The Media Leader Podcast

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-...

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...

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 1...

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, Essen...

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 Marsha...

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 add...

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 cha...

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 Creati...

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...

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 pa...

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...

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 consulta...

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: Net...

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 a...

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 8:1...

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 s...

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: Of...

Andrew Cole, board member of Liberty Global and one of the original backers of GB News, talks to Omar Oakes about shaking up the status quo of TV measurement and trading. Cole's new venture, Digital Audience Data, seeks to get all major telecoms operators in advanced economies to jointly share data for a "more accurate" TV measurement system than legacy ones such as those operated by Barb and Kant...

Omar Oakes and Maria Iu digest the big stories of the week and Les Binet talks to The Media Leader about why he's created an AI version of himself.  Binet, group head of effectiveness at Adam & Eve/DDB and a renowned ad authority, talk to Oakes at Cannes Lions about his long history with AI, his Cannes diary and his battle against the industry's "shiny object" syndrome. Highlights: 2:30:...

Prioritising talent and creativity should be top of the list for media leaders this year, according to attendees at The Media Leader Summit. The Media Leader reporters Jack Benjamin and Ella Sagar bring you highlights in a special episode from their conversations with senior figures around what the top focus should be for the industry this year. Sustainability, measurement, inclusion, consistency...

Reporters Jack Benjamin and Ella Sagar are back with a look at the stories that mattered most in media and advertising this week. The duo unpack The Media Leader Awards, which saw Mail Metro Media awarded four gongs, including a Grand Prix for chief revenue officer Dominic Williams. They also discuss the importance of media in the run-up to next week's general election and the EU's potential actio...

Flash interviews from the Croisette with media leaders — what's it really like here, what makes it worthwhile for media people looking to sell and ink deals, where are the best parties and how do you stand out? This is an epic episode — skip to your favourite part! Highlights: 03:10: Chris Kleinschmidt, VP, advertising, TiVo 07:45: David Jones, founder and CEO, The Brandtech Group 15:30: Louise Jo...

Editor-in-chief Omar Oakes, deputy editor Maria Iu and reporter Jack Benjamin look back on their time at the 2024 Cannes Lions, from the application of "meaningful" AI to the dominance of adtech, from media owner activity to Media Lion winners. Highlights: 00:45: Impressions of the 2024 Cannes Lions 4:28: Media owner activity at the event – Amazon, Meta, Reddit, TikTok, Pinterest, Netflix — and wh...

It's Cannes Lions this week, so we've brought you a special debate about the future of bringing creativity and media planning together in advertising, featuring senior decision-makers at major brands and one of the UK's foremost media strategy consultants: >> Olya Dyachuk, global media and data director, Heineken >> Sebastien Bourne, head of media for north-west and central Europe, HP...

Reporters Jack Benjamin and Ella Sagar are back with a look at the stories that mattered most in media and advertising this week. The pair discuss how growth in the Chinese ad market has driven upward revisions in GroupM's mid-year ad forecasts, the industry's response to António Guterres' call for a global fossil-fuel ad ban and what Apple's WWDC announcements mean for publishers. Highlights: 1:0...