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Christmas has hit adland like a snowball in the face, with the festive ads coming in thick and fast, so what can be gleaned from the first phase of holiday advertising?
In this episode of The Campaign Podcast, the editorial team break down the themes that emerged in the first batch of Christmas ads and the industry’s reaction to the campaigns so far. Tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley is joined in the studio by creativity and culture editor Gurjit Degun, deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings and editor Maisie McCabe.
This episode was recorded last week, and discusses the following ads:
John Lewis & Partners “Where love lives” by Saatchi & Saatchi
Sainsbury’s “The unexpected guest” by New Commercial Arts
Marks & Spencer Food “Traffic jamming” (in-house)
M&S Fashion, Home and Beauty "Give the gift" by Mother
TK Maxx "Festive Farm" by Wieden & Kennedy London (2023)
Amazon "Joy ride" (in-house) (2023)
Asda “A very merry Grinchmas” by Lucky Generals
Boots “Gift happily ever after” by VML/The Pharm
Further reading:
Christmas 2025 round-up: watch all the festive ads
John Lewis Christmas ad reaction: 'Soft nostalgia', 'middle of the pack', 'copy magic'
‘We made the music the gift’: Saatchis and John Lewis on nostalgia, emotion and 1990s bangers
'Brilliant brand fit' BFG stars in Sainsbury’s Christmas ad
What do you think of the first wave of Christmas ads?
What are your hopes for this year’s crop of Christmas ads?
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Advertisers have been pulling investment from newsbrands and trusted journalism for years. The latest AA/Warc figures show that national and regional newsbrands, along with magazines, have suffered the steepest declines in adspend across all channels, while tech platforms continue to claim a growing share of the market.
However, the figures suggest this decline will slow in 2026, and this year's Media Week Awards was a successful night for many newsbrands, including The Telegraph, which took home the coveted Sales Team of the Year.
This episode of The Campaign Podcast asks whether advertisers are moving away from trusted journalism or alternatively whether newsbrands are fighting back and seeing a resurgence. James Bailey, UK chief executive of Dentsu’s iProspect, joins the episode alongside Adam Foley, chief executive of independent agency Bountiful Cow and former director of UK advertising for the Guardian as well as founder of the News Alliance, a cross-industry coalition to encourage advertisers to support trusted news and journalism.
Hosted by Campaign's tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley, this episode includes UK editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis.
Further reading:
'Utterly ruinous': media agency boss on the impact of ad blocking on news brands
Media 360: Media industry is ‘sentencing news to death’ and ignoring its effectiveness
Majority of execs believe brand safety in news harms advertisers
Ahead of Trump's second term, Meta to scrap fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram
Mars and Unilever on 'moral and business responsibility' to improve online safety
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WPP, Publicis Groupe, Omnicom, Interpublic, Havas and Dentsu have hitherto been known to adland as the "big six". However, the past year has brought the announcement of a proposed merger between Omnicom and IPG, while Havas and Dentsu have become comparatively smaller.
So, the "big six" become the "big three", but is there another challenger? Accenture Song's latest results reported revenues of $20bn (£15bn) in the 12 months to August, putting it on par with Omnicom’s $16bn, Publicis’ €16bn ($19bn) and WPP’s £15bn ($20bn). The business has picked up the $42m media account for Optus in Australia and remains in the running for Jaguar Land Rover’s global integrated marketing account.
With significant changes among the biggest holding companies continuing to shift the advertising landscape, some have questioned whether it is the end of the "big six", heralding the start of a new "big four". In this week's episode of The Campaign Podcast, Campaign's editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, UK editor Maisie McCabe and media editor Beau Jackson, examine the potential outcomes. The episode is hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.
Further reading:
Accenture is at a crossroads for its global agency ambitions
What's next for Accenture Song? CEO Ndidi Oteh at Campaign Live
‘Song is changing Accenture’: CEO Ndidi Oteh on media, M&A and ‘Big Four’ agency rivalry
Omnicom now ‘confident’ IPG deal will close in November as EU approval nears
Yannick Bolloré on Havas’ Q3 ‘acceleration’, Dentsu’s assets and being ‘open’ to M&A
Havas ‘could be interested’ to buy or partner with some of Dentsu’s international assets
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This episode of The Campaign Podcast explores whether marketers are using AI to do work traditionally done by their agencies and examines what clients are – and aren’t – doing with AI.
