The Campaign Podcast

Advertising awards have drawn greater scrutiny in recent years, with agencies under pressure and increased AI usage leading to falsified case studies. This year Cannes Lions introduced new rules and regulations to combat misleading entries.In this episode, Campaign's editorial team discusses this year’s awards season, analysed in Campaign’s latest feature The Creative Score, ranking the big UK and global winners and understanding what makes award-winning work. Plus, editor Maisie McCabe digs into why one of D&AD's recent black Pencil winners raised questions.McCabe is joined by authors of The Creative Score: Jamie Rossouw, data analyst at Campaign, and Ellie Lewis, data journalist. The episode is hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.Further listening:Podcast: How will Cannes be different this year amid greater awards scrutiny?Podcast: Is Cannes Lions 2025 a watershed moment for awards?Further reading:The Creative Score UK: Top 20 agenciesThe Creative Score Global: Top 20 agenciesThe Creative Score Global: Top holding companiesThe Creative Score Global: Top 20 brandsThe Creative Score Global: Top 20 campaignsCannes Lions to ban agencies that submit ‘wilfully false’ campaignsDon’t hate the player, hate the gameHow do you solve a problem like… awards

The big three holding companies – Publicis Groupe, Omnicom and WPP – have reported their Q3 results, and each are on different journeys. WPP is working on its turnaround Elevate28 plan, Omnicom is nearing one year since its acquisition of IPG, and Publicis points to its "record new-business" run, winning accounts without a pitch. This episode features journalists from Campaign UK and US discussing how the last three months have gone for big three, what each of the CEOs have said on their results, and the recent fight over two of the biggest media accounts, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. As was well-reported, Publicis stole Pepsi from Omnicom, which in turn won Coca-Cola’s North America account, which WPP declined to take part in, though it retained Coca-Cola’s international business. Emmy Liederman, managing editor at Campaign US, joins the episode to discuss her rare interview with Omnicom chief executive John Wren. Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief, provides his analysis of the holding company earnings calls and Ellie Lewis, data editor Campaign UK, provides the headline figures of the results. The episode is hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.Further reading:Podcast: Does Publicis' PepsiCo coup mean pitching is changing?Cindy Rose criticises 'pitch-less CEO handshake' dealsIs John Wren right to say 'everybody’s replaceable'?Arthur Sadoun on winning without pitching and why the new ‘big three’ is driving ‘profound’ changeThe key charts behind WPP’s Q3 2026 resultsThe key charts behind Omnicom’s Q3 2026 resultsThe key charts behind Publicis Groupe’s Q3 2026 resultsQ2 results: Is Cindy Rose’s Elevate28 plan working?

Last week Campaign published its Power 100 for 2026, a list of the top 100 most influential marketers in the UK.The list was accompanied with a shoot to capture the brand leaders, as well as a feature digging into where they are investing their ad spend. This episode features Campaign’s senior art director Paul Frost going behind-the-scenes of the shoot and using the idea of "quiet power" to capture the Power 100. Campaign’s deputy editor Gemma Charles and features editor Antonia Garrett Peel also join the episode to discuss how the marketers navigating the rise in influencers and balancing it with traditional media.The episode is hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.Further reading:Campaign Power 100 2026: the full listPower 100 2026: the age of influenceCampaign Power 100 2026: Hall of Fame line-up

Last week was the 40th anniversary of the Media Week Awards, and we celebrated the ceremony in London with almost 1000 people in the room. This episode features the co-chairs of judges, Karen Eccles, former managing UK and Ireland at Sky Media, and Marcus Orme, founder and chief executive of Medialab Group. Joined by Campaign's deputy media editor Shauna Lewis and host, tech and multimedia editor, Lucy Shelley, they discuss their experience of the roadshow judging days and how they came to decide the winners.They discuss the in-person presentations and the judging of the top three awards: Media Agency of the Year, which went to PHD, Independent Media Agency of the Year which went to Medialab Group and Sales Team of the Year which went to ITV Commercial.

We are entering Christmas in adland which means soon some of the biggest ads of the year will drop across our TV screens, phones, billboards and more.Both highly anticipated and highly speculated, this episode of The Campaign Podcast goes through what Campaign knows so far about the ads, from Lucy Punch and James Norton featuring in the M&S ad to McDonald's not creating a hero film for the second year, as well as looking back at previous years to predict what trends might appear in this year’s crop of xmas ads.Hosted by Campaign's tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley, Campaign's creative team join the episode: creativity and culture editor Gurjit Degun, deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings and senior reporter Eszter Gurbicz.Further reading:Coca-Cola hires Ajaz Ahmed start-up for Christmas campaignIs the World Cup a bigger opportunity for brands than Christmas?Oxfam appoints creative agency for 2026 Christmas campaignThe Lists 2025: Top 20 film adsPeta “Happy Christmassacre” by Grey LondonSainsbury's set to make it three Christmas ads in a row for the BFGShelter awards Christmas campaign to Meanwhile following pitch

