don't miss: What media agencies are prioritising in 2027

Kelly Khoo, CEO of Clear Channel Singapore

The trend to watch in 2027 is media fragmentation reaching its limit. Marketers have absorbed that cost for years, and the gap is now wide enough to see.

A marketer planning a multi-touchpoint campaign does the integration themselves - one partner for mobility, another retail, another outdoor. Each has its own data, its own verification, its own definition of reach. Five definitions of "validation" don't add up to one number.

What we need is a full-stack platform built on one proposition and one basis for measurement. This lets a marketer plan against a single system from the start, instead of assembling one after the fact from disconnected parts.

Coverage and coherence aren't the same. Coverage means the inventory exists. Coherence means the inventory talks to itself — one data standard, one audience definition, a thread from bus shelter to retail screen to billboard.

Cohesion holds that standard across every campaign, not just the pitch deck.

Katie Purchase, VP advertising sales APAC, Dow Jones

In 2027, brand discovery will span both trusted media environments and the agentic web. As AI reshapes how decision-makers discover and evaluate brands, the provenance of information and the credibility of the sources behind it will matter as much as visibility itself.

Our proprietary research shows that decision-makers are more likely to trust brands surfaced in AI summaries when supported by credible publisher citations.

To earn consideration, brands need to build authority through original insights, trusted editorial environments and meaningful engagement with influential audiences.

Sulin Lau, regional head of marketing, brand and creative, Grab Holdings

We marketers now experience AI everywhere, so it’s always good to remind ourselves that tech is never a replacement for capability but rather a multiplier of capability - especially insights capability.

Always remember: AI is a far bigger force multiplier when brands have a well-established data and insight advantage.

Because everyone uses Grab across many dimensions of everyday life, Grab marketers are in a privileged position - with deep pools of users’ online and offline behaviours. That deep insight into the habits, frustrations, search intents, tastes of our consumers was always the foundational core of Grab marketing. But in the age of AI, that insights advantage is multiplied Marketers are now able to surface unmet needs, and identify user growth opportunities quicker, with less reliance on laggier survey-based insights.

Recently I’ve also observed this shift in conversations with brands we partner via GrabAds. For example: more marketing leaders are engaging GrabAds beyond ad spaces alone, and increasingly partnering Grab on ‘complementary moments of need’, from pairing icy drinks with spicy food, or scalp care products for those who commute regularly on moto-taxis.

Jacqui Lim, chief commercial officer, Mediacorp 

For marketers, AI will remain front and centre in 2027. The focus will shift from simply using it to applying it intelligently.

Across planning, research, ideation, content and optimisation, AI will help solve complex business challenges faster and at scale. The brightest work will balance this intelligence with human judgement, bringing nuanced audience understanding, business priorities and cultural context together to turn AI-enabled solutions into competitive advantage.

The short-form universe will also expand beyond the microdramas now commanding attention across social feeds. Micro-factual series, variety, explainers and other short formats will open fresh possibilities for brands.

Used well, they can bring products, services, and brand messages to life in natural, relevant ways, tailored to different audience needs and consumption moments.

Phin Wong, head, content and solutioning division, SPH Media

As shiny new toys roll out, we'll have more stuff churned out faster, in every format, across every platform. But "more" doesn't mean greater audience attention.

I think that’s going to change where the real value lies. When anyone can prompt material to life, knowing what to make becomes increasingly valuable. Understanding audiences and culture. Coming up with ideas worth pursuing. Exercising judgement and taste. Creating content that's entertaining enough, relatable enough, distinctive enough, emotional enough.

By the end of 2027, I think marketers will start to realise: Making stuff is easy. Getting people to give a damn isn't.

And it'll be the audience that tells the industry that.

Tony Heng, president, Stellar Experience

As we look towards 2027, I believe OOH is moving beyond reach towards relevance – and AI will accelerate that shift significantly.

People do not experience brands in fixed ways. They move through different moments, places and even moods throughout the day. With AI, marketers can make better sense of data and market signals, anticipate changing behaviours, and respond with greater precision and speed.

This makes speed, agility and accountability not just aspirations, but increasingly achievable. AI can help brands identify emerging trends faster, optimise campaigns dynamically and make every media dollar work harder.

Combined with programmatic capabilities, audience data and immersive experiences, AI has the potential to transform OOH into a more intelligent, contextual and measurable medium, while creativity remains the powerful human element that makes a brand memorable.

I strongly believe marketers should embrace this shift.

The future of marketing is not about reaching more people. It is about using AI to be more selective, curated and relevant to the people you want to reach.

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