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Campaign releases an unpublished recording from the inaugural Campaign Live conference last year.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:
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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:
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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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’
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Campaign’s editors from around the world come together after the Lions festival for the final episode of the Campaign Cannes global podcast in partnership with Ocean Outdoor.
We review the festival and talk about the work that won, the big trends that emerged, the first year of Campaign House and the best parties.
Gideon Spanier (far left), the UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, hosts the podcast and is joined by Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK, David Brown, co-editor of Campaign Canada, and Luz Corona, editor of Campaign US.
Further reading about the work and stories on this podcast:
WPP, DDB and Publicis Conseil win creative company, network and agency of year at Cannes Lions 2025
Channel 4 and L’Oréal Paris scoop Film Lions Grands Prix
Publicis Conseil lands Titanium Grand Prix for Axa campaign helping women escape abuse
Great work should swim against the current, creative chiefs say
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Campaign’s editors from around the world come together at Campaign House at the Lions festival for the second episode of the Campaign Cannes global podcast in partnership with Ocean Outdoor.
Gideon Spanier, the UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, hosts the podcast and is joined by Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK, Nikita Mishra, editor of Campaign Asia, Chris Powell, co-editor of Campaign Canada, and Luz Corona, editor of Campaign US.
We talk about the buzz at the midway point during the festival, including the first Grand Prix winners, how the awards juries reach their decision and speculation about the search for a new WPP chief executive, plus we discuss some of our favourite sessions at Campaign House, our dedicated venue at Canopy by Hilton.
Further reading about the work and stories on the podcast:
Arthur Sadoun: Agencies should be ‘optimistic’ not ‘scared’ about future
Scrutiny over media trading will be a top story in next year, Campaign editors say
Vaseline’s “Vaseline Verified” by Ogilvy Singapore wins Health & Wellness Lions Grand Prix
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Campaign’s editors from around the world come together ahead of the Lions festival for the first episode of the Campaign Cannes global podcast in partnership with Ocean Outdoor.
We preview the festival and talk about the work we want to win, the mood in the ad industry and Campaign House – our exciting new venue at Cannes.
Gideon Spanier (centre in picture), the UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, hosts the podcast and is joined by Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK, Nikita Mishra, editor of Campaign Asia, David Brown, co-editor of Campaign Canada, and Luz Corona, editor of Campaign US.
We also discuss why Arthur Sadoun, the chief executive of Publicis Groupe and a speaker at Campaign House on day one of the festival, has called for the industry to take a “different” approach at Cannes this year and the introduction of new “safe zones” at the festival.
Further reading about the work and stories on this podcast
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Group M, the world's largest media buying group, has undergone a titanic course correction and "simplification", re-emerging as WPP Media. While the destination "makes sense", according to Campaign's editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, the reorganisation is coming at a huge cost to those that work there.
In February this year, The Campaign Podcast asked 'What is Group M?' and in the three months since, the group has merged agency brands into a single P&L, got rid of agency specific jobs titles and begun making roles redundant around the world. More recently, WPP's chief executive Mark Read announced on Monday (9 June) he was stepping down.
In this episode, Campaign's editorial team ask a simple question and dig deeper into why WPP has made the change, what will happen to the individual agencies within it, and whether it really is "simpler".
Tech editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode which features Spanier alongside media editor Beau Jackson and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis.
Further reading:
‘Something’s gone horribly wrong’: new chair faces calls to ‘fix’ WPP at AGM
WPP launches data solution Open Intelligence
'We know that we have to be simpler': Brian Lesser lays out Group M plans
Group M axes global agency CEO roles in major centralisation push
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Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2025 is only a few weeks away. With the prejudging completed last week, Campaign speaks to three jurors on what they're expecting this year at Cannes and what purpose the festival serves in a year of economic turbulence.
Tech editor Lucy Shelley speaks to Kate Stanners, president of the Film Lions and global chief creative officer and chair of Saatchi & Saatchi; Dan Clays, president of the Media Lions and chief executive officer EMEA at Omnicom Media Group and Noel Bunting, juror on Digital Craft Lions and chief creative officer at Publicis London.
The judging trio talk about the importance of instinct, why Cannes serves as a reminder of the "art of the possible" and how the connection between creativity and technology is used to hack the algorithm in advertising.
Further reading:
Should Cannes Lions be more focused on practical business solutions?
Arthur Sadoun calls for ‘different approach’ at Cannes amid economic challenges
Apple named Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year
Campaign announces agenda for debut of Campaign House at Cannes Lions 2025
Cannes Lions introduces safe zones
'Rewarding work while accepting suffering': IPA, D&AD and Cannes Lions respond
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VCCP London’s chief executive Andrew Peake is the special guest in the studio, joining Campaign’s creativity and culture editor Gurjit Degun, deputy editor Gemma Charles and features editor Matt Barker.
