The Media Leader Podcast

At a Thinkbox event in September, ITV, Sky and Channel 4 announced Lantern, a new measurement panel aimed at tracking the short-term impact of TV advertising on sales.The goal for the initiative, which is aiming to fully launch in 2026 following a period of testing and requests for proposals, is to help provide TV with “the measurement it deserves” in an era when brands have increasingly demanded more outcomes-based measurement solutions, rather than simply measuring audiences.Sameer Modha is measurement innovation lead for commercial at ITV and sits on the commercial board of UKOM. Matt Hill is director of insight and measurement at Sky Media and formerly director of research and planning at TV marketing trade body Thinkbox.Both have had a strong hand in the early development of Lantern. They joined The Media Leader Podcast to discuss the project – its purpose, goals and timeline – as well as how TV measurement efforts need to adapt more broadly to address the needs of advertisers.Modha and Hill also spoke about how Lantern will help attract new-to-TV advertisers, how the project is "fundamentally different" from Isba's cross-media measurement initiative Origin and why the majority of media buying is now spent on outcomes, not eyeballs."In the end, buying outcomes rather than buying eyeballs has won in the market," said Modha. "We can either sit on our hands and just ignore that or say no, no – actually, we've got a fantastic ad product and it is great at doing those things, but we haven't surfaced that in a way that can play a part in those finance conversations."Highlights:4:44: The when, how and why of Lantern13:10: Targeting new-to-TV brands and the problem with attribution19:54: The challenge of cross-industry collaboration24:37: Lantern's launch timeline39:16: Has brand advertising become passé in an era of outcomes-based measurement?50:21: What the future of TV measurement looks likeRelated articles:ITV, Sky, C4 reveal Lantern audience measurement launchLantern joint measurement panel could be live ‘by 2026’Thinkbox research lead Matt Hill to join Sky Media---Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode.--> Discover how Trisonic can elevate your brand and expand your business by connecting with your ideal audienceVisit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderYouTube: The Media Leader

On 7 January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced changes to its platforms’ content moderation policies that, he admitted, will mean the company is “going to catch less bad stuff” across Facebook, Instagram and Threads.Among the raft of changes, Meta announced it was halting its third-party fact-checking programme in the US and replacing it with a Community Notes feature. It also updated its hateful conduct policy to now allow users to call women “household objects” or refer to transgender or non-binary individuals as “it”, among numerous other dehumanising examples.The story has dominated conversation around the industry throughout the early weeks of the year, with media agencies looking to reconcile potential concerns around brand safety and their own DEI commitments with the importance of Meta platforms on the media plan.In an op-ed for The Media Leader, Sonnie Spenser, Outvertising’s communications co-director and Fresh Pies’ digital marketing manager, pleaded with the UK media industry to disavow Meta’s content moderation changes and consider an “exit strategy” to cut adspend from the tech giant.They joined senior reporter Jack Benjamin on the podcast to elaborate on the ethical and business cases for reapportioning spend away from Meta. They also discussed the raw impact Meta’s policy changes have had on the LGBTQ+ community in the UK, whether brands truly care about brand safety and what the media industry can do to support minority members of staff amid a business culture shift away from DEI.Spenser said: "Hate is slowly becoming normalised and we need to do something about it."Highlights:2:22: Content moderation changes and cozying up to Donald Trump8:04: Should advertisers reduce spend on Meta? Considering ethical and business arguments16:55: Do brands actually care about brand safety?26:10: Threads' ad proposition35:13: A cultural paradigm shiftRelated articles:We need an exit plan for Meta and we need it now‘Too big to fail’? Industry reacts to Meta content moderation changesMental health vs Meta’s wealth: What will it take to hold a tech giant to account?Playing defence in politics and in tech: Nick Clegg leaves Meta---Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode.--> Discover how Trisonic can elevate your brand and expand your business by connecting with your ideal audienceVisit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderYouTube: The Media Leader

In November, a report from global advisory MediaSense found that an overwhelming majority of advertisers — three-quarters — are looking to make changes to their agency compensation model in the next three years.A similar number of survey respondents indicated that they are seeking to better align agency compensation to business performance, however it may be defined by the brand.According to Ryan Kangisser, chief strategy officer at MediaSense and co-author of the report, it is “unprecedented” for so many brands to want to change their compensation models at once.Last year, Kangisser spoke on The Media Leader Podcast about how advertisers do not find the current agency model to be fit for current and future needs.Now, he returns to discuss whether the agency remuneration model is fit for purpose and what a new outcomes-based approach could look like as a replacement in the near future."At the heart of this is the need for speed and agility," Kangisser said.Highlights:2:14: Overwhelming desire to change remuneration models7:00: Moving to outcome-based compensation — are brands and agencies on board?13:23: Have agencies moved to future-proof their business? "From attention to intention"19:24: Misaligned incentives between brands and agencies21:26: The impact of AI on fees and the future of talent and working practiceRelated articles:Three-quarters of advertisers want to change their agency compensation model Why agencies must move from a buffet model to à la carte service Marketers cut spend in main media as cautious approach continues MediaSense reveals ‘biggest blocker’ to business transformation MediaSense appoints Jamie Posnanski as global CEO---Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode.--> Discover how Trisonic can elevate your brand and expand your business by connecting with your ideal audienceVisit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderYouTube: The Media Leader

