As the video ecosystem grows more fragmented, the industry’s biggest obstacles to efficiency aren’t technical — they’re human. In a panel conversation at Audience Summit at CES, Axios’s Kerry Flynn sat down with Boehringer Ingelheim’s Katherine Freeley, Carat’s Mike Law, and WPP Media’s JiYoung Kim to unpack how organizational silos, business incentives, and legacy thinking continue to slow progress toward unified audiences and seamless activation.
“If we truly put consumers first, a lot of these walls would start to come down.” - Mike Law
Our panelists agreed that while the tools to unify data and audiences largely exist, competitive moats and misaligned incentives have created more walls, not fewer. That fragmentation ultimately shows up in the consumer experience, from repetitive ad exposure to inefficient frequency, and underscores the need to prioritize the human on the other side of the screen.
“AI isn’t going to solve our problems, we need to solve the fundamentals first.” - Katherine Freeley
AI was a recurring theme, and our speakers were in agreement about its role. While AI can dramatically improve speed, scale and accessibility, it isn’t a silver bullet. Without strong foundations, AI risks amplifying existing problems rather than solving them. Used correctly, however, it can help teams move faster and unlock insights that power more effective media, creative, and integrated planning.
“We actually have many of the tools we need already. What’s missing is alignment across organizations and incentives.” - JiYoung Kim
That foundation increasingly comes down to identity and trust. From audience creation to activation and measurement, our panelists emphasized the need for consistent definitions, transparent methodologies and collaborative partnerships across brands, agencies, and publishers. As privacy pressures mount and legacy approaches continue to erode, shared identity frameworks and unified activation workflows will be critical to turning complexity into real control.
“Transparency breeds trust, and trust is what allows true collaboration to happen.” - Mike Law