WPP Production opened its first global flagship office in September with an AI-powered high-tech studio in Devon’s Point, East London. Deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings attended the opening and gives her perspective on the facility.The opening comes as WPP’s Q2 results showed WPP Production was the only one of the holding company’s four units that reported positive growth.Also in September, internal guidance from WPP Production was seen by campaign which asked staff to convince clients to insource all production, and avoid traditional commercial bidding by providing all three bids from WPP. This caused furore among independents and reignited a longstanding debate between in-house agency production companies and independents.In this episode, Campaign's editorial team is looking into why production is such big battleground, and if WPP’s investment marks a step change for the sector. Tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode which features Rawlings, alongside creativity and culture editor, Gurjit Degun, and UK editor Maisie McCabe.Further reading:WPP Production takes down insourcing guidance'A risk the work becomes narrower and worse': adland reacts to WPP Production insourcing guidanceWPP closes Hogarth and launches WPP Production

What is the true balance between human spaceflight and robotic exploration when it comes to science, inspiration, and decision-making capabilities? How is space transitioning from a niche frontier to an everyday commercial workplace? What role do regulatory frameworks, such as the United Nations, the Artemis Accords, and the Astra Carta, play in keeping orbit and the lunar surface safe and sustainable? And how can the UK Government act as an "anchor customer" to bridge the commercial "valley of death" for domestic space startups?Join Alice and Jonners in this special episode recorded in Chichester Marina with British astronaut Tim Peake as he shares insights on space adaptation syndrome, commercial space stations, lunar research bases, global space traffic management, and the future of human exploration to Mars. Contributors:Alice Bunn, President of UKspaceDr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedInUKspace: Overview | LinkedInJonathan Davies, The Karman LineJonathan Davies | LinkedInThe Karman Line | LinkedInTim Peake, AstronautTim Peake | LinkedInKey topics covered:Human spaceflight vs. robotic explorationSpace Adaptation Syndrome (nausea & gravity adjustment)Normalising space as a commercial workplaceTransition from space stations to commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO)Artemis programme & sustainable lunar research basesAstronaut selection mindsets, psychological profiles, and stress testingInternational space cooperation & soft power (ISS legacy)Governance, leaseholds, and regulatory frameworks on the MoonThe Astra Carta & space sustainabilityHuman exploration of MarsGovernment as “anchor customers

Campaign's TV Advertising Summit took place in September, in partnership with Netflix, Sky Media and Dailymotion, questioning how the TV ad landscape has been remodelled, and what advertisers need to do to get ahead.Brands, media owners and agencies spoke at and attended the event, which ended with a session hosted by Lindsey Clay, chief executive of the TV marketing body Thinkbox, with three panellists: Elisabetta Farroni, brand director and executive creative director at Visa; Regan Warner, executive creative director at M&C Saatchi UK; and Aidan McClure, co-founder and chief creative officer at Wonderhood Studios.This episode features a recording of the session, where the panellists take us through their top TV campaigns that have defined the medium, both from their own work and the ads they wished they made.Before the session, Campaign’s deputy media editor Shauna Lewis joins tech and multimedia editor to discuss the top takeaways from the day, including competition with Big Tech and how Sky's acquisition of ITV impacts media buying.The ads mentioned:Waitrose & Partners "The perfect gift" by Wonderhood StudiosVisa "Level up your game" by VaynerMedia EMEAThe Department for Education “Get out of the everyday. Get into teaching” by M&C Saatchi Group UKMagnum ad shows how buying copycat ice-cream can destroy a relationshipConfused.com brings familiar sayings to life through puppetryMonzo “Get busy living” by BBH LondonNike “Stairs” by Wieden & Kennedy PortlandAnthropic Super Bowl ad highlights its AI assistant ClaudeTwix "Camping" by Adam & Eve/DDBFurther reading:Netflix UK's Ed Couchman: You can build a whole media plan on SVODChannel 4 calls for 'robust scrutiny' of ITV-Sky mergerUK competition watchdog launches inquiry into Sky/ITV dealWill ITV generate enough ad revenue to earn £200m payout from Sky?'One of the biggest shake-ups in UK TV': the potential impact of Sky-ITV'I don’t think advertisers care enough yet': ITV's Kelly Williams on Meta

Omnicom has moved to centralise impact and inclusion capabilities at group level. This led to Lucky Generals cutting its social impact lead Lameya Chaudhury.Other holding companies including WPP and Publicis also have central DEI teams, so in this episode we are asking what it means to “centralise inclusion” and the impacts of doing so.Hosted by Campaign's tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley, this episode includes Dino Myers-Lamptey, founder at The Barber Shop and trustee of Brixton Finishing School, former media editor Beau Jackson and data journalist Jamie Rossouw.Further reading:Professor Arday’s death should make brands consider the media ecosystem they fundPodcast: Should an agency be judged by its diversity?Xavier Rees: Adland leaders have “responsibility to speak up for inclusivity”