Radio production has changed a lot since Ken Bruce began presenting in 1977. And yet, when it comes to the basics of good radio – a close, one-to-one relationship with the audience – things haven't changed much at all. “For years, people have been saying to me, ‘Radio’s dead, dying. It’s finished,'" said Bruce. "Even in the 70s, they were saying that to me. And I thought, well, no – I don’t believe it is. Because there’s a person there. It’s a human interaction. And while that remains, radio wil...
Nov 21, 2024•27 min•Season 5Ep. 19
Patrick 'Paddy' Affleck aims to 'walk the walk when it comes to inclusion and courage in particular, his personal story is quite different from your average media agency CEO. That why he known as someone who likes to challenge conventional ways of thinking about this business. Affleck speaks to Omar Oakes about his personal journey from growing up on a commune in Devon and how it has shaped his attitude to leadership and mental-health challenges at work. His philosophy emphasies progressiveness,...
Nov 18, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 18
The newly promoted Jack Benjamin and outgoing editor-in-chief Omar Oakes discuss a flurry of updates about streaming service user numbers and how their "premium versus ad" strategies are evolving. They also discuss MediaSense’s latest acquisition, Spotify’s latest earnings, a Newsworks study on youth news consumption habits and more. Highlights: 01:00: Takeaways from Barb's Establishment Survey : Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+ 18:15 : Why media consultancy MediaSense has acq...
Nov 14, 2024•33 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Origin, the world-first cross-media measurement platform led by Isba, went live in September through the launch of beta trials with 35 major UK advertisers. While advertisers in the beta trials have signalled their excitement, Origin has been received with a more tepid response by some stakeholders, particularly in TV broadcasting and at some agencies, over its inclusion of non-Media Rating Council-standard viewability measures. Last month, The Media Leader editor-in-chief Omar Oakes sat down wi...
Nov 11, 2024•19 min•Season 5Ep. 16
Jack Benjamin and Omar Oakes unpick the media coverage and what's in store for the industry with another Donald Trump US presidency. They also discuss announcements from Origin and Barb, Sky’s big ad revenue miscalculation, GB News getting fined £100K by Ofcom and more. Highlights: 01:00: Hot takes about hot takes about Trump 12:30: Why Isba's Origin is starting to produce its own research 14:30: Sky Media on the hook for underpaid ad revenue 18:15: Why Barb is launching co-viewing data for the ...
Nov 07, 2024•33 min•Season 5Ep. 15
This year, most major digital players including Meta, TikTok, Google and Pinterest have developed AI tools to help marketers get more out of their campaigns with less effort. Such tools, which often target the long tail of advertisers at small and medium-sized businesses, have helped boost ad revenues in the third quarter at many major social media companies. One of the most interesting companies that has released AI performance tools is Pinterest. In recent years, Pinterest has built out its ca...
Nov 04, 2024•29 min•Season 5Ep. 14
A conversation about the future of TV advertising featuring executives from Sky Media, Direct Line Group, Channel 4 and Samba TV. At our recent Future of Media Manchester event, this panel stood out for revealing key insights about how advertisers and broadcasters have made significant changes over recent years to make the most of digital tools and measurement. Moderated by The Zoo.London co-founder Rachel Forde, the speakers were: Amy Taylor, head of investment, Sky Media Ewan Douglas, head of ...
Oct 28, 2024•28 min•Season 5Ep. 13
It's earnings season and the publicly listed agency groups have been more expansive about their "proprietary media" or "principal-based media" products. Jack Benjamin and Omar Oakes discuss why this is important to these companies' growth and what it means for advertisers that may or may not wish for their media to be bought this way. They also discuss Netflix's earnings and its future as an ad seller and gaming provider, the latest Rajar listening figures, increased losses for Sky and why Joker...
Oct 24, 2024•46 min•Season 5Ep. 12
On a panel at The Future of Media Manchester a few weeks ago, members from Stagwell agencies HarrisX and Goodstuff took the stage to unpack new research which found that advertising adjacent to quality news is brand safe — even against "hard news" subjects like war and politics. The research undermined common concerns that advertisers express about not wanting their ads to be placed next to hard news content, which they often, wrongly it seems, deem brand unsafe. Since then, there has been an ad...
Oct 21, 2024•20 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Reporter Jack Benjamin and editor-in-chief Omar Oakes unpack key themes from last week's Future of Media London 2024 event. The duo review some of the biggest sessions from the two-day conference, including takeaways from interviews with DMG Media vice-chairman Rich Caccappolo, LBC presenter James O'Brien, and Global CEO Stephen Miron. Oakes also describes the inspiring manifestos presented by members of the Future 100 Club, and why Starcom’s Vanessa Jarrad had the winning pitch. Highlights: 1:5...
