One of the most successful and well-connected media operators in the US, Bill Wise's shares his fascinating experiences growing some of the most well-known companies in digital advertising. 

Welcome to #MediaSnack Meets where we meet the individuals and organizations doing great work to inspire success and drive change within the global media and marketing industry.

My guest for this episode is Bill Wise, CEO of Mediaocean.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/billwise/

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Because the best are short of time, our guests answer only 6 questions in 20 minutes

We get to learn what is behind their success, what it takes to make change in the industry and what the rest of us can learn from that experience.

We ask:
1. What do you do, and what you are most proud of?
2. What is the best thing about working in media?
3. What do you think is the biggest challenge for the industry right now?
4. What is your favorite piece of business/leadership advice?
5. What is your passion outside of media?
6. Your hopes for the year ahead?

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#MediaSnack​ Meets is a regular interview with the curious media professionals who are reshaping the global industry.

Thanks for watching, if you enjoy #MediaSnack​ Meets please give us a thumbs up (it really helps) and do share links and tell others. Subscribe to our channel to stay updated.  

Marketer? 
For tips, guides & other amazing free resources for marketers, get started at: www.IDComms.com/GROWTH

If I was CEO of Facebook, "I'd lose billions of dollars for my shareholders" says Bob Hoffman, The Ad Contrarian
But for a good reason. "I have an immodest goal to save freedom and democracy" he says. 

You may know Bob as his alter ego The Ad Contrarian, which is a regularly updated blog which Bob founded over a decade ago. It is devoted to presenting the counter argument to the marketing industry’s obsessive narrative with technology, automation and the new shiny things. 

The increasingly popular blog has evolved into speaking engagements and a series of books, most notably Bad Men which came out in 2017. 

In this episode we find out:

You can check the show notes for this episode at mediasnackpodcast.com including a full transcript of the interview

So. Without further delay. Please enjoy this lively (and mildly sweary) interview with The Ad Contrarian, Mr Bob Hoffman

An ID Comms Podcast

Episode Links:

The Ad Contrarian Twitter
The Ad Contrarian Blog - First Comes The Sale. Then Comes The Social.

Bob Hoffman - Bad Men
Bob Hoffman - Laughing At Advertising
Bob Hoffman - Marketers Are From Mars, Consumers Are From New Jersey

#MediaSnack - Bob Hoffman named ‘The Copernicus of Media’

John Mortimer - Rumpole of the Bailey
Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Richard Fineman - Physics Lectures
Eaon Pritchard - Where Did  It All Go Wrong?
Richard Shotton - The Choice Factory
Dave Trott - One Plus One Equals Three
Dave Trott - Predatory Thinking
Michael Lewis - The Big Short
Michael Lewis - Moneyball
Michael Lewis - Liar’s Poker

How do you make YOUR pitch invitation sit on TOP of the pile on the agency CEO’s desk?

If you’ve run an agency pitch in the last five years you’ll know that agencies have become far more discerning about what they will compete for. So how do you make sure that the very best (and most discerning) agencies compete hardest for your business?

It takes some thinking and some planning

On this week’s #MediaSnack we give you THREE TIPS to get the BEST agencies competing for your upcoming agency pitch.

#MediaForGrowth

#MediaSnack is brought to you by ID Comms, the award-winning growth consultancy specializing in media and advertising. Advisors to the world's most ambitious brands.

In this episode we consider the impact of P&G 's decision to shift their $2.6bn US media out of Publicis Groupe. We also dig below the headlines in a recent deal signed by GroupM which commits their clients to spend £500m with a TV network in exchange, the network will buy TV programming from GroupM. Is this blurring the lines of what a media agency should be doing with clients money?Finally, we consider what should be the word on the lips of marketers going into 2016 and we meet ID Comms Head of Performance, Alex Morse.Find ID Comms here:Website: http://idcomms.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/idcommsLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/id-commsG+: https://plus.google.com/b/101836473001605573756/101836473001605573756/posts

