The Campaign Podcast

Advertisers have been pulling investment from newsbrands and trusted journalism for years. The latest AA/Warc figures show that national and regional newsbrands, along with magazines, have suffered the steepest declines in adspend across all channels, while tech platforms continue to claim a growing share of the market.However, the figures suggest this decline will slow in 2026, and this year's Media Week Awards was a successful night for many newsbrands, including The Telegraph, which took home the coveted Sales Team of the Year.This episode of The Campaign Podcast asks whether advertisers are moving away from trusted journalism or alternatively whether newsbrands are fighting back and seeing a resurgence. James Bailey, UK chief executive of Dentsu’s iProspect, joins the episode alongside Adam Foley, chief executive of independent agency Bountiful Cow and former director of UK advertising for the Guardian as well as founder of the News Alliance, a cross-industry coalition to encourage advertisers to support trusted news and journalism.Hosted by Campaign's tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley, this episode includes UK editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis.Further reading:'Utterly ruinous': media agency boss on the impact of ad blocking on news brandsMedia 360: Media industry is ‘sentencing news to death’ and ignoring its effectivenessMajority of execs believe brand safety in news harms advertisersAhead of Trump's second term, Meta to scrap fact-checking on Facebook and InstagramNews needs youMars and Unilever on 'moral and business responsibility' to improve online safety

WPP, Publicis Groupe, Omnicom, Interpublic, Havas and Dentsu have hitherto been known to adland as the "big six". However, the past year has brought the announcement of a proposed merger between Omnicom and IPG, while Havas and Dentsu have become comparatively smaller.So, the "big six" become the "big three", but is there another challenger? Accenture Song's latest results reported revenues of $20bn (£15bn) in the 12 months to August, putting it on par with Omnicom’s $16bn, Publicis’ €16bn ($19bn) and WPP’s £15bn ($20bn). The business has picked up the $42m media account for Optus in Australia and remains in the running for Jaguar Land Rover’s global integrated marketing account.With significant changes among the biggest holding companies continuing to shift the advertising landscape, some have questioned whether it is the end of the "big six", heralding the start of a new "big four". In this week's episode of The Campaign Podcast, Campaign's editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, UK editor Maisie McCabe and media editor Beau Jackson, examine the potential outcomes. The episode is hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.Further reading:Accenture is at a crossroads for its global agency ambitionsWhat's next for Accenture Song? CEO Ndidi Oteh at Campaign Live‘Song is changing Accenture’: CEO Ndidi Oteh on media, M&A and ‘Big Four’ agency rivalryOmnicom now ‘confident’ IPG deal will close in November as EU approval nearsYannick Bolloré on Havas’ Q3 ‘acceleration’, Dentsu’s assets and being ‘open’ to M&AHavas ‘could be interested’ to buy or partner with some of Dentsu’s international assetsArthur Sadoun on why Publicis is ‘winning’ and how ‘struggling’ rivals have dragged down agency valuations

This episode of The Campaign Podcast explores whether marketers are using AI to do work traditionally done by their agencies and examines what clients are – and aren’t – doing with AI.It comes as Campaign launches the Power 100, the list of the most powerful marketers in the UK. This year they were asked questions designed to tease out where they are on their AI journeys.Presented by deputy editor Gemma Charles, guests on the podcast were premium content editor Nicola Merrifield, acting commissioning editor Louise Ridley and Will Hanschell, the co-founder and chief executive of generative AI platform Pencil that was acquired by The Brandtech Group in 2023.Further reading:Power 100 2025: AI – giving marketers 'superpowers'Power 100 2025: the full listCampaign Power 100 2025 Hall of Fame revealedAn inside job: when and how Power 100 marketers are going in-house

Campaign published its Faces to Watch list for 2025 last month and also canvassed the cohort on a range of topics both on and off-the-record. From hybrid-working and salary through to the rise of AI and diversity, the Faces – all of whom have worked in adland for eight years or less – gave their views freely.This episode not only dissects their thoughts but also offers the perspectives of adland leaders on the lot of their junior staff. Hosted by Campaign’s deputy editor Gemma Charles, this episode features deputy media editor Shauna Lewis, acting commissioning editor Louise Ridley and reporter Ezster Gurbicz.Among other issues, they discuss why juniors may have missed out by not starting their careers in the office due to Covid, the younger generation’s embrace of AI and the demise of hierarchical structures from yesteryear.Faces to Watch 2025: the full listFaces to Watch 2025: the AI adopters with a focus on diversityFaces to Watch 2025: Proportion 'very worried' about financial situation doublesFaces to Watch 2025: proportion in-office at least three days a week rises to over 80%Faces to Watch 2025: Drop in people experiencing bullying or harassment at workFaces to Watch 2025: Almost half think increasing use of AI in adland is positiveWhat would be your advice for this year’s Faces to Watch?

