Campaign podcast

Agency brands have been through the wash this year with a laundry load of mergers, acquisitions, closures and some clean and sparkly new shops.In this episode, the Campaign editorial team discuss how agency brands become distinct and recognisable and what concoction of ingredients help them create their own brand.From famous leaders and agency names, to office location and calibre of clients, Campaign's journalists investigate what happens when an agency gets bought (in light of NCA's sale to WPP) and how shops stand out among the competition.Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, this episode includes Maisie McCabe, UK Editor; Charlotte Rawlings, senior creativity reporter and Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief.Spanier takes us through the history of how some of the UK's biggest agencies, including WPP and Saatchi & Saatchi, became who they are today. McCabe examines some of the top creative agency brands and Rawlings suggests that if agencies are so good at building brands for clients, do they need to take a dose of their own medicine?Further reading:WPP buys New Commercial Arts as founders hit jackpot againWhat does adland think of NCA’s sale to WPP?Ogilvy and NCA chiefs on M&A deal, sharing talent and why rivals should be ‘frightened’WPP merges VMLY&R and Wunderman ThompsonWill advertising agencies survive?Laura Jordan Bambach, Hannah Matthews and Fern Miller unveil 'advanced' creative agencyWPP makes £2.8bn annual loss after Covid hits value of agenciesWPP’s Mark Read on the outlook for 2024, bonuses, fewer freelancers and job cutsMaurice Lévy on his Publicis legacy: handing power to Arthur Sadoun ‘worked beautifully’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Who wants to advertise on Twitter with a maverick owner?," said Gideon Spanier, Campaign's UK editor in chief in this episode.Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, renamed X, journalists have been busy keeping up with the contention surrounding the platform – from cutting staff by 80% to blaspheming advertisers for withholding adspend; filing an antitrust lawsuit against GARM causing the body to close, and posting on X saying “civil war is inevitable” in the UK after the riots that took place this August.After all the controversy, many of X's largest advertisers – including Apple, Warner Bros., Discovery, Sony and Disney – have left the platform. So, in a new, revamped version of the Campaign Podcast, the editorial team ask: What do brands lose by not having X on their plan?This episode welcomes Spanier to the studio with Maisie McCabe, Campaign's UK editor, and Shauna Lewis, deputy media editor. It is hosted by Lucy Shelley, tech editor at Campaign.Read more about what was discussed in this episode:'We can’t see brands ever returning': agency leaders on advertising with X'Now it is war': Elon Musk’s X sues advertisers over alleged ‘illegal boycott’Consultants call GARM antitrust lawsuit ‘disaster’ for XElon Musk on artistic ads, 'foolish' posts and telling advertisers to go fuck themselvesX officially allows ‘consensually produced’ adult contentX/Twitter one year on: Site traffic is up 22.3%Media buyers: ‘Advertisers are not responsible for keeping X afloat — or shutting it down’X-rated Elon Musk burns bridges with concerned advertisers: ‘Go F yourself’Advertisers flee X as Elon Musk announces 'thermonuclear' lawsuitIBM suspends advertising on X (Twitter) after ads appear next to Nazi posts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Language is everything" in advertising, particularly for the Paralympics.Channel 4's "Considering what?" campaign frames Paralympians as world-class athletes rather than competitors "overcoming" their disabilities. The International Paralympic Committee's “They’re not playing games” left messages on social media from the Paris Paralympic 2024 athletes saying “I won’t be participating at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games” to then reveal that they will be "competing".This year's advertising sees a movement to correctly represent the athletic and sporting champions in the Paralympics games, kicking the "well-meant bullshit" out of its vocabulary.Going behind the scenes of these campaigns and discussing what has changed in the media for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, we speak to:Lynsey Atkin, outgoing executive creative director of Channel 4’s in-house agency 4Creative;Tom Ghiden, managing director of Joan London;Craig Spence, chief brand and communications officer at the IPCThis episode was hosted by Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley.Further reading:Why brands need to stop talking about ‘overcoming’ disabilitiesParalympians challenge perceptions in campaign ahead of Paris GamesChannel 4 cuts the ‘well-meant