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The Campaign Podcast
Campaign Podcast: Why the Paris 2024 Olympics is all about storytelling
Paris 2024 returns the Olympic Games back to normality after the delayed Japan 2020 games. But what does it look like in a time of AI, war and economic uncertainty?
Campaign speaks to UK advertisers on how the Olympics has changed this year, including Harley O’Dell from TikTok, Joanna Cotton from Monks and Mark Eaves from Gravity Road.
Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, they answer "where are all the Olympics ads?", how to approach an Olympic sponsorship and how brands avoid ad fatigue in the summer of sport.
The trio discuss their favourite ads including Gravity Road's "1 in 100 million" for the International Olympics Committee's refugee team.
More on the ads discussed in this episode:
Olympics and Paralympics 2024 round-up: watch the ads
Nike unveils Olympics campaign, Winning Isn’t for Everyone
Will Nike’s Olympics campaign reboot its brand?
Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot makes summer debut for Paris 2024
Inside the International Olympic Committee’s marketing playbook for Paris 2024
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22. Chaka Sobhani, Iain Tait and Jonathan Kneebone at Campaign Year Ahead Breakfast Briefing
20:32||Season 4, Ep. 22At Campaign's Year Ahead Breakfast Briefing this Tuesday 14 January, industry leaders took to the stage to give their predictions, concerns and excitement for 2025.This bonus episode includes the final panel of the event, moderated by deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings, with Chaka Sobhani, president and global chief creative officer of DDB Worldwide, Iain Tait, co-founder of Food Arts & Technology and Jonathan Kneebone, co-founder and director of Glue Society.The discussion ranged from AI’s impact on creative processes to the importance of fostering individual talent and the evolving role of experiential marketing.Further reading:'Tap into the desire for individuals to be more individual': Year Ahead's creativity panel on 2025 ideasWhy 2025 could be the year brands move away from MetaEssenceMediacom UK CEO says media clients want answers, not theory21. Will the Omnicom-IPG merger really happen?
39:14||Season 4, Ep. 21After dominating news headlines throughout December, and likely well into 2025, it is all still possible for the Omnicom-IPG merger to fall through, repeating history from 2013 when Omnicom failed to merge with Publicis Groupe.Campaign's editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier sat down in a global exclusive interview with John Wren, CEO of Omnicom, and Philippe Krakowsky, CEO of IPG, after they announced the all-stock deal on 9 December to create the world's biggest agency group. Since then, the share price of Omnicom declined 15%.In this episode, Spanier is joined by editor Maisie McCabe and media editor Beau Jackson to ask the $31bn question: will the merger really happen?Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, the team discuss the regulatory obstacles the holdcos need to hurdle, a shrink in share prices, and the potential for divergent performance of Omnicom and IPG in 2025. Is the merger an attempt to "fight scale with scale", says Spanier, to compete with the power of tech companies. The team asks where it leaves R/GA and Huge after being held for sale last year and any signs that adland might see a repeat of the attempted Publicis merger.Further reading:The $31bn Omnicom-IPG deal has industrial logic but also many caveatsOmnicom-IPG merger: how the holdcos stack up in the UKInterpublic sells digital experiences agency Huge'The industry doesn’t need another behemoth’: Stagwell CEO on Omnicom-IPGPublicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun says Omnicom-IPG deal is 'real opportunity'Omnicom and IPG 'huddling together as cold winds blow': Martin SorrellEverything we know so far about the Omnicom-IPG mega mergerComing up in the Campaign calendar:Media Week Live, 29 January20. What are adland's new year's resolutions?