It comes as Campaign launches the Power 100, the list of the most powerful marketers in the UK. This year they were asked questions designed to tease out where they are on their AI journeys.
Presented by deputy editor Gemma Charles, guests on the podcast were premium content editor Nicola Merrifield, acting commissioning editor Louise Ridley and Will Hanschell, the co-founder and chief executive of generative AI platform Pencil that was acquired by The Brandtech Group in 2023.
Further reading:
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Campaign published its Faces to Watch list for 2025 last month and also canvassed the cohort on a range of topics both on and off-the-record. From hybrid-working and salary through to the rise of AI and diversity, the Faces – all of whom have worked in adland for eight years or less – gave their views freely.
This episode not only dissects their thoughts but also offers the perspectives of adland leaders on the lot of their junior staff. Hosted by Campaign’s deputy editor Gemma Charles, this episode features deputy media editor Shauna Lewis, acting commissioning editor Louise Ridley and reporter Ezster Gurbicz.
Among other issues, they discuss why juniors may have missed out by not starting their careers in the office due to Covid, the younger generation’s embrace of AI and the demise of hierarchical structures from yesteryear.
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Neurodiversity exists in between 15 and 20% of UK adults, but recent All In data counts over half of adland’s UK workforce as neurodiverse, at 55%.
This week is dyslexia awareness week, and to mark the occasion this episode looks into neurodiversity in adland, and how the industry supports people with different ways of thinking, both internally and in the ads it produces.
Hosted by Campaign's tech and multimedia editor, this episode welcomes guest Wayne Deakin, former global executive creative director at Wolff Olins, as well as media editor Beau Jackson and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis from the Campaign.
They discuss why advertising attracts people with different ways of thinking, how it impacts the work and the barriers and taboos that still exist making agency life challenging for those with neurodiversity.
Further reading:
‘More than just clothes’: Vanish builds on autism awareness work
How leaders can build a neurodiversity-friendly workplace
How I got diagnosed with ADHD at age 38
Great minds don’t think alike: How to tap the neurodivergent talent pool
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Ndidi Oteh, the new global chief executive of Accenture Song, was interview on stage by Campaign's editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier at Campaign Live in her first UK interview.
24 days into the new job, Oteh discussed navigating change and scale, plans to expand in media buying, and how the agency arm of consulting giant Accenture compares to the big holding companies. This episode features the full session from the event, with an introduction from Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley.
Oteh divulged Song's acquisition strategy, focusing on talent and partnerships, and how the creative shop is actually changing the consultancy giant.
Further reading:
Four agency groups in race to win Jaguar Land Rover global marketing account
Dentsu appoints bankers to seek buyers for international business
Accenture and WPP have discussed potential M&A deal
WPP hires AKQA global CEO from Accenture
Accenture Song dropped from TfL creative review for 'not meeting DEI criteria'
Accenture Song appoints Ndidi Oteh as North America lead
David Droga to step down as CEO of Accenture Song
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Cars, airlines, FMCG brands and banks used to be some of the most desirables clients to have for an agency. Some clients are still more desirable to agencies than others, but is it based on size, market, sector or another factor?
In this episode, Campaign's editorial team question if prestige sectors still exist and to what extent agencies actually choose their clients. Tech editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode alongside premium content editor Nicola Merrifield, news editor Will Green and editor Maisie McCabe.
Further reading:
‘Old-fashioned and irrelevant’: how the dominance of retained accounts is on the turn
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Podcast: What will the next 70 years of commercial TV look like?
This September, the UK celebrates 70 years of commercial TV since the launch of ITV on September 22 1955.
A lot has changed since the very first TV ads. Not only are they now in full colour but the very definition of TV has evolved and keeps on changing with the addition of new formats and introduction of new digital competitors.
In this episode, Campaign’s tech editor Lucy Shelley is joined by the Campaign editorial team to discuss how TV is adapting and defending its position in the media mix, how creativity has changed and what the next 70 years of TV will look like.
She is joined by UK editor Maisie McCabe, deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings and media editor Beau Jackson.
Watch some of the ads mentioned in this podcast below:
Lloyds TSB “The journey to London 2012”
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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:
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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’
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)
BBH London's "Three little pigs" for The Guardian
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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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