bullshit’ in 2024 Paralympic campaignPick of the Week: Channel 4 takes home gold in 2024 Paralympic campaignOrange “When you love sport, you love sport” by Publicis ConseilParalympics 2024 round-up: watch the adsChannel 4 in Paralympic ads deal with TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pay, people and pitching. Not just fantastic alliteration but also the basis for a number of features that have run over the summer using data from this year’s School Reports.Hosted by media editor Beau Jackson, who was joined by deputy editor Gemma Charles and premium content editor Nicola Merrifield, this episode digs deeper into the issues raised in the following articles:Is adland 'manipulating culture', or striking the right balance with hybrid-working rules?‘Winners and losers’: how agency bonuses dried up in 2023Agency pay revealed: junior wage rises slow as ‘balancing profitability gets harder’The waiting game: agency staff churn dips as restructuring hitsWhy the pitch positive pledge remains a diamond in the rough Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the school holidays. So in a more relaxed episode, the Campaign editorial team debates this summer's top cultural moments.Hosted by features editor Matt Barker, the team discusses what's been inspiring and entertaining them away from the advertising industry. TV shows, books, music, anything really!Senior creativity reporter Charlotte Rawlings educates us on Taylor Swift, tech editor Lucy Shelley talks through her theatre highlights and Barker imparts Wembley wisdom, exhibition recommendations and tales of giggling through Kafka. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After WPP's Q2 results, the Campaign team analyses why the agency group downgraded its annual forecast and saw revenues drop in China.Gideon Spanier, Campaign UK's editor-in-chief, discusses his recent interview with Mark Read, the chief executive of WPP, and the context behind his questioning which included the FGS sale and what's going on with Group M.Gideon Spanier, Campaign UK's editor-in-chief, sat down with WPP chief executive Mark Read to discuss the holdco's Q2 results.He is joined in the studio by Charlotte Rawlings, senior creativity reporter, who reminisces her school days with M&S and Mother's back-to-school campaign. Plus she takes us through the N Brown creative review which owns JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo.Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, the trio discuss the latest feature from creativity and culture editor Alessandra Scotto di Santolo which digs into adland's hybrid working structure using data from Campaign's 2024 School Reports and how the industry might be "manipulating culture".Further reading:Group M appoints Zenith's Jon Stevens as chief growth officerDentsu results: EMEA bounces back strongly as group returns to modest growthDentsu whistleblower reports more than double amid major reformsVolvo launches review of global £353m media accountGrace Francis, Jamie Mancini, Katy Collins launch Wonderful Things Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Jex, chief creative officer at TBWA\London, and Carren O'Keefe, chief creative officer at Digitas UK, join Campaign's senior creativity reporter, Charlotte Rawlings, to review some of the latest ads.Jex and O’Keefe explore the prevalent use of oil paintings and classical music in recent work. The pair discuss Bodyform “Never just a period” by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Heineken “Forgotten beers” by LePub, TNT Sports “Only sport can do this” by Brothers & Sisters, Babybel “Let the goodness begin” by BETC, British Airways “A British original period drama" by Uncommon Creative Studio, and Thomas Cook and Marine Conservation Society “Deflatables” by McCann Birmingham.Further reading:Bodyform exposes menstrual health gaps in latest campaign by AMV BBDOHeineken urges socialising over sipping for International Beer DayTNT Sports launches first campaign by Brothers & SistersBabybel celebrates summer of sport with peeling billboardBritish Airways launches period-drama-style safety videoThomas Cook and ocean charity spotlight inflatables' environmental impact Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campaign features editor Matt Barker is joined in the studio by senior media reporter Shauna Lewis and senior creativity reporter Charlotte Rawlings.The trio discuss Elon Musk's announcement that he will be suing the Global Alliance for Responsible Media in the US over an alleged "illegal boycott" of advertising on his X platform.Chat then turns to the potential problems faced by brands on social media to a backdrop of rioting and protests, before unpicking the latest from WPP after it reported a drop in like-for-like revenue (less pass-through costs) in Q2.Further