The new year always brings with it the inclination to not just future-gaze, but to consider how to future-proof.One media agency that has always billed itself as a future-forward organisation is Omnicom’s Hearts & Science and UK CEO Garrett O'Reilly joined Jack Benjamin to discuss the shop's growth strategy.O'Reilly discussed the challenges in scaling the business while remaining future-forward and what big client wins like Jaguar and Allwyn have meant for the agency. He also shared initial reactions to the Omnicom-Interpublic merger and the recently announced rollbacks in DEI and WFH policies across media.Specifically, O'Reilly reaffirmed the need to remain steadfast in responsible marketing efforts, seeing it as a core pillar of creating a future-facing media proposition."There's so many different fronts to fight [responsible marketing] on and we have to fight on all of them — whether it's environmental, or DEI, or responsible trading, or respecting audiences' privacy — they're all important. We can't neglect any of them."Highlights:2:31: Breaking down Hearts & Science's growth plan10:48: Challenges facing agencies needing to innovate14:11: Early-year adjustments: reaction to Omnicom-Interpublic merger, changes in WFH policies and Meta content moderation19:52: Category entry points as a key strategic focus24:57: The future of agencies and the need to reaffirm responsible marketing commitmentsRelated articles:Omnicom and Interpublic merger set to reshape global ad industryHearts & Science launches programme to nurture media owner rising starsSimon Carr: 100 years of doing it wrong — and how to do it rightOutvertising: We need an exit plan for Meta and we need it now---Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode.--> Discover how Trisonic can elevate your brand and expand your business by connecting with your ideal audienceVisit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderYouTube: The Media Leader

What’s really behind that view? Are all views created equal? What truly keeps our attention? Are consumer habits really changing that much?As marketers increasingly shift towards outcomes-based assessments of their ad effectiveness, behavioural research is likely to become more relevant to understanding how video ads can cut through to audiences in what has become a highly competitive environment for attention.At the inaugural Future of Video event in December, senior reporter Jack Benjamin interviewed four experts on how views are and should be measured, and what behavioural research tells us is happening in our minds when we watch video ads, be they on short-form platforms, in cinemas or on TV.The panel features Jenny Fernandez, TikTok’s head of research and insights; Michael Tull, Digital Cinema Media’s head of strategy and insight; Lea Karam, consulting director at Total Media’s behavioural science consultancy Behave; and Juliane Beard, director of research at market research company Mindlab.Highlights:2:24: What is a view? How do TikTok, cinema and behavioural researchers define a view?12:04: How to stand out21:45: Passive versus active video consumption and the generation gap in viewing27:13: Have attention spans shortened?38:44: Trends to keep an eye on as the TikTok generation agesRelated articles:Should broadcasters be embracing YouTube?Wicked and Moana 2 help 2024 box office surpass £1bn for second straight year8 out of 10 brands’ TikTok videos aren’t working — here’s how to fix itIsba’s Phil Smith: Advertisers should take a bigger stake in Origin---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderYouTube: The Media Leader

On the surface, the global ad industry appears to be in rude health. GroupM upwardly revised its This Year Next Year global ad revenue forecast for 2024 and expects it to surpass $1tn for the first time – and that’s excluding US political advertising, which itself totalled $15.1bn.In the UK, despite uncertainty regarding the country's political and economic future, the ad market grew 8.3%, with further 7% growth now expected for 2025.But, of course, there are numerous unpredictabilities next year, such as around how a new Donald Trump administration could impact global trade or pursue Big Tech regulation. Meanwhile, most ad growth is being driven by just five companies: Google, Meta, Amazon, ByteDance and Alibaba — suggesting a consolidation of ad revenue into fewer, bigger hands.Kate Scott-Dawkins is GroupM's global president of business intelligence and author of the This Year Next Year report.In conversation with Jack Benjamin, Scott-Dawkins explained that advertisers have grown accustomed to managing uncertainty over the past five years and that growth drivers such as retail media and streaming TV, as well as an influx of new AI-based startups, are likely to provide a boost to future ad spending."The uncertainty that advertisers are dealing with has existed and will continue to exist into next year," she said. "The advertising economy is going to continue despite that."Scott-Dawkins will be presenting further details from This Year Next Year at The Media Leader's Future of TV Advertising Global conference in London next week.Highlights:2:24: Toplines: positive growth despite uncertainty8:13: Big Tech's domination of ad revenue growth – is it healthy?12:26: Why the UK is outperforming expectations16:43: Volatility in the Chinese market20:26: Opportunities and knock-on effects as sport becomes more important for TV23:36: The importance of supporting publishing as it loses market share27:02: Tech brands to watch as they spend on marketing to promote AIRelated articles:Global ad industry to grow 9.5% this year as revenue flows to tech giantsOOH tops £1bn in ad revenue in 2024 so farUK TV exports fall 2% despite strong US demandExplained: how we should treat GroupM, IPG and Zenith adspend forecasts---Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode.--> Discover how Trisonic can elevate your brand and expand your business by connecting with your ideal audienceVisit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderYouTube: The Media Leader