35:42||Season 4, Ep. 20How is adland going to change this year?To get listeners ready for the year ahead, Campaign's editorial team give a taste of adland's predictions for the next 12 months, including which resolutions to give up and which take on in 2025.Tech editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode alongside editor Maisie McCabe, culture and creativity editor Alessandra Scotto di Santolo and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis.After revealing their personal resolutions for the year, the team asks adland to give up cheesy collaborations for 2025 as well as the dream of certainty. McCabe hopes that brands might reconsider where they put their media spend and questions if "be bolder" is a good enough resolution.Campaign will be releasing more Year Ahead content and agencies to watch over the coming weeks.Further reading:The Year Ahead 2025: Media ownersEight media agencies to watch in 2025Snog, marry, avoid: what kind of year was 2024?Was 2024 the year of AI?Will media buyers be the first victims of AI?Barclaycard series was a credit to advertisingComing up in the Campaign calendar:Year Ahead Breakfast Briefing, 14 JanuaryMedia Week Live, 29 January19. Snog, marry, avoid: what kind of year was 2024?
48:25||Season 4, Ep. 19"A lukewarm snog" might be how one Campaign journalist describes 2024, but how would you?In the final episode of the year for The Campaign Podcast, the editorial team gathers one last time to recap the year and answer a very important, hard-hitting question: would you snog, marry or avoid 2024?From the Post Office scandal and dartsman Luke Littler, to the Jaguar rebrand and a year of elections, a lot has happened in the past 12 months both inside and outside adland's walls.Features editor Matt Barker tells us of his appreciation for (non-Saltburn) Barry Keoghan in Adidas' "You can't beat original" by Homeground. Premium content editor Nicola Merrifield recounts the year's most controversial moments including the banning of a Calvin Klein ad featuring FKA Twigs. Deputy editor Gemma Charles gets ready to sell her soul to Cadbury's and AI while editor Maisie McCabe remembers the brilliance of Channel 4's "Considering what?" campaign for the Paris Paralympics.This episode was hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley.Further reading:The Lists 2024: Top 20 film adsThe Lists 2024: Top five advertisersThe Lists 2024: Top 10 campaignsThe Lists 2024: Top five people movesThe Lists 2024: Top 10 brandsThe Lists 2024: Top 10 commercial chiefsThe Lists 2024: Top 10 mishapsThe Lists 2024: Top 20 creative leadersThe Lists 2024: Top four digital innovations18. Interview with David Droga: What is creativity in 2024?
53:08||Season 4, Ep. 18Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK and David Droga, founder of Droga5 and chief executive of Accenture Song, sat together on stage at Ciclope last month to discuss creativity, the evolving landscape of advertising and how to build meaningful connections between brands and audiences in the digital age."Creative to the bone," said Droga describing himself and how he feels holding a CEO role. He explained how the job of an advertising creative is to "do more" with the briefs they are given, creating transformative work.In the 50-minute chat they discuss why Droga took the "stupid job" as chief executive being a creative, how adland should let AI be a part of what we do and who inspires him today.Further reading:'Creative people make the world worth living in': David Droga on advertising's futureExpanding in-house production won't rescue ad agencies' drowning business modelsDroga5 appoints Mark Green as global CEO and adds The Monkeys to network David Droga on moving from being a creative in business to building a business on creativity17. Was 2024 the year of AI?
37:14||Season 4, Ep. 172024 had big expectations when it came to artificial intelligence, but did the year live up to the hype... was it a year of "AI in action" as the IAB predicted or AI inaction?Campaign's editorial team gathers in the studio in an episode hosted by Maisie McCabe, UK editor, while tech editor Lucy Shelley (and usual host) swaps over to be in the hot seat.Also joined by features editor Matt Barker and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis, the four discuss the highs and lows of AI this year, including Coca-Cola's Christmas ad made by AI, which was Campaign's Turkey of the Week. They compare it to Vodafone's AI Christmas ad and recount other controversial AI moments from the year including Publicis' AI BS Bot and Under Armour's AI ad with Anthony Joshua.The team discuss how AI has shaped the adland this year – Lewis reveals insights from her interview with Johnny Hornby, founder and chief executive at T&Pm, after it was fully acquired by WPP last month. He cited AI as a main driver for the sale.Further reading:Will the Coca-Cola ad deter brands from using AI in film?Will media buyers be the first victims of AI?Media buying among 'first areas to go' with rise of AI, says MediaMonks co-founderIs 2024 a vintage year for Christmas ads?16. What is stopping ads from being accessible?
