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 CCO

Why is principal-based media buying so controversial?

Buckle up for the ride as agency world will look significantly different in two years

UK TV commercial chiefs on 'radical collaboration' and ‘bullishness’ in the face of LHF

Sir Martin Sorrell: Tech platforms are encroaching on clients of large agencies

Will media buyers be the first victims of AI?

Media buying among 'first areas to go' with rise of AI, says MediaMonks co-founder

Google’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

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Omnicom and IPG have kept their cards close to their chests while nearing completion of the biggest acquisition in advertising history. 

Set to close in the second half of this year, the merger-acquisition has now secured 15 out of the 18 regulatory approvals required, including recently with UK watchdog the CMA, in early August. Under the terms of the all-share deal, Omnicom said at the start of August it was set to pay only $9bn for IPG, down from $13.3bn when the takeover was first agreed on 9 December, as the stock prices of both companies have fallen. But the actual price will only be decided once the deal is finalised.

In this episode, the Campaign team discuss what’s next for Omnicom’s takeover of IPG, how it fares against its holding company peers and the priorities for the current chief executives John Wren and Philippe Krakowsky, plus what it means for the agencies and people within the soon-to-be biggest holding company in advertising. 

This discussion follows on from a previous episode which asked: Will the Omnicom-IPG merger really happen?

Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, this episode features Campaign’s editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, editor Maisie McCabe and media editor Beau Jackson.

Further reading:

Omnicom and IPG’s leaders could learn from WPP’s 2025

IPG cuts 2400 jobs in first half of 2025 ahead of Omnicom takeover

IPG profits drop as UK growth falls 9.7%

Omnicom’s Duncan Painter to lead data reorganisation ahead of IPG takeover

James Temperley leaves IPG as part of restructure

Andrea Suarez becomes latest media agency chief to leave IPG Mediabrands

John Wren on his vision for a bigger, better Omnicom

IPG downgrades UK ad market growth to 6.4% in 2025

Troy Ruhanen: 'I wouldn't have taken OAG job if it was all about efficiency and smashing things'

Omnicom and IPG chiefs visit UK to sell merger to staff and pitch consultants

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Campaign releases an unpublished recording from the inaugural Campaign Live conference last year.

Unilever's former chief marketing officer Keith Weed and chief financial officer Graeme Pitkethly are interviewed on stage by Campaign’s editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier. They discuss how to keep the peace in the infamously tense CMO and CFO relationship that they said requires "mutual respect" from both sides. Weed says: "If you can create a good atmosphere between the CFO and the CMO, it creates a good atmosphere in the company."

Coming up in the campaign calendar:

Campaign Live

The In-House Agency Awards

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It is the summer of women’s sport, or ‘simply sport’ as Campaign's deputy editor Gemma Charles put it, and records are being broken both on and off the pitch.

The Women’s Euro’s, which was viewed by 16.2 million people during the final, has been touted as the most commercially successful football tournament ever — women’s or men’s — with 30,000 more ads per day than last year’s men’s tournament. The women’s rugby world cup takes place this month and has targeted viewing hours of 50 million versus just under 18 million in 2021, but the board expect it to be nearer 100 million.

In this episode, the Campaign team is joined by Laura Weston, co-founder of sports consultancy See You At Jeanies and a member of the board of trustees for Liverpool FC. Alongside Campaign's deputy editor Gemma Charles and Campaign Red's data journalist Jamie Rossouw, they discuss what’s next for women’s sport and its sponsorships, the gaps that still exist and ask if this is the moment that brands finally get on board.

This episode is hosted by Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley.

Further reading:

Women’s sport is the greatest growth opportunity for the sports industry.

Roundup: How brands are celebrating England’s Euros win

How soon before brands build their own women’s football teams?

Women’s Euro 2025 round-up: Watch the ads

Tesco “Receipts” by BBH London

Sports Direct Women's Euros ad enlists stars for park football match

BBC creates stop-motion ad for Uefa Women’s Euro 2025

BBC "Names will be made" by BBC Creative

ITV's Uefa Women’s Euros film travels through history of women’s football

Making sports ads interesting again

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The long-term row between independent production companies and those that sit within holding companies has resurfaced in recent weeks over best practice when it comes to bidding and being selected for work. 

Production craft festival Ciclope ended its sponsorship contracts with holding companies, which began an online debate between the Advertising Producers Association and the IPA on LinkedIn. The APA’s chief executive Steve Davies suggested a forum to establish best practice in bidding, while the IPA’s head of production, Eliot Liss, said “There is no need for an industry forum of the type the APA are suggesting”. He added “we don’t accept there is an issue with transparency or propriety in how IPA members are providing their production services to clients.” 

In this episode, Campaign's editorial team dig deeper into the debate, what has been leading up to it and question whether independent and in-house production companies can co-exist alongside each other.

Tech editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode with Campaign's editor Maisie McCabe, creativity and culture editor Gurjit Degun and deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings. 

Further reading:

APA: Brands 'won't be content' with IPA rejection of forum for production company bidding

IPA rejects APA's call for best practice forum for production company bidding

APA launches initiative to bring brands and production companies together

APA report finds agencies withhold production partners information from brands

IPA ‘takes exception to the erroneous idea of gatekeeping’ in APA report

IPA, APA and ISBA launch Production Pitch Process Initiative

Does Rattling Stick’s low-cost arm signal trouble in the production sector?