2024 is winding down and for their last weekly news podcast of the year, host Jack Benjamin and editor-in-chief Omar Oakes sat down to look back on the past year in media and advertising.It was a year in which digital giants continued to grow, retail media surged, OOH prospered and TV streaming services became largely profitable. It was also a year that saw Big Tech facing renewed antitrust efforts, changes to Google and Meta's algorithms punishing online publishers and the industry reckoning with what a new AI-led era could look like.The pair not only consider what 2024 meant for the wider media ecosystem, but also look ahead to the uncertainties to come in 2025.Highlights:2:56: What was the big trend in 2024? A year of two halves and political uncertainty11:26: Tech regulation and profitable streaming services19:06: Traditional media: OOH sees success; journalism and publishing challenged by headwinds35:22: AI uses are broadening and changing working practice43:41: The past week in news: Sky upfronts, Barb and Origin, Ofcom's BBC report and Guardian/Observer strikesRelated articles:Sky failed our high standards, ads chief tells industry at upfrontsIpsos eyes UK TV measurement space as it plots Kantar Media acquisitionPlan tabled for Barb to join Origin in hybrid reporting modelOOH tops £1bn in ad revenue in 2024 so farPublishers say Google’s AI Overviews have reduced traffic potential---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderYouTube: The Media Leader

Serial agency founder and digital media pioneer Pete Robins talks to editor-in-chief Omar Oakes about why he believes there's never been a better time to plan media.Robins is set to launch his fifth media agency, Project5 – named after his belief that the industry has entered "the fifth age of media".Four-fifths of all media is delivered by a form of technology shaped by some sort of data, Robins explains. While the principal goals of media have not changed, the possibilities to plan media have now transformed significantly.Related articles:Digital pioneer Pete Robins launches fifth media agency---Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode.--> Discover how Trisonic can elevate your brand and expand your business by connecting with your ideal audience 

Sarah Prentice, head of media strategy and planning at Heineken UK, Rachel Coffey, chief strategy officer at Initiative UK, and Peter Rowe, head of media at NatWest Group, answer audience questions on planning.During the discussion, the trio debate what truly drives consideration, the role of AI in strategic thinking, how diversity, equity and inclusion informs their work in a practical sense and so much more.In particular, they also respond to one of the hot questions this year: how much is too much when it comes to spending on social media, in light of EssenceMediacom's eye-catching research that suggests brands could be spending three times too much in social.The panel was recorded at The Future of Media London in October and was chaired by Jack Benjamin.Highlights:1:02: Considering consideration4:00: Are we spending too much on social and where to reapportion that budget6:50: What should technology stay out of the way from? 9:15: How to position DEI in planning and what that means within the wider business13:42: Balancing wider concerns about social media use with brand spend on these platforms18:15: The role of sustainability initiatives in planning22:50: Breaking down specialism "silos"Related articles:Brands could be spending three times too much on social. You read that right100 years of doing it wrong — and how to do it rightAMA: Ask media experts anything!---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderYouTube: The Media Leader

Are managers well-equipped to wear all the different hats we ask of them in today’s workplace?It’s a question worth considering in an era when, according to Nabs’ All Ears study, managers are increasingly being hired younger, report being undertrained and have become more responsible for the mental health of their team.Sue Todd is the CEO of Nabs, the media and advertising industry charity focused on workplace wellness.After joining The Media Leader Podcast last year to discuss concerns around stress and burnout, especially relating to the pitch process, Todd returns to chat about a new initiative launched by Nabs, Managers' Mindsets, that aims to offer mental health training to managers.Todd discussed the impetus for the initiative and considered whether managers are being set up for success given what appears to be a chronic lack of time and resource available to media industry employees.Highlights:1:26: Why are managers undertrained and being asked to take on more responsibility?7:55: Impacts of managers skewing younger11:20: Structure of Nabs' Managers' Mindsets training programme21:50: Does it all come down to money?29:01: Advice to younger managersRelated articles:Nabs launches manager wellness training3 ways to create future-ready leadersThird ad industry All In Census to launch in March ---Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode.--> Discover how Trisonic can elevate your brand and expand your business by connecting with your ideal audienceVisit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderYouTube: The Media Leader