The Campaign Podcast

Pitching is what many call the “lifeblood” of agencies, but also the cause of their biggest strain. Almost three-quarters of adland employees have considered leaving the industry due to new-business-related stress, found research from The Great Pitch Poll 2026 published this summer, which also revealed that client expectations and demands relating to AI have increased pressure. 

AI and LLMs are also impacting the search and selection process for pitches, with clients using them to suggest agencies to shortlist. This episode of The Campaign Podcast features Campaign's journalists discussing to what extent AI is impacting pitching and making it more stressful.

Campaign's media editor Beau Jackson, senior reporter Eszter Gurbicz and editor Maisie McCabe. we are discussing to what extent AI is impacting pitching, making it more stressful and if the process still works. Tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode.

Further reading:

ChatGPT is telling clients to invite my agency to pitch – it's shifting the playing field

Are clients becoming more demanding?

Can we talk about the ingredients of VCCP's new-business potion?

Netflix ad tools could see 'agentic AIs talking to each other'

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

At Cannes Lions this year, the Media Lions grand prix went to Uber Eats’ “Build your own Super Bowl commercial” by Special US, a campaign which acts as a form of entertainment for the viewers. This win followed Amanda Morrissey, Global President, iProspect and Chief Growth Officer of Media at dentsu, who was a juror on the Media Lions and said on The Campaign Podcast that judging the media category was more like judging an entertainment category. Plus, Publicis Groupe acquired sports and entertainment agency 160over90 this year, which will sit in the holding company's media division.

Campaign's journalists discuss how much media is becoming more like entertainment, with insights from the jury press conferences. Tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode with media editor Beau Jackson, deputy media editor Shauna Lewis and deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings.

Further reading:

Adidas UK wins Entertainment Lion Grands Prix for Oasis work

Cannes Lions 2026: Watch all the Grand Prix-winning work

Cannes 2026

Cannes Lions debrief: how did the UK work perform?

Cannes Lions entries rise 'reflecting strong global participation'

Mindshare New York wins Media Lions Grand Prix

Gut’s 'Handshake hunt' takes home Media Lions Grand Prix for Mercado Libre

Media Lions Grand Prix goes to Leo Burnett Sydney

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

From Catbird Seat which was unveiled earlier this month through to a few other recent launches such as Baby Teeth, Ace of Hearts and 05:37 Brand Studio, agencies are thinking long and hard about their branding. But how much do these monikers matter, is it just about the work and the people? And what what are some of the pitfalls when you get it wrong?

Campaign's editorial team explore these questions and more. Deputy editor Gemma Charles hosts the episode and is joined by UK editor Maisie McCabe, media editor Beau Jackson and deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings.

Further reading:

Can we talk about the indie surge?

Larissa Vince and Andy Jex launch Catbird Seat

Richard Huntington launches Feral

Can we talk about strategy, Feral and untethered in space?

Lynsey Atkin, Chris Watling and Rebecca Lewis launch start-up Baby Teeth

Richard Brim, Martin Beverley and Polly McMorrow launch Ace of Hearts

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

As the Fifa World Cup gets closer to crowning the winner, Campaign invites advertising creatives to review a selection of ads that are celebrating the football tournament.

The episode includes Richard Brim, founder and chief creative officer at Ace of Hearts; Carren O’Keefe, chief creative officer at Digitas, and Dan Watts, chief creative officer at Pablo London. 

Hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley, the guests critique six ads, including the rival Nike and Adidas films, and discuss whether it was a vintage year for World Cup ads.

The ads discussed are:

1. Nike x Palace "England x Palace" (in-house)
2. BBC “Let’s make it iconic” by BBC Creative
3. Nike Football “Rip the script” by Wieden & Kennedy
4. Adidas “Backyard legends” by Lola US 
5. Paddy Power “Nobody does football better than us” by BBH London
6. Uber Eats “Who could cook at a time like this?” by Mother

Further reading:

Nike vs Adidas: Who won the battle of the World Cup ads?

World Cup 2026 round-up: Snapchat, Deliveroo, Hilton, Asda and more

How brands hijacked Fifa's logo ban to earn attention and share of voice

Nike’s 'Rip the script' to become longest ad ever to air on ITV

World Cup kick-off draws 7.7 million as ITV 'breaks record for commercial success'

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

The Campaign editorial team are back after spending last week (22 June - 26 June) at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026.

It was a week packed full with panels, parties and prizes and this episode of The Campaign Podcast sees tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley speak to the editorial team about their highlights as well as the work that took home the awards.

Shelley is joined by Maisie McCabe, Campaign's UK editor, Gurjit Degun, creativity and culture editor, and Charlotte Rawlings, deputy creativity and culture editor. The team discuss whether taste is an objective truth, which was the topic of a debate hosted by McCabe during the festival, Campaign’s daily livestream Live in Five, and how the UK performed.