Andrew explains why VCCP are moving out of their home in London’s Victoria after 23 years and heading over to Fitzrovia, prompting a conversation among the quartet around the role that offices – and crucially, office cultures – have to play in attracting talent.
That then leads to further chat about socio-economic factors, career development and other motivating factors that come into play when choosing to work for a particular agency.
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Campaign hosted its star event Media360 in Brighton this week, gathering together leaders from UK media agencies, owners and businesses to discuss and question where media is headed in 2025.
Hosted by the chief executives of Essencemediacom and Hearts & Science, Natalie Cummins and Garrett O’Rielly, the two days covered connecting with gen Z, what to do about AI and urged advertisers to support trusted journalism. Jamie Laing opened the conference in the hot seat questioned by Campaign editor Maisie McCabe.
In this bonus episode you will hear a session from the event which questions whether social media is killing TV, hosted by Debatemate. Before we get to it, tech editor Lucy Shelley is joined by media editor Beau Jackson to chat through a few highlights from the two days.
Further reading:
Media 360: Lloyds Banking Group’s marketing lead on breaking ground in gaming
Media 360: Marketers from Currys, Reckitt and Estée Lauder on how media drives growth
Media 360: Jamie Laing on why brands should 'always have a North Star'
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In this special episode of The Campaign Podcast, Charlotte Rawlings, deputy creativity and culture editor at Campaign, chats to four of the industry’s top creatives about some recent ads.
Rawlings is joined by Laura Rogers, executive creative director at AMV BBDO; Jonny Parker and Chris Birch, joint chief creative officers at VCCP; and Caitlin Ryan, creative partner at Dentsu Creative. The creatives discuss the longevity of brand mascots, their favourite type of crumpets and how the PG Tips Monkey has transformed into a loving husband.
Listen to their opinions on British Gas, Warburtons, KFC and more.
Further reading:
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The darker side of agency life reveals that burnout is still an issue in advertising. Adland is infamously known for late night calls, weekend pitch prep and a culture of long working hours being the norm. Four years ago Campaign launched an investigation into the darker side of agency work and in this year’s follow up, it seems little progress has been made.
This week is Mental Health Awareness week, and in this episode Campaign speaks to Sue Todd, chief executive at advertising and media charity Nabs, and David Eakins, former art director and now mental health campaigner and founder of workplace wellbeing agency Happy Sapien.
Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, Campaign's editor Maisie McCabe also joins the discussion. They explore why adland has not solved the issue of burnout and what can be done to protect its people.
Content warning: this episode contains references to suicide. If you have been affected by issues raised in this episode and need a number to call, you can reach Nabs at 0800 707 6607, Calm on 0800 1111 or Samaritans on 116 123.
Further reading:
An open letter to the gatekeepers of creative greatness
Nabs helpline calls reach annual record of 5200
Why hasn’t adland tackled its long-hours culture?
Does adland wish it was ‘Severed’?
Coming up in the Campaign calendar:
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Live experiences couldn't get more real. They provide consumers with a tangible connection to a brand. But in an era of declining third spaces, consumers need to be wowed if they are to venture out their homes to attend an event.
Louise O'Conner if the founder and managing director of experiential agency Seen Presents. She joins the podcast to discuss the change in consumer behaviour, why consumers generally prefer grassroots events to premium and how the pressure put on live experiences makes them feel like the ultimate wedding.
Hosted by Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley, this episode also features deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings.
Further reading:
The experiential antidote to Gen Z’s dying third place
UK firms cut marketing budgets for first time in four years: IPA Bellwether
‘A tough start to the year’: IPA Bellwether adland reaction
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Women in creative leadership roles have been leaving adland. The IPA Census reported a decline in both of the last two years, down from 30% in 2022 to 25.6% in 2024. On top of this, the Census reported a widening pay gap, increasing to almost 20% in 2024.
This episode welcomes Laura Jordan Bambach to the studio, founder and chief creative officer of female founded Uncharted. Alongside editor Maisie McCabe and deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings, they discuss why it’s got worse, if there was any improvement seen in the first place and what needs to be done to amend the issue.
Jordan Bambach, who launched The Great British Diversity Experiment nine years ago, explained that when agencies feel under pressure from economic and other external storms, they return to "muscle memory", and rely on behaviours of the past. The industry needs to reframe what it is to be a successful creative leader and adjust perceptions, she said.
This episode was hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley.
Further reading:
I can’t believe I still have to write columns about this shit
Under-appreciated, overlooked and misunderstood: the life of a female creative
3 great ads I had nothing to do with – #68 with Laura Jordan Bambach
My Cannes Snapshot: Laura Jordan Bambach
Laura Jordan Bambach, Hannah Matthews and Fern Miller unveil 'advanced' creative agency
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