On this week’s #MediaSnack we report on a little feisty exchange of words between the CEO of GroupM UK, Nick Theakstone and Mark Finney the head of media at ISBA, the UK’s leading marketer trade association. It all stems back to March 2016 when ISBA’s head of consultancy practice Debbie Morrison launched they excellent media agency contract template with some comments to the FT which angered agencies. In her FT interview, Debbie had suggested that media agencies don’t have the best interests of their clients at heart anymore. The fight back from agencies at the time was quite aggressive but months have passed, the media transparency debate has gathered momentum in different areas, not least thanks to the ANA’s Media Transparency initiative and we probably felt it was water under the bridge. Not so. Last week Nick Theakstone thought that the recent success of one of ‘his' agencies MediaCom (the UK’s largest media buyer) at a media awards event entirely defended the agency community from the transparency concerns raised by ISBA. We discuss how this simply doesn’t make sense, the two things are entirely separate - and we doubt whether Nick would have been making the same point the morning after a successful awards sweep by Zenith. Whatever his intentions, Nick has managed to get headlines for himself and the agency for entirely the wrong reasons, of course everyone is talking about the sniping against ISBA rather than appreciating MediaCom's excellent work. Mark Finney, ISBA’s head of media responded in Campaign, reminding everyone that we need to revert to a more constructive dialogue - at the same time calling Nick’s words “baffling and disappointing” - they won't be exchanging Christmas cards this year one supposes. Next up, we share details of the excellent ID Comms CMO panel which we hosted at LinkedIn’s lovely London HQ. The event was an invitation-only networking and panel discussion, attended by 40 marketers from brands including Unilever, Mars, Lego, Universal Pictures, Disney, British Gas and Royal Mail. The panel discussion featured Martin Moll, Head of Marketing at Nissan Europe, Lindsay Pattison, Global CEO of media agency Maxus and Steve Hyde CEO of 360xec. Finally, we report on news that Adobe has acquired TubeMogul for $540m - a strong indication of the much-expected consolidation in the ad tech space is actually happening.

Join us this Friday for a special MS before we take our summer break. 
A look at what we’ve learned in the last 18 months, trends for advertisers & agencies
Reflect on the accelerated changes
Where we are heading for the rest of 2021 and beyond
What implications for advertisers, agencies and everyone else.

Never miss your #MediaSnack - subscribe for updates every FridayOn this week's #MediaSnack we review the major media events of 2017 in our annual rooftop review (this year from our fancy new roof terrace)Watch to find out what makes out #MediaSnack Top 10 for 2017The #MediaSnack Media Person of the Year 2017:Marc Pritchard from P&G The #MediaSnack Word of the Year for 2018: ACTION2017: CHANGE2016: CONTROL

The marketing organization is changing and nowhere more than in the media team. So what internal capabilities are needed to give your brands the competitive edge in media?

Here's the #MediaSnack alternative perspective on what makes a successful media team plus we share THREE GREAT TIPS on how to ensure your organization stays on the top of the capabilities race.

#MediaForGrowth

#MediaSnack is brought to you by ID Comms, the award-winning growth consultancy specializing in media and advertising. Advisors to the world's most ambitious brands.

In this special episode of MediaSnack, Tom Denford walks through the topline findings from ID Comms’ new 2026 State of Digital Media report, based on a global benchmark study representing over $35B in media spend. This episode—originally recorded as a live webinar—covers key insights for marketers and procurement leaders looking to strengthen governance, transparency, and confidence in digital media.

Tom reveals why media confidence still hovers around just 60%, why many brands are stuck in reactive compliance audits rather than performance-driven oversight, and why internal data silos—not fraud or fees—are now seen as the #1 source of media waste. He also unpacks the widening optimism gap between marketers and agencies, what to do about it, and why AI’s transformative power in media won’t be realized unless brands fix their governance foundations first.

You’ll hear why 2026 must be the year marketers shift from asking “Did we spend our media budget?” to “Did we waste it?”—and how to close the confidence gap before it costs you.

Learn more about ID Comms

In this week’s #MediaSnack, Tom Denford and David Indo reflect on last week’s ANA Media Conference in Orlando. They talk about discussions around media pitches, the impact of P&G’s Marc Pritchard’s presentation and the wider changes that it is driving.First, Tom was part of a panel that discussed media reviews. Also featured were Kathleen Brookbanks, COO at Hearts&Science and Kelly Colbert, VP Social media at US Banks.For him the most interesting questions were around agency evaluation. These indicated that brands are moving away from purely looking at the commercial elements, but also testing agency capabilities and cultural fit.Next, Tom talks about the keynote from Marc Pritchard. It was very quick, almost impatient, as if he was briefing the attendees, rather than delivering a speech.Essentially his message was that we’re all in this together and everyone needs to take action. Don’t be put off by “head fakes" – his sporting analogy for rubbish excuses not to take action. For more details of Marc's keynote, read here http://blog.idcomms.com/the-week-that-changed-media-forever.The audience of US marketers were clearly enthused by the presentation and when attendees were asked if they were going to take action, all the advertisers raised their hands.Pritchard’s pressure is clearly starting to have an impact but there was also a note of caution from the CEO of the MRC. Despite Google and Facebook saying they are open for the audit, the process of accreditation could take some time. In short it is too early to get excited.Finally, Tom and David announce their next #MediaChange webinar on March 15 – 3PM GMT 11AM ET. The webinar will discuss the results of ID Comms’ 2017 Global Media Thinking survey which highlights the perceived failures of advertisers take a lead on media and of agencies to offer media neutral planning.Sign up here http://content.idcomms.com/webinar-id-comms-strategic-media-thinking