The guests also reflect on Campaign’s Cannes Contenders, the pieces of work the editorial team thought deserved to win big at the awards such as Claude’s “A time and a place” by Mother and Coinbase’s “Your way out” by Isle of Any.

Further reading:

• Claude and Mother win Film Grand Prix at Cannes 2026
• Cannes Contenders: Coinbase
• Cannes Contenders: Anthropic
• Cannes Contenders: Waitrose & Partners
• The Cannes taste debate: David Kolbusz, Lynsey Atkin, Chaka Sobhani and Rick Brim
• Wieden & Kennedy's Ana Balarin: Craft can be a distraction from weak ideas
• Cannes Lions 2026: final UK winners table

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

PARTNER CONTENT: Media fragmentation is often painted as one of marketing's biggest challenges. But what if the real issue isn't complexity itself – it's how organisations respond to it?

Recorded from Campaign House during Cannes Lions, this special episode of The Campaign Podcast, sponsored by Camphouse and hosted by Campaign tech editor Lucy Shelley, brings together:

• Bridget Evans, global head of advertising business marketing at Spotify
• Alexander Högman, CEO of Camphouse
• Lucie Guillerminet, vice president of marketing at Match Group.

Together, they unpack why today's increasingly busy media landscape may actually present marketers with a competitive advantage. From changing consumer behaviours and the evolution of media planning to the growing importance of campaign data, the discussion explores how brands can embrace complexity instead of trying to simplify it.

Whether you're grappling with audience fragmentation, looking to get more value from your campaign data or considering how AI can support your marketing operations, this conversation offers practical insights into why the marketers who organise for complexity today may be the ones who outperform tomorrow.

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

The Campaign team looks back on Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2026. Editors from Campaign's sites around the world pick their highlights, including the Film Lions and Titanium winners and the big themes of the festival, plus the best parties.

Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, hosts the podcast, alongside Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK, Jameson Fleming, editorial director of Campaign US, Nikita Mishra, editor of Campaign Asia, and Chris Powell, co-editor of Campaign Canada.

This is the last of three Campaign Cannes Global Podcast episodes. We previewed the festival in episode one and reported on the ground from Campaign House at Cannes in episode two.

Further reading:

Cannes Lions 2026: Watch all the Grand Prix-winning work

Cannes Lions 2026: final UK winners table

Ogilvy, LePub Milan and Heineken win network, agency and brand of year at Cannes Lions 2026

Can we talk about taste?

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

The Campaign team has been busy in Cannes Lions and reports what's been happening so far at the festival, which runs from 22 to 26 June.

Editors from Campaign's sites around the world discuss a 25% drop in award entries, the work that has been winning from their region and some of the key sessions in the Palais and at Campaign House.

Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, hosts the podcast, alongside Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK, Jameson Fleming, editorial director of Campaign US, Vinita Bhatia, editor of Campaign India, and Chris Powell, co-editor of Campaign Canada.

This is the second of three Cannes global podcast episodes. The third episode will look back on Cannes and be released in the week after the festival.

Further reading:

Cannes Lions 2026: rolling UK winners table

Cannes Lions round-up: UK Grand Prix wins, shortlists & high mane-tenance horses

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

The Campaign team looks forward to Cannes Lions in this preview episode about the festival, which runs from 22 to 26 June. Editors from our sites around the world give their tips for the festival and discuss everything that’s going on at Campaign House, our dedicated venue at Cannes. Plus they talk about how the Lions award entry rules have changed this year, the work from their region that they would like to see win and the mood in the ad industry.

Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, hosts the podcast, alongside Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK, Nikita Mishra, editor of Campaign Asia, Jameson Fleming, editorial director of Campaign US, Vinita Bhatia, editor of Campaign India, and Chris Powell, co-editor of Campaign Canada.

This is the first of three Cannes global podcast episodes. The second episode will be recorded at Campaign House and published during the festival and the final episode will look back on Cannes and be released the following week.

See the full agenda for Campaign House at: https://www.campaignatcannes.com/

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

Lord Heseltine tells the story of the birth of the European Space Agency. Why post-Apollo, when the US was spending £1.2 billion a year on space, the whole of Europe was spending just £200 million. Why the birth of ESA was driven by the self-interest of three major countries. Why the US general with a $29 billion budget for the Star Wars project wanted to invest in Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Why, the idea that Britain could compete alone with the technologies that were accumulated and available to the American capitalist system was “simply laughable”. Why “being European is not selling out British interests”. And why Margaret Thatcher told him: “If you want to get on and put your budget into this, you can, but you're not getting any of mine." 

Join Alice and Lord Heseltine as they pick apart the negotiating contrivances and the wheeling and dealing to circumnavigate “turkeys not voting for Christmas” that ultimately put European space on the map.

Contributors:

Alice Bunn, President of UKspace 

Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn

UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn

Lord Heseltine, Member of the House of Lords

Key topics covered:

• Creation of the European Space Agency (ESA)
• US "Star Wars" program and brain drain
• Geopolitical case for European R&D collaboration
• Impact of Brexit on science and technology

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