Oct 17, 2024•39 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Last month, ITV launched two ads that were created primarily with the use of generative AI. Made for new-to-TV small businesses Travel House and Sheepbridge Interiors, the spots feature AI-generated imagery and were created by augmenting ITV Commercial’s normal creative process by using licensed generative-AI image and video tools alongside ITV’s in-house voiceover artists. The result received a lot of attention. ITV has billed the project as a way to democratise advertising on TV for small and ...
Oct 07, 2024•30 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Omar Oakes and Jack Benjamin review the big stories in UK media and advertising this week, including Amazon's UK upfronts, in which it revealed new ad formats for Prime Video, and Pinterest, whose lead marketer had some strong words to say about the digital media "duopoly". Omar is also joined by Wacl's president Karen Stacey and vice-president Claire Sadler to talk about why the female leaders' network is looking for new partners and ways of raising money. Highlights: 01:00: Amazon's UK upfront...
Oct 03, 2024•42 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Jack Benjamin and Omar Oakes report highlights from The Media Leader 's first outing in Manchester! The Future of Media Manchester attracted around 600 people on 26 September and included ITV and Coronation Street 's "big sell", Manchester City FC's fledgling operation as an in-house production company and advertising consultancy and, of course, a special Manchester edition of "Who Wants to be a Media Leader?" Jack and Omar discuss why there is still a big regional imbalance in UK media and adve...
Sep 30, 2024•32 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Jack Benjamin and Omar Oakes are back to review the big media business news of the week, starting with the launch of Origin, Isba's world-first cross-media measurement tool. It may be billed as a "beta" launch with a limited pool of 35 advertisers, but Oakes explains why "as far as Isba is concerned, Origin is now officially launched". The Media Leader duo also discuss ITV's first-ever generative-AI ads created for small businesses, Roblox’s progression into advertising and The London Standard '...
Sep 26, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 6
News titles across the UK are changing hands and senior leaders amid what has been a downturn in the digital advertising market. Meanwhile, challenges relating to referral traffic, anticompetitive practices by tech giants, and the continuing decline in print revenues are dogging publishers. Owen Meredith, the CEO of the News Media Association, sat down with Jack Benjamin to discuss. The pair spoke about the numerous headwinds facing both local and national news organisations, whether it be from ...
Sep 23, 2024•40 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Jack Benjamin and Omar Oakes discuss the major stories of the past week, including the proposed sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media, scenes from recent Radiocentre, Thinkbox and Who Cares? events, and product updates from Meta and Snap. Highlights: 1:04: Guardian Media Group shares earnings and considers sale of The Observer to Tortoise 12:35: Takeaways from Radiocentre's Tuning In conference 15:53: Broadcasters express concerns over Isba's use of Barb data in Origin 19:18: Who cares about Wh...
Sep 19, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Social media gets a lot of buzz and an increasingly large slice of media budgets. But is that spend optimal compared with other media channels? In an article for The Media Leader last week, EssenceMediacom's chief strategy officer Richard Kirk revealed new research that suggests brands are spending three times as much on paid social than is most efficient. Kirk and Olga Zaitseva, EssenceMediacom's head of media science and modelling, join Jack Benjamin to unpack the findings. According to the pa...
Sep 16, 2024•38 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Jack Benjamin and Omar Oakes discuss the major stories of recent weeks following a brief summer hiatus. Key stories include Google's second antitrust case in the US this year, Sir Paul Marshall's purchase of The Spectator and the dissolution of EssenceMediacomX. Highlights: 1:32: What to know about Google's adtech antitrust trial 11:56: The Spectator sale – what's Sir Paul Marshall's aim? 15:46: X's lack of appeal to mainstream advertisers 17:49: EssenceMediacomX dissolves 19:13: TV no longer th...
Sep 12, 2024•27 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Terry Hornsby, founder and executive vice-president of Mantis, joins Jack Benjamin to discuss how keyword blocklists remain in use by advertisers to the detriment of publishers. Hornsby explains that blocklisting is being used irresponsibly by too many advertisers, many of which often add words to their blocklists without sufficiently checking which may be worth taking off. These could include adding "Paris" after the 2015 terrorist attacks or "Taylor Swift" after her Vienna concert was nearly a...
Sep 09, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Jack Benjamin hosts a live panel where three media strategists field questions about common challenges in advertising. Speakers: Jackie Lyons , chief planning officer, Havas Media Network UK Raj Mahon , director of client partnerships, MiQ Amy Caven , head of media and strategy planning, Boots This was recorded at our Future of Brands event in April. You can watch it on the Adwanted UK YouTube channel here . Do you like this AMA format? Let the editor know what you think: omar.oakes@uk.adwanted....