Neurodiversity exists in between 15 and 20% of UK adults, but recent All In data counts over half of adland’s UK workforce as neurodiverse, at 55%.This week is dyslexia awareness week, and to mark the occasion this episode looks into neurodiversity in adland, and how the industry supports people with different ways of thinking, both internally and in the ads it produces. Hosted by Campaign's tech and multimedia editor, this episode welcomes guest Wayne Deakin, former global executive creative director at Wolff Olins, as well as media editor Beau Jackson and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis from the Campaign.They discuss why advertising attracts people with different ways of thinking, how it impacts the work and the barriers and taboos that still exist making agency life challenging for those with neurodiversity.Further reading:‘More than just clothes’: Vanish builds on autism awareness workHow leaders can build a neurodiversity-friendly workplaceHow I got diagnosed with ADHD at age 38Great minds don’t think alike: How to tap the neurodivergent talent pool

Ndidi Oteh, the new global chief executive of Accenture Song, was interview on stage by Campaign's editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier at Campaign Live in her first UK interview.24 days into the new job, Oteh discussed navigating change and scale, plans to expand in media buying, and how the agency arm of consulting giant Accenture compares to the big holding companies. This episode features the full session from the event, with an introduction from Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley. Oteh divulged Song's acquisition strategy, focusing on talent and partnerships, and how the creative shop is actually changing the consultancy giant. Further reading:Four agency groups in race to win Jaguar Land Rover global marketing accountDentsu appoints bankers to seek buyers for international businessAccenture and WPP have discussed potential M&A dealWPP hires AKQA global CEO from AccentureAccenture Song dropped from TfL creative review for 'not meeting DEI criteria'Accenture Song appoints Ndidi Oteh as North America leadDavid Droga to step down as CEO of Accenture Song

Podcast: What will the next 70 years of commercial TV look like?This September, the UK celebrates 70 years of commercial TV since the launch of ITV on September 22 1955.A lot has changed since the very first TV ads. Not only are they now in full colour but the very definition of TV has evolved and keeps on changing with the addition of new formats and introduction of new digital competitors.In this episode, Campaign’s tech editor Lucy Shelley is joined by the Campaign editorial team to discuss how TV is adapting and defending its position in the media mix, how creativity has changed and what the next 70 years of TV will look like.She is joined by UK editor Maisie McCabe, deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings and media editor Beau Jackson.Watch some of the ads mentioned in this podcast below:Cadbury's Smash “Martians” Three “Pony”John Lewis “The long wait”John West “Bear”Guinness “Surfer”Cadbury's “Gorilla”Marmite “End Marmite neglect”Sony Bravia “Bouncy balls”Lloyds TSB “The journey to London 2012”

Media platforms, including Meta, TikTok, X, Spotify, Pinterest and others, have been advancing their own AI capabilities to improve the advertising process of creating and serving ads to an audience. So where does this leave media and creative agencies?Meta, has gone so far as to call itself a “one stop shop” for advertisers, by reportedly aiming to fully automate advertising, including the creation and targeting of ads, by the end of the year. After this was reported, Meta’s stock price went up, while Publicis, Omnicom, IPG and WPP’s all took a dip. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said: “Over the long term, advertisers will basically just be able to tell us a business objective and a budget, and we’re going to go do the rest for them.”In this episode, the Campaign editorial team discusses how much of a threat media platform’s advancement of AI poses and how agencies are adapting to not lose their role in the advertising process.Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, the episode features deputy media editor Shauna Lewis and editor Maisie McCabe.Further reading:You can’t just tell an AI to create ads like a CCOWhy is principal-based media buying so controversial?Buckle up for the ride as agency world will look significantly different in two yearsUK TV commercial chiefs on 'radical collaboration' and ‘bullishness’ in the face of LHFSir Martin Sorrell: Tech platforms are encroaching on clients of large agenciesWill media buyers be the first victims of AI?Media buying among 'first areas to go' with rise of AI, says MediaMonks co-founderGoogle’s EMEA president urges adland: ‘Don’t wait for magic AI moment – it’s here’Microsoft AI CEO: Bigger organisations are ‘starting to feel the pressure’ from AI