The Campaign Podcast

2025 saw an incredible amount of change and pressure for the industry and its agencies – steering the ship through heavy storms has become even tougher.

At Campaign's Year Ahead Breakfast Briefing in The National Gallery, editor Maisie McCabe led a discussion on leadership in a time of change, interviewing Dan Clays, CEO of Omnicom Media Group EMEA, Katie Mackay Sinclair global chief brand officer at Mother, and Magnus Djaba, chief client officer and Publicis Groupe.

The panel discusses the impact of AI, structural shifts within agencies and how people should care for each other during timed of change.

The Year Ahead Breakfast Briefing featured adland leaders talking about the trends and strategies for 2026, across creativity, technology, leadership, brands and media.

Further reading:
Agencies need to be AI literate to keep up with clients, Gravity Road global ECD warns
Creativity will see a return to ‘raw human honesty’ in 2026, Kyle Harman-Turner says
'Isn't it boring spending in the same place?': the case for a diverse media diet
Global sentiment towards sustainability has 'fallen off a cliff', Trainline marketer says
The Year Ahead 2026: Ad agencies
The Year Ahead 2026: Creativity
The Year Ahead 2026: Social
The Year Ahead 2026: Cultural trends
The Year Ahead 2026: Media owners
The Year Ahead 2026: Brands
The Year Ahead 2026: Technology
The Year Ahead 2026: Media agencies

Coming up in the Campaign Calendar:
Brand Film Awards: deadline on 29 January
Audio Advertising Awards: second entry deadline on 29th January, with multi-entry discounts

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

Adland leaders announced their optimism at last week's Year Ahead Breakfast Briefing in The National Gallery, talking about the trends and strategies across creativity, technology, leadership, brands and media for 2026.

Martin Beverley, co-founder and chief startegist at Ace of Hearts spoke about the importance of joy, while Netflix's head of advertising sales Ed Couchman said 2026 will be the year of fandom as consumers are wanting more from brands. Gravity Road's global executive creative director said agencies need to be AI literate to keep up with clients, while creativity will see a return to "raw human honesty" in 2026, said Kyle Harman-Turner, creative partner and executive creative director at FCB London.

In this episode, Campaign's journalists who were at the event and on the panels dig into what the industry’s leaders predict for 2026, and why. Tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley is joined by deputy editor Gemma Charles, premium content editor Nicola Merrifield and deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings.

Further reading:
'Isn't it boring spending in the same place?': the case for a diverse media diet
Global sentiment towards sustainability has 'fallen off a cliff', Trainline marketer says
The Year Ahead 2026: Ad agencies
The Year Ahead 2026: Creativity
The Year Ahead 2026: Social
The Year Ahead 2026: Cultural trends
The Year Ahead 2026: Media owners
The Year Ahead 2026: Brands
The Year Ahead 2026: Technology
The Year Ahead 2026: Media agencies
Can we talk about the ethics of AI-fuelled advertising?

Coming up in the Campaign calendar:
Brand Film Awards: deadline on 29 January

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

Campaign LOVES a pitch story, and the tail end of last year was very busy with many pitches taking place or being won right up to the final week.

WPP won the £1.5bn government media pitch and the expanded review for Jaguar Land Rover, as well as media for Kenvue, while Publicis Groupe picked up the creative for the consumer healthcare company. Aviva's creative account went to Saatchi & Saatchi and the shortlist for IKEA was announced with Just Eat also yet to conclude.

In this episode, Campaign digs into the state of new business last year, and where the opportunities lie in 2026, examining which sectors and disciplines will likely see more pitches over the next 12 months.

Tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode featuring Campaign's editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, data journalist for Campaign Red Jamie Rossouw and deputy news editor, Marianne Calnan-Holland.

Further reading:
The CMO Outlook 2026
UK new-business rankings: latest 2025
Two-thirds of CMOs 'definitely' pitching in next 12 months
Mars to switch $1.7bn media account out of WPP
NatWest picks IPG as it consolidates media and creative account
Santander appoints Publicis to global creative and media business
Starling banks on network media agency after three-way contest
Publicis agency swipes Monzo media account after BBH creative win
Asda confirms media and creative agency appointments
Publicis scoops Coca-Cola media in North America

Coming up in the Campaign calendar:
Brand Film Awards: deadline on 15 January

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

As the "happy new years" ring out, what resolutions are those in adland setting for 2026?

Last year unleashed a relentless wave of change across the advertising and media industry, from agency mergers and closing shops to restructures, the growing prominence of social and tech platforms, and some great creative work.

Now, in 2026, Campaign begins the year with a look at what adland’s new year resolutions should be, what the industry should give up and what is coming up in 2026. Over the next few weeks, Campaign is releasing essays on the year ahead and the top agencies to watch.

Editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis join the episode, hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.

Further reading:
The Year Ahead 2026: Media agencies
The Year Ahead 2026: Strategy
The Lists 2025: Top 20 film ads
The Lists 2024: Top 10 campaigns
Has 2025 been the year for independent agencies?
Traitor or faithful – what will adland remember about 2025?
Will the new Omnicom work?

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

From Gen Z to Boomers, age has long been a marketing shortcut – but is it still useful? Campaign’s Lucy Shelley and Amazon Ads’ Carly Zipp unpack how brands can connect through shared interests and values instead.

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