For a sense of the challenge of today’s incomprehensibly diffuse media ecosystem, consider the scope of activity in digital advertising within the Magic Kingdom alone.

“In any given week, there are 4 billion to 5 billion ad impressions running across Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN,” said Josh Mattison, executive VP of digital operations for Disney Advertising, during a session at Variety’s Entertainment Marketing Summit. “In any given month, we see 50,000 pieces of ad creative come in.”

Disney’s Josh Mattison

Mattison shared those numbers during a conversation about using AI tools to assist with the staggering volume of advertising and marketing materials that flow through Disney’s digital pipes. Those stats underscore the issue that vibrated underneath just about every panel at the April 24 event: The methods for capturing audiences’ attention are proliferating at an exponential rate, while many consumers — especially Zoomers and millennials — have grown increasingly allergic to the perception...