Lights, camera, action: how production companies are fighting back

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WPP announced this month that Microsoft executive Cindy Rose will succeed outgoing chief executive Mark Read. Rose is currently chief operating officer, global enterprise, at Microsoft and will be WPP’s third CEO and the first female leader of a major agency holding company. 

The announcement, which came sooner than expected, came one day after the holding company issued a shock profit warning to the stock market, and follows major losses for WPP including the Mars account and a portion of the Coca-Cola business.

Analysts have responded to the appointment saying that the Rose era “has to be transformational” and “WPP knows it needs a reboot”.

In this episode, the Campaign editorial team will discuss the reaction to Rose’s appointment, what WPP needs from its new CEO, or whether WPP is “too far gone” as former CEO Sir Martin Sorrel has suggested. The chat features Campaign’s editor in chief Gideon Spanier, editor Maisie McCabe and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis. The episode is hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley.

Coming up in the Campaign calendar:

Campaign Live

Campaign Big Awards

Further reading:

What can new CEO Cindy Rose bring to WPP and what does it need?

Accenture and WPP have discussed potential M&A deal

WPP's 'pretty grim' profit warning: stock market analysts react

WPP closes in on new CEO as some big names ruled out

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Three awards have been withdrawn from Cannes Lions 2025 over fabrication of case studies and concerns around their legitimacy. In the weeks that have followed Cannes Festival of Creativity, the integrity of advertising awards has been questioned and what was once widely accepted in advertising awards, has now been exposed.

DM9's “Efficient way to pay” was the most notable withdrawal as it won the Grand Prix in the Creative Data Lions. The DDB agency was caught using AI to fabricate news coverage in the case study and misleading the jury. Two other DM9 awards were also withdrawn. The agency’s co-president and CCO Icaro Doria stepped down. Following the Cannes news, D&AD removed two pencils from the shop.

However, DM9 were not alone in the scandal as other awards have also since been questioned.

While the industry has been rocked by the news, many have acknowledged that embellishment, exaggeration and fabrication within awards entries is a common occurrence within adland. This episode features Campaign editor Maisie McCabe, deputy editor Gemma Charles and creativity and culture editor Gurjit Degun, who discuss what has led to this behaviour and what happens next for awards.

Cannes Lions has since responded with new "integrity standards" to ban agencies that submit "wilfully false" campaigns

This episode was hosted by Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley.

Further reading:

Adland’s ‘New Year's’ resolution should be to revive its integrity at Cannes Lions

LePub takes disciplinary action following scrutiny of Cannes Lion-winning campaign

Havas Costa Rica’s Cannes Lions-winning ad, Lessons of Shame, needs lessons of legitimacy

Havas and World Vision’s Lessons of Shame under scrutiny after Cannes Lions win

Don’t hate the player, hate the game

Cannes Lions rocked by controversies over AI, authenticity and licensing

DM9 admits faults in case study for Grand Prix-winning work

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As 2025's Pride Month comes to a close, Campaign reflects on how the global DEI rollback has impacted the way brands show up for LGBTQIA+ communities.

Gay Times' chief executive Tag Warner said the news outlet has lost £5m in ad revenue this year due to eight of its top ten advertisers pulling their contracts, and Thinkbox's head of marketing Chris Dunne, who is also chief executive of Outvertising, also commented on the noticeable drawback by brands. While it might on the surface seem like the changes to DEI this year have impacted brands' support for LGBTQ+ communities, the drawback actually begun years before, and this year was more a "nail in the coffin".

Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, Campaign's media editor Beau Jackson and deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings discuss what has led to brands stepping back, as well as highlighting some of the work that continues to celebrate Pride and raise awareness to wider LGBTQ+ issues. This includes TransActual UK's "Third toilet" by BBH London, Tesco's internal policies and sponsorship of Pride, Lush donating 75% of profits from the Liberation bath bomb and Marks and Spencer's partnership with AKT.

Further reading:

Pride needs action, not allies

Amnesty Pride campaign promotes bracelets as 'badge of allyship'

E45 unveils ad highlighting trans skin that won C4 diversity award

Do LGBTQ+ PR pros think brands will ‘show up’ for Pride 2025?

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Campaign asked this year’s A List cohort to name their favourite TV ad ahead of the upcoming 70th anniversary of commercial television. Guinness “Surfer” by AMV BBDO came out top.

One trend that emerged from the choices was that many of the most popular ads were more than 25 years old. Armed with this finding, Campaign reporter Eszter Gurbicz wrote a feature exploring the industry’s love of old ads.

This episode of the Campaign Podcast dissects the qualities that make ads stick in peoples’ minds and shares the industry’s view on whether there is any recent work that will be talked about in years to come.

Deputy editor Gemma Charles hosts the episode which features editor Maisie McCabe and creativity and culture editor Gurjit Degun alongside Gurbicz.

Further reading:

A Listers on their favourite TV ads of all time

Are we at the start of a new era of advertising awards?

Channel 4 and L’Oreal Paris scoop Film Lions Grands Prix

My Campaign: the making of Guinness ‘Surfer’

Ads mentioned in the show include:

The Martin Agency's Quiznos subs’ rats (chosen by Mother's Felix Richter)

DDB Chicago's Bud Light "Real men of genius: really bad toupee wearer" (chosen by TheOr's Charlene Chandrasekaran)

AMV BBDO's Guinness "Dreamer"

BBH London's "Three little pigs" for The Guardian

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