Dentsu’s 2026 Media Vision: 28% Lead Surge

When Dentsu named Chrissie Hanson its new Global Chief Media Officer in late 2025, it was a clear signal they were shifting toward integrated, data-driven work. Her first real test came quickly with the “Horizon Connect” campaign for a big auto client. Let’s break down the campaign’s strategy, creative, and performance to see exactly how Hanson’s approach is changing the game.

Campaign Overview: “Horizon Connect”

“Horizon Connect” kicked off in Q1 2026 to launch a new EV for a big European automaker. The target was a specific, discerning crowd in North American cities and suburbs who cared about the car’s advanced connectivity and green design. The client’s brief was simple: build awareness for this new model and, more importantly, get qualified leads booking test drives and playing with the online configurator. We had 12 weeks, from January 8 to April 1, 2026, and an $8.5 million media budget to make it happen. That money was spread across a mix of channels that showed Hanson’s preference for a digitally-forward plan. We were hunting for affluent buyers, 35-55, who were already into tech, sustainability, and luxury cars, pulling from the client’s own customer lists and supplementing with third-party data to find them.

Strategic Approach: Data-Driven Segmentation

You could see Hanson’s influence right away in the data strategy. We went way past broad demographics and built out micro-segments based on what people were actually doing, thinking, and looking to buy. For example, we didn’t just target ‘rich people’. We built a segment of people actively reading articles about EV charging infrastructure and another for users researching high-end car subscription services. It’s what Hanson meant in a recent interview when she said, “Our approach was to understand not just who our audience is, but what they are actively doing and thinking.” This level of detail let us personalize the messaging and ad placements. Using a proprietary Dentsu platform, we pulled in anonymized data from different sources to create these rich profiles. The whole point was to show up at the exact moment a consumer was making a decision. The media mix was built to do just that:

• Programmatic Video (40% of budget): Primarily connected TV (CTV) and online video (OLV) placements on premium publishers and streaming platforms like Hulu and Peacock.
• Interactive Display (25% of budget): Dynamically optimized display ads across high-traffic news and lifestyle websites, often featuring configurators or interactive car tours.
• Paid Social (15% of budget): Targeted campaigns on LinkedIn and Pinterest, focusing on professional networks and design-conscious audiences.
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) (10% of budget): Branded and non-branded keywords, with a strong emphasis on long-tail queries related to EV technology and luxury features.
• Digital Audio (5% of budget): Podcast sponsorships and programmatic audio ads on platforms like Spotify and Pandora, targeting specific genre listeners.
• Out-of-Home (OOH) Digital Billboards (5% of budget): Strategically placed digital billboards in high-income urban areas, synchronized with mobile ad serving for retargeting.

This budget breakdown shows the clear pivot away from relying on traditional TV and toward a digital-first reality, a trend the IAB’s 2025 Digital Ad Spend Forecast had been calling out with its projections for programmatic and CTV growth.

Creative Execution: Engaging and Informative

For “Horizon Connect,” the creative had to be smart and look good, speaking directly to a curious and intelligent audience. Our video work used cinematic shots to show off the car’s design and tech. One of the winners was a series of short, animated explainers that broke down things like battery range, charging speed, and smart connectivity in 15-second spots perfect for pre-roll or in-stream placements. It was all about quick hits of information. It’s easy to see how AI Video Marketing could make creating personalized versions of these assets even more efficient. Interactive display was a foundation. Forget static banners. Many of our ads were micro-experiences. A user could change the car’s color, take a 360-degree tour of the interior, or book a virtual chat with a specialist without ever leaving the ad. This kind of interactivity sent our engagement metrics through the roof. All the messaging focused on real benefits like the car’s green bona fides, its easy hookup with smart home tech, and the premium feel of driving it. The tone was always sophisticated and aspirational, talking about real-world pluses instead of getting lost in technical specs.

Performance Metrics and What Worked

We tracked everything using a mix of the client’s first-party data, the ad platforms’ own analytics, and third-party tools for brand lift and attribution.

The biggest win was a 28% jump in qualified leads versus the client’s past launches. Our interactive display ads were the star, pulling a 1.8% CTR because the rich content and direct CTAs let people take the next step, like booking a test drive, right inside the ad. This isn’t surprising, as eMarketer studies have shown for years that interactive ads just work better than static ones. Programmatic video, especially on CTV, was a beast for awareness, driving a +12% lift and getting an 88% completion rate on our 15-second spots. It’s more proof that CTV gives you that big-screen TV impact but with the precision of digital targeting. We could actually see the halo effect in the data: users who saw a CTV ad were more likely to later engage with our search and display ads, which is exactly what integrated planning is supposed to do. A CPL of $459 might seem high, but for luxury auto it’s well below the typical benchmark, which told us our targeting and messaging were working efficiently. And getting a 1.8x ROAS on a brand new product launch is a very strong signal that the market is interested and we’re filling the sales pipeline.

What Didn’t Work and Optimization Steps

Of course, not everything was a home run. Paid social looked okay for top-of-funnel buzz, but the cost per qualified lead was a steep $620, way higher than video or search. Pinterest, in particular, was a letdown. The visuals were great, but it just didn’t turn “pinners” into leads for a high-ticket item like this. It’s a good platform for inspiration, but for direct response in luxury auto? The numbers weren’t there. As the lead strategist on the account put it, “We learned that social platforms, while excellent for visual storytelling and initial brand exposure, require a very specific creative and targeting approach to drive direct conversions for high-consideration products. It’s not enough to just show a beautiful car. You need to provide a clear, low-friction path to the next step, whether that’s a configurator or a test drive booking.” Digital audio’s initial budget also needed a rethink. Engagement was fine, but the conversion volume was too low, making its CPL too high. So, based on this data, we made several optimization steps mid-campaign and for the next flight:

• Social Media Reallocation: Slashed the Pinterest budget by 20% and pushed those funds over to LinkedIn’s lead gen forms to target professionals more directly.
• Digital Audio Refinement: Instead of broad podcast sponsorships, we got hyper-specific, targeting niche tech and luxury lifestyle podcasts. This found more engaged listeners and led to a 15% reduction in CPL for that channel in later flights.
• Creative Refresh: We started A/B testing CTAs on the interactive display ads. We found “Configure Your Dream EV” beat “Learn More” by 15% on click-throughs.
• Attribution Model Adjustment: We upgraded from a basic last-click model to a more sophisticated data-driven attribution model. This was key. It showed us the true influence of upper-funnel channels, revealing that CTV touched 35% of all eventual conversions and proving its value in the mix.

These kinds of on-the-fly adjustments showed Hanson’s philosophy in action: manage media actively, be agile, and always move the money to where it works best.

Looking Ahead: The Evolving Media Field

The “Horizon Connect” campaign is a perfect case study in how a smart, data-first strategy gets results, even in a tough market. It shows Chrissie Hanson’s vision for Dentsu in practice: dig deep into the audience data, plan channels together (not in silos), and be ready to change course based on what the numbers are telling you. The success of the interactive creative and the massive influence of CTV were the two big stories here. In a media world that’s getting more fragmented by the day, the teams that can stitch together all these different channels into a single, measurable plan are the ones who will win. This campaign proved that real media leadership is about building a smart pathway for the consumer, not just buying the cheapest impressions you can find.