Aug 15, 2024•37 min•Season 4Ep. 61
Sue Unerman, global chief strategy officer at Brainlabs, joins Omar Oakes to discuss leaving WPP's EssenceMediacom after 34 years and "reinventing" herself at a very different agency. Unerman is well-known across the industry and beyond as a progressive thinker and media strategist, thanks to the books she has written as an author about workplace culture and inclusion. She is a Cannes Lions Creativity for Good winner and 2024 Glass Lions judge, a fellow of the IPA and has co-authored three bests...
Aug 12, 2024•36 min•Season 4Ep. 61
Jack Benjamin and Omar Oakes discuss the major media and advertising stories of the week, including the verdict in Google's US antitrust case, how social media companies have been implicated in the spread of far-right violence across the UK and the latest financial results for WPP, Amazon, Snap and Meta. Highlights: 00:20: Google is a monopoly. So what happens next? 6:38: Elon Musk spars with Sir Keir Starmer; X sues advertisers 13:59: Meta earnings and the future of smart glasses 17:35: News ro...
Aug 08, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 60
Elliott Clayton, managing director, international sales, at Epsilon, joins Omar Oakes to discuss how the data-led marketing business has fared since being acquired by Publicis Groupe five years ago and what's next. Clayton also has strong views on what marketers should do now that Google has decided not to get rid of third-party advertising cookies on its platforms. --- Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode. --> Discover how Trisonic can elevate your brand and ex...
Aug 05, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 59
Jack Benjamin and Omar Oakes discuss the major media and advertising stories of the week, including YouTube rejoining Barb, TV audience trends from the latest Ofcom Media Nations report and why Warner Bros Discovery could end its HBO exclusivity deal with Sky in the UK. Highlights: 00:30: YouTube rejoins Barb, why it matters and Media Nations reaction 07:00: Should WBD end its HBO deal with Sky in the UK? 11:00: OpenAI's challenge to Google 17:30: Omar's debut for the news round-up Related links...
Aug 01, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 58
Dr Grace Kite, a business economist and founder of Magic Numbers and Magic Works, joins Omar Oakes to discuss the importance of independence in media consulting, trends in effectiveness, Cannes Lions and what it takes to be a successful business founder. Kite is one of the industry's most respected voices on what makes advertising effective and has just sold Magic Numbers to US-based tech consultancy Analytic Partners . She says: "My experience as an independent is that the client themselves wil...
Jul 29, 2024•29 min•Season 4Ep. 57
Reporters Jack Benjamin and Ella Sagar look at the stories that mattered most in media and advertising this week. The pair discuss Google's reversal on cookie deprecation, plus coverage around the latest earnings from Alphabet, Spotify, Netflix and others, as well as an odd match for Teads and Outbrain. Highlights 00:21: Google's U-turn on cookie deprecation 6:46: Alphabet earnings 8:23: Netflix earnings 11:22: Spotify earnings 14:30: Warner Bros Discovery considers split 16:45: Teads and Outbra...
Jul 25, 2024•21 min•Season 4Ep. 56
Laurence Green, the IPA's effectiveness director, speaks to Omar Oakes about the rise of media agencies submitting entries for the new IPA Effectiveness Awards, whose shortlist is published this week. The awards, which run every two years, have seen a "dramatic" increase in media agencies submitting best-in-class advertising effectiveness work. Green discusses the reasons behind this and whether advertising and marketing are being more led by media planning and buying. Green, who has founded ad ...
Jul 22, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 55
Reporters Jack Benjamin and Ella Sagar look at the stories that mattered most in media and advertising this week. The pair discuss media coverage around the Euros and Olympics, takeaways from the latest IPA Bellwether , how Labour intends to support the current BBC funding model and more. Highlights: 00:24: Summer of Sport – Olympics and Paralympics coverage; keyword-blocking of Reach articles 8:14: IPA Bellwether shows business optimism 10:51: Labour's commitment to the BBC's licensing arrangem...
Jul 18, 2024•18 min•Season 4Ep. 54
Kate Harris, former CEO and current regional director at Nabs, talks to Omar Oakes about mental health in the media and advertising industry. Harris, a former ad agency executive who now runs a recruitment business, discusses the challenges of managing work-from-home stress and the benefits of art and creativity for mental wellbeing. They also explore the need for open conversation and practical support for women going through the menopause at work and why the industry is still "ageist", despite...
Jul 15, 2024•36 min•Season 4Ep. 53
Reporter Ella Sagar and deputy editor Maria Iu look at the stories that mattered most in media and advertising this week. The pair discuss new culture secretary Lisa Nandy's in-tray, Ofcom’s ruling on BBC spin-off stations, Meta's view that news is "substitutable" and Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media. Highlights 0:26: What you need to know about the new Labour government 3:54: Ofcom delays early launch of BBC Radio 2's "pop nostalgia" service 8:30: Industry reaction to Meta saying n...
Jul 11, 2024•19 min•Season 4Ep. 52
