Kelvin Mak, VP, Innovation and Intelligence, UM Canada, joined fellow industry leaders for a roundtable moderated by Media in Canada to discuss the future of the digital ecosystem. Amid antitrust lawsuits, data restrictions, AI content overload, rising misinformation, and weaker moderation, the roundtable explored how these shifts are reshaping the internet, what it means for advertisers, and how leaders are preparing for an uncertain digital future.
When asked about owning the channels and content versus renting, Kelvin pointed to trust as a critical factor: “How do you then contextualize that content expertise you have for somebody that’s part of your consumer set, so that they can make sense of it and feel like that content is emotionally and functionally calibrated versus just content that’s out there?”
On brand safety standards, he added, “The more we plan, the more we can widen the aperture on the types of risk we may face, and the quicker we can adapt. It’s not just about being pre-emptive and proactive; it’s about having a strategy that’s tailored to the brand and built to mitigate those risks.”