Les Binet: Why marketing needs to think bigger again

That is the question at the heart of Go Big or Go Home, the latest research from renowned marketing effectiveness expert Les Binet and the topic he will bring to UBA Media Date on 25 August 2026.

A leading voice in marketing effectiveness

On 25 August 2026, Les Binet will take the stage at UBA Media Date to share the findings of this new work and challenge some of the industry's most deeply rooted assumptions.

Few voices carry as much authority in the field of marketing effectiveness as Les Binet. Through influential publications such as The Long and the Short of It, co-authored with Peter Field, he has helped shape the way marketers think about brand building, sales activation and long-term growth. His research has consistently demonstrated that successful brands balance short-term performance objectives with sustained investment in brand equity.

At the heart of his latest thinking is Go Big or Go Home, a study co-authored with Will Davis, Chief Data Officer at Medialab, for the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) in the United Kingdom. First presented at the IPA Effectiveness Conference in October 2025 and further developed since then, the work has gained significant attention across the marketing industry.

Binet is deeply concerned about the direction the industry is taking. Together with Davis, he argues that many organisations have become trapped in what they describe as “small thinking”. Marketing teams are optimising campaigns to improve efficiency metrics while losing sight of meaningful business growth. It is a message that continues to resonate with advertisers, agencies and media professionals alike.

The efficiency trap

According to Binet, effectiveness and efficiency are not the same thing. Efficiency is about achieving results with minimal resources. Effectiveness is about creating the greatest possible business impact. While both are important, he believes that many marketers have allowed efficiency metrics to dominate decision-making. As a result, campaigns are becoming smaller, audiences more narrowly defined and ambitions increasingly constrained.

One of the most striking conclusions of Go Big or Go Home is that the size of the investment often has a greater impact on business outcomes than marketers are willing to acknowledge. A highly efficient campaign with limited reach may generate impressive performance indicators, but it may fail to create significant growth. Conversely, campaigns that achieve broad reach and strong visibility often deliver a much larger commercial impact, even if they appear less efficient on paper.

This challenges an industry increasingly focused on precision targeting and attribution. Binet argues that brands grow by reaching more people, not just by targeting existing customers more effectively. The importance of broad reach is closely linked to another recurring theme in Binet's work: the power of brand building. Successful marketing is not simply about capturing existing demand. It is also about creating future demand. That requires campaigns that are memorable, emotionally engaging and capable of reaching large audiences.

The danger of the marketing “death spiral”

His latest work also introduces the concept of a marketing “death spiral”. The process often begins with budget reductions. As investment declines, campaigns become smaller and less visible. Reduced visibility leads to weaker business results, which in turn creates further pressure to cut budgets. Over time, brands can find themselves trapped in a cycle of underinvestment that becomes increasingly difficult to escape.

For advertisers, these questions are more relevant than ever. As the industry continues to embrace data, technology and performance measurement, Binet's message serves as a timely reminder that growth often requires ambition, scale and the courage to think beyond short-term optimisation.

What to expect at UBA Media Date

UBA Media Date has established itself as the annual back-to-business gathering for Belgium's media and marketing ecosystem. The event brings together advertisers and a select audience of media professionals for an afternoon of insights, discussion and networking, culminating in a summer buffet designed to encourage further exchange between peers.

This year's programme promises to be particularly rich. Attendees will also hear from Ruben Schreurs, who will present the findings of the Paid Media Effectiveness Handbook developed by Ebiquity and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), while Deborah Gurofsky will explore how brands can build stronger and more enduring relationships with their audiences.

At a time when marketers are under increasing pressure to deliver short-term results, Binet's call to think bigger may be one of the most timely conversations of the year. UBA Media Date will take place on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, from 2:00 p.m. at Dolce La Hulpe.

Registration is now open at mediadate.be