Resonance over reach: why nuance matters in modern media

Jill Kelly

Jill Kelly, North America CEO of global media agency Assembly, explores how lived experience shapes authentic leadership and the urgent need for advertisers to go beyond superficial representation.

‘Without trust, our stories — no matter how well-crafted — fall flat’

WHEN I first landed in the US at six years old, I didn’t speak a word of English. I stepped off a plane from Seoul, South Korea into JFK Airport and into the arms of my new Irish/ American family, a family I didn’t yet know how to communicate with. My earliest memories of America are vivid: my grandparents’ shock of white hair and green eyes, my mother’s tall frame and kind smile, and a world so utterly foreign it felt like a story I wasn’t sure I belonged in.

In those early days, creativity wasn’t a luxury, it was a survival tool. I quickly learned that to be heard, seen and ac- cepted I had to find new ways to connect. Storytelling, humour, the clothes I chose and the jokes I cracked all became my language before language. I often say that my creativity was born in the margins of belonging.

That’s why, decades later, leading a media agency in a rapidly changing world, I can’t help but see the parallels between my personal journey and the industry’s current reckoning. In a global media landscape that’s more intersectional and interconnected than ever,we are still too often chasing reach over resonance. And it’s costing us — in trust, in authenticity, in relevance.

‘We owe it to ourselves, and to the audiences we serve, to stop chasing reach for reach’s sake’

Recent research from Assembly’s Unexpected Consequences study underscores this reality. One of the study’s chapters, The Ripple Effects of a Global Economy, revealed that 69% of Americans feel they’re missing the bedrock of trusted media. It’s a striking statistic, and a powerful reminder that it’s not just about where messages show up, but whether people believe in the environments they encounter them. Without trust, our stories — no matter how well-crafted — fall flat.

As Cannes Lions 2025 leans into global intersectionality, expanded creator economies and deeper commitments to diversity and inclusion, it’s clear our in- dustry isn’t lacking in awareness. What we’re lacking is nuance.

That’s because media buying can no longer afford to be transactional, and representation isn’t a numbers game. It’s not about how many diverse faces appear in a campaign or how many markets a message penetrates, it must be about who is telling the story, when it’s being told and the conditions it is placed.

The stories we tell and the ones we believe shape us. They define how we see ourselves, how we understand others and how we move through the world.

Some stories entertain, some educate and some leave a mark that lingers for a lifetime. For me, one of those stories was about the monsters in the attic. At least in my six-year-old mind, where in the orphanage in Korea we were told that little girls sent to the attic disap- peared. On my last night there, I was summoned and as I climbed those stairs trembling, I came to find a room — not with monsters, but with neatly folded clothes meant for new beginnings.

I chose an outfit for my journey to America, stepped out of the attic, and onto

a new path. That moment shaped me, and it’s a reminder I carry into every boardroom and briefing: what we fear, what we don’t understand and the unexpected consequence are often where the most profound stories live.

“Pain plus reflection equals progress” — a core principle from Ray Dalio’s book Principles — applies not only to life and leadership, but to advertising too. Our industry has experienced its share of pain: cultural missteps, performative gestures and surface-level inclusion. The question is, are we truly reflecting? Are we asking who’s missing from the table, whose narratives have been flattened and whose voices we’ve overlooked in our pursuit of scale and growth?

Modern media isn’t just about impressions and CPMs. It’s about intentionality. It’s about understanding the lived experiences behind the data points. It’s about trusting creators and communities to narrate their own truths. And it’s about ensuring that the media we buy doesn’t just reach people, but resonates with them because it sees them, hears them and values them.

Assembly’s research also challenged another industry misconception: that brand-building in media has lost its value. In fact, 57% of people remember their last website search very or extremely well, compared to just 38% who vividly recall the last TV ad they saw. That stat doesn’t diminish the importance of mass media, but it does reaffirm the growing power of intentional, contextual and choice-driven digital moments. It’s proof that mean- ingful engagement happens when audiences are active participants, not passive recipients.

It’s not enough for difference to be tolerated; it must be sought out, celebrated and meaningfully reflected in the work we create and where we place it. Trust isn’t built through volume, but through intention in the stories we tell, who gets to tell them and how thoughtfully we deliver them to the world.

Progress in advertising and media means that we move past transactional tactics and take the time to reflect on the cultural weight of our decisions. Resonance requires nuance. And our responsibility is to make space for authentic storytelling and intentional placements that truly reflect the richness and complexity of the audiences we serve.

So, as we gather in Cannes this year, let’s move past the applause for surface-level representation. Let’s demand nuance. Let’s ask harder questions: Are we placing these stories intentionally? Are we empowering communities as co-creators, not just audiences? Are we leaving room for the complexity, vulnerability and messiness that makes stories and people real?

We owe it to ourselves, to our industry, and to the audiences we serve to stop chasing reach for reach’s sake. Because in the end, it’s not how far a message travels that defines its value — it’s how deeply it lands.