43:35||Season 4, Ep. 16During the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Channel 4 set themselves the target of subtitling all the ads during the channel's coverage, beginning at a current level of 25%. After a huge effort, the broadcaster managed to achieve 60%.In this episode, Channel 4's customer and commercial leader Amy Jenkins discusses how brands can do more to make ads accessible, the positive business impact this has and what, or who, is getting in the way.Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode with media editor Beau Jackson and editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier.Jackson brings insight from her contacts in the industry on the resistance within adland and if technology like AI can provide a solution. She discusses judging Channel 4's Diversity in Advertising Award and credits the organisations that are attempting to make positive change for accessible ads.Further reading:It’s time for adland to make alt text a first thought, not an afterthoughtApple tugs at ‘heartstrings’ through latest spot promoting AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aidsRNIB 'hijacks' LadBible platforms to highlight experiences of blind peopleWhy agencies face tougher challenges to retain their All In Champion crownsIs inclusive marketing a key driver for effectiveness? The results are in…Beyond the screen: why real-world accessibility for disabled people still falls short15. Christmas ads review with Brim, Kolbusz and Sobhani
45:28||Season 4, Ep. 15In this bonus episode, Charlotte Rawlings, senior creativity reporter at Campaign, is joined by Maisie McCabe, Campaign’s UK editor, to discuss this year’s Christmas ads with some of the industry’s top creatives.This Private View includes Chaka Sobhani, president and chief creative officer international at DDB Worldwide, and David Kolbusz, chief creative officer at Orchard. They chat all things festive alongside Richard Brim, outgoing chief creative officer at Adam & Eve/DDB. Brim recorded the podcast before announcing his departure from Adam & Eve/DDB.The gang discuss Christmas spots for the likes of The Entertainer, McDonald’s, Tesco and Etsy. The guests even discuss Agent Provacteur's shameless time travel to the era of “lad mag” culture (not suitable for work) and Kolbusz compares the Disney short to a salmon sandwich. Further reading:Disney Christmas ad by Adam & Eve/DDB shows friendship between boy and octopusThe Entertainer Christmas ad showcases fickle nature of kids with toysGingerbread-fuelled Tesco ad touches on grief during the festive periodMcDonald’s lights up festive season with ‘satisfying’ Christmas campaignFind Waldo in Etsy’s holiday campaignWaitrose & Partners campaign conjures up star-studded festive mysteryChristmas 2024 round-up: Watch all the festive adsComing up in Campaign's calendar:Media Week LiveCampaign 40 Over 4014. Which discipline should be the lead agency?
39:25||Season 4, Ep. 14DING, DING, DING! Adland's agencies have entered the ring.In this episode, Campaign's editors of creativity, media and tech battle it out to determine which discipline should be the lead agency for clients.The team discuss how client relationships have changed over the years, how different budgets might change which discipline would lead and whether there should be a lead agency at all.Taking up the fight for creative agencies is Alessandra Scotto di Santolo, creativity and culture editor. For media, its media editor Beau Jackson and for social and digital agencies, it's the podcast's host and Campaign tech editor Lucy Shelley. Maisie McCabe, UK editor at Campaign also joins the argument for a perspective on the differing client relationships between creative and media agencies.Further reading:Energy Networks Association consolidates creative and media accounts into WPPWhat are the benefits to appointing media and creative agencies at the same time?Santander reviews global creative and media accountsAsda launches review of creative and media accountsPitch Update: Sky, Asda, Pets At Home, Interflora, Motorway, RM Williams and moreComing up in Campaign's calendar:Media Week LiveCampaign 40 Over 40