reading'Now it is war': Elon Musk’s X sues advertisers over alleged ‘illegal boycott’Adland urged to step up over social media's role in UK riotsWPP now expects revenues to decline in 2024 after cutting forecast and 3,000 roles Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campaign features editor Matt Barker is joined by media editor Beau Jackson in the studio to chew over some recent news stories.The pair first chat about TV coverage of the Paris Olympics, before discussing the future of Ascential, set to be acquired by publisher and events group Informa for £1.2bn.Talk then turns to the controversy over The Guardian's placement of a watch advert (with the tagline "Watch porn") next to a feature about men watching videos of child abuse. They then recall some of the year's other big mishaps, including Apple, Calvin Klein and WH Smiths.Further reading:Cannes Lions and Warc owner Ascential to be acquired for £1.2bnThe Guardian apologises over ‘watch porn’ ad placed next to child abuse article Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paris 2024 returns the Olympic Games back to normality after the delayed Japan 2020 games. But what does it look like in a time of AI, war and economic uncertainty?Campaign speaks to UK advertisers on how the Olympics has changed this year, including Harley O’Dell from TikTok, Joanna Cotton from Monks and Mark Eaves from Gravity Road. Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, they answer "where are all the Olympics ads?", how to approach an Olympic sponsorship and how brands avoid ad fatigue in the summer of sport. The trio discuss their favourite ads including Gravity Road's "1 in 100 million" for the International Olympics Committee's refugee team.More on the ads discussed in this episode:Olympics and Paralympics 2024 round-up: watch the adsNike unveils Olympics campaign, Winning Isn’t for EveryoneWill Nike’s Olympics campaign reboot its brand?Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot makes summer debut for Paris 2024Inside the International Olympic Committee’s marketing playbook for Paris 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campaign's editorial team discusses the top news of the week from Havas losing its B Corp status to TfL launching a creative review.Media editor Beau Jackson and tech editor Lucy Shelley discuss how Havas and its agencies are affected by the B Corp loss and some highlights from TfL's advertising since VCCP won the account from M&C Saatchi.They delve into the moves at Group M as Tim Irwin steps down and Brian Lesser becomes the new global chief executive.Further reading:Activists 'hack' billboards to protest against Shell advertising'I need to be selfish,' says Chris Freeland as he leaves RappOak Furnitureland puts down roots with new media agencyTony’s Chocolonely launches global media reviewAsda bags social media agency after competitive pitch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fresh from last week’s Creative Circle in Margate Campaign chief creativity reporter Charlotte Rawlings tells media editor Beau Jackson her highlights - including Conrad Haddaway and Sherwin Teo’s insight on Uber’s “Best friends” ad with Robert DeNiro and Asa Butterfield; and a rallying cry to agencies to improve access to the industry.She also shares her behind the scenes preview of 4Creative’s “Considering what?” campaign for Channel 4’s upcoming Paralympics coverage, and all the latest on Neverland resigning Tetley and winning Parkdean Resorts.The headlines from this episode:Veriça Djurdjevic to leave Channel 4Co-op consolidates creative and digital accountZenith wins Very Group’s £60m media accountTBWA\London hires strategy director Opinion:My experience in Cannes underlined why men must speak up and take action against harassment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Euros 2024 finals are taking place this week and EE, the lead commercial partner of the home nations teams, demonstrates how it aims to emphasise 'proud' in 'proud supporters'.EE's film ad "Hate. Not in my shirt" by Saatchi & Saatchi calls on the nation to challenge hate in football and make people proud to wear the shirt, while highlighting the behaviour not fit for it. It is set to the soundtrack of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart. Ben Mooge, chief creative officer at Publicis Groupe UK, joins the podcast to take us through how to make ads during huge cultural moments, selecting iconic music and how EE goes beyond the sponsorship.Further reading:Adidas borrows the Beatles' Hey Jude to put Bellingham at centre of Euros adPaddy Power plays on England's reputation in Danny Dyer-led Euros spot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barbie launched in 1959 and for the 65th anniversary of the brand, Mattel has unveiled Barbie: The Exhibition in London's Design Museum.Opening tomorrow (5 July), Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley gets an exclusive tour with Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and head of dolls at Mattel. This episode is recorded as they walk round the exhibition through the years and lives of the Barbie brand.Discussing inclusivity, consumerism, sustainability and of course, the Barbie film, the pair talk through how the brand has coped with criticism, handled a change in strategy and the complexities of taking a Barbie doll into space.This episode was edited by Til Owen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tech editor Lucy Shelley and media editor Beau Jackson talk through the biggest news of the week with the view from their news desks.As 4 July looms closer, broadcasters, advertisers and the country are gearing up for the UK general election. Beau discusses why Channel 4 has halted nighttime ads on its channels this week and what the media industry thinks of this. Plus we talk through the broadcaster's "lazy" Channel 4th rebrand encouraging people to vote and BBC's "It's your election" campaign by BBC Creative.In other Channel 4 news, Lynsey Atkin, executive creative director at 4Creative, has moved to McCann London taking the role of chief creative officer.Also in this episode, Lucy walks through Elon Musk onstage at Cannes Lions with WPP's chief executive Mark Read with views from the adland on whether it was right for the holdco to platform the controversial figure.Finally, Beau discusses the shortlist for the Ebay global media pitch, an account worth an estimated £305m ($385m), and gives her view on what the media pitching landscape looks like right now.Further reading:Mother hires ECD from Wieden & Kennedy LondonDentsu Creative parts ways with Caroline Pay and Theo Izzard-BrownM&C Saatchi promotes Jo Bacon to UK group CEO amid further change at the topIPG turns down investor who made approach to buy MullenLoweFormer Dentsu media CEO Hamish Nicklin takes new advisory roleCampaign podcast: behind the scenes of the Cannes Lions Film and Outdoor juriesDetails of our subscriptions are available at campaignlive.co.uk/membership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UK editor Maisie McCabe goes behind the scenes of the Outdoor and Film Lions juries with Franki Goodwin, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi London and Andre Sallowicz, creative partner at AMV BBDO.Recorded at Curzon Soho on 27 June, this episode of the Campaign podcast features an exclusive interview from Campaign’s first ever Cannes Download event.Work discussed includes:Xbox’s “The everyday tactician", the UK’s most awarded work by McCann London.Outdoor Grand Prix winners Pedigree’s “Adoptable” by Colenso BBDO and Nexus Studios and Magnum’s “Find your summer” by Lola MullenLowe, Madrid.Film Grand Prix winners Orange’s “WoMen’s football” by Marcel and Sydney Opera House’s “Play it safe” by The MonkeysThis episode was introduce by Beau Jackson, media editor at Campaign. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final episode, we hear from Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, Maisie McCabe, UK editor of Campaign, Alison Weissbrot, editor-in-chief of Campaign US, Rahat Kapur, editor of Campaign Asia, and David Brown, joint editor of Campaign Canada, who review Cannes Lions 2024 and give their verdict on the festival.Cannes Lions 2024 – final UK winners tableWe discuss the final winners, including the Film Lions where two Grand Prix awards went to Orange and Marcel for “WoMen’s football” and the Sydney Opera House and The Monkeys for “Play It Safe”.We also hear from Tor Myhren, the president of the FIlm Lions jury, who called for the industry to focus on making better shorter ads, plus the Campaign editors analyse the winning work from each of their regions.Campaign hosted the daily global podcast for the second year in a row – with a different mix of Campaign editors and journalists who were on the ground in Cannes talking each day.Listen to the whole of the six-part series to find out who won all of the top Lions awards and other big news from the talks and sessions at the Palais.Make sure you follow the Campaign podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.More:Cannes Lions names agency, network and most creative company of the yearElon Musk on artistic ads, 'foolish' posts and telling advertisers to go fuck themselvesCannes daily global podcast episode 5: Campaign beach party, plus latest winsUK takes Grand Prix for Audio and Radio at Cannes LionsMagnum work by Lola MullenLowe wins Outdoor Grand Prix at Cannes'Wear comfy shoes!' What’s your one piece of advice for Cannes freshers?Publicis unveils 'BSBot' to help people at Cannes decide 'what's AI or BS'Find all of Campaign's Cannes Lions coverage in one place here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campaign's editors and journalists from around the world are hosting a daily podcast during the five-day Lions festival. In episode five, we discuss the big award wins from the fourth night.Lucy Shelley, tech editor of Campaign UK, Kate Magee, global intelligence editor of Campaign, and Steve Barrett, editorial director of PR Week US and Campaign US, join Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, to discuss the fourth night of awards.Cannes Lions 2024 – final UK shortlists tableA double win for Canada: Heinz Ketchup and Rethink Toronto win the Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix for It has To Be Heinz and DIabetes Diagnostics Solution and Klick Health Toronto win the Innovation Grand Prix for Voice 2 Diabetes.PR agencies are doing well this year at Cannes, as Pop Tarts and Weber Shandwick win the Brand Experience Activation Grand Prix for the First Edible Mascot.Plus there was a lot of dancing at the Campaign party at Carlton Beach and we have interviews with some of the guests.More:Cannes daily global podcast episode 4: Elon Musk puts free speech before advertisersCannes daily global podcast episode 3: Craft and entertainment winnersCannes daily global podcast episode 2: Big wins in audio, health and outdoorCannes daily global podcast episode 1: Awards preview and new humour category'Wear comfy shoes!' What’s your one piece of advice for Cannes freshers?Publicis unveils 'BSBot' to help people at Cannes decide 'what's AI or BS'Find all of Campaign's Cannes Lions coverage in one place here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beau Jackson, media editor of Campaign UK, Lucy Shelley, tech editor of Campaign UK, David Brown, joint editor of Campaign Canada, and Alison Weissbrot, editor-in-chief of Campaign US, join Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, to discuss the third night of awards.The big talking-point of day three was Elon Musk, owner of X and boss of Tesla, who came to talk to advertisers but he was defiant about the concerns of some brands, insisting he will "choose free speech rather than agreeing to be censored for money".At the awards, retailer Mercado Libre and GUT Sao Paolo won the Media Lions Grand Prix for Handshake Hunt and skin care brand Serave and Ogilvy PR New York won the Social and Influencer Lion for Michael Cera-Ve.Plus two UK-based brands have won their second Grand Prix of the week – in each case for the same piece of work. Specsavers and Golin won the PR Lions for The Mishearing Test and Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass and McCann London won the Direct Lion for The Everyday Tactician.More:Cannes daily global podcast episode 3: Craft and entertainment winnersCannes daily global podcast episode 2: Big wins in audio, health and outdoorCannes daily global podcast episode 1: Awards preview and new humour category'Wear comfy shoes!' What’s your one piece of advice for Cannes freshers?Publicis unveils 'BSBot' to help people at Cannes decide 'what's AI or BS'Find all of Campaign's Cannes Lions coverage in one place here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campaign's editors and journalists from around the world are hosting a daily podcast during the five-day Lions festival. In this third episode, we discuss the big award wins from the second night.Charlotte Rawlings, roving reporter for Campaign in the UK, Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK, Rahat Kapur, editor of Campaign Asia, and Alison Weissbrot, editor-in-chief of Campaign US, join Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, to discuss the second night of awards.The Grand Prix Lions wins included German DIY-store chain Hornbach and Heimat\TBWA for the Square Metre in film craft and Spotify Advertising and FCB New York in digital craft for Spreadbeats.Plus French telecom group Orange and Marcel won the Grand Prix in Entertainment for Sport for “Women’s Football” and we report on how the Olympic torch came to Cannes Lions on Tuesday.We are hosting the daily podcast all this week – with a different mix of Campaign editors and journalists who are on the ground in Cannes talking each day.Look out for the Cannes evening bulletin email at about 10pm French time every evening and make sure you follow the Campaign podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.More:Cannes daily global podcast episode 2: Big wins in audio, health and outdoorCannes daily global podcast episode 1: Awards preview and new humour category'Wear comfy shoes!' What’s your one piece of advice for Cannes freshers?Publicis unveils 'BSBot' to help people at Cannes decide 'what's AI or BS'Find all of Campaign's Cannes Lions coverage in one place here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.