The Media Leader Podcast

Why are women in media leaving the jobs they love?That is one of the questions The Media Leader has tried to tackle this year as part of our mission to promote talent in media and advertising. Issues raised this year, in our op-eds and analysis, include concerns about better flexible working, accommodating women going through menopause, and how to stop women bearing the brunt of the industry's 'missing middle' phenomenon.As summer comes to a close and it's back to school or work for most this month, it's a good time to reflect on the many within the media industry who balance various responsibilities as well as their work. Ella Sagar sits down with two leading women who have worked agency-side and media owner-side to discuss the unique experiences and challenges faced by women in their media careers, and how the industry can and should do more to make the workplace more equitable.Tobi Asare is managing partner and director of growth at OMD UK, and author of The Blend: How to Successfully Manage a Career and a Family.Stefanie Daniels is founder of Life Begins at Menopause, a 20-year media careerist, and a Media Leader columnist.“If you don’t buy in to supporting women at various different life stages, then I think you are missing a trick," commented Asare.On the topic of the menopause, Daniels added, “For the sake of my mum, for my grandma, for my daughter, the buck stops here. We are going to change this narrative and we are going to empower these women so they absolutely can, one by one, take back control of this life stage.” ---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

TV has slipped out of marketers' top-ranked media channels this year, from third most-preferred to 12th.That is just one of the key takeaways from this year's Media Reactions report from Kantar, launched this week.Jane Ostler, the report's co-author and Kantar’s executive vice president of global thought leadership, sat down with host Jack Benjamin to unpack the report's findings."I think we're now seeing the days where the fragmentation that we've spoken about for the last 10 years in media means that TV is not necessarily always considered to be the base of the media plan anymore," said Ostler.The pair discussed how consumers and marketers diverge in preferences for media channels and brands, with consumers this year showing strong preferences for in-person ad experiences, be it through sponsored events, out-of-home, cinema, or point-of-sale.They also spoke about why marketers appear to be turning toward short- and long-form online video as their most-preferred medium, and the importance of attention in reaching consumers.---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Jack Benjamin and Ella Sagar are missing the holidaying Omar Oakes but are nevertheless back on the podcast this week to analyse some of the industry’s biggest stories.The rise of fake out-of-home: The pair discuss the rise and implications fake out-of-home ads, in particular talking through Gymbox's recent fake bus top out-of-home campaign and press release. They ponder if mocked-up billboards will become more common not just for brands but bad actors, including in politics.Negotiating The Telegraph sale: What is the importance of a sitting politician brokering a bid for one of the most recognisable newspapers in the UK? It reeks of "dodginess", according to Jack and Ella.Plus: The duo reflect on reports that senior YouTube staff are concerned about Shorts drawing audiences away from longer-form videos; the Rugby World Cup launching this Friday broadcast free-to-air on ITV; and list their media recommendations of the week.---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Brands are still coming to terms with how to market to gamers, a number of brand strategists have highlighted on The Media Leader in recent weeks. And this is despite several years of work by ad professionals trying to crack the gaming market.With an audience of over 3 billion worldwide, gaming has developed over the past few decades into one of the most-loved and most-lucrative forms of entertainment, and brands want in on the action, hoping to reach audiences they often struggle to find elsewhere.But what is causing the slow uptake of gaming advertising, and what needs to be done to better communicate with adland the potential benefits of reaching the increasingly diverse gaming audience?Lucy Rissik, partnerships director for Women in Games and founder and CEO of boutique gaming marketing agency Brotherhood of Brand, and Nina Mackie, founder and CEO of Interact Global and part of female-led gaming industry organization WeGame2 join host Jack Benjamin to discuss the state of the gaming market, what advertisers need to know about gamers, and why there are opportunities aplenty to reach new audiences—so long as you're careful with your creative.Register to attend The Future of Gaming 2023 on 12 October in London to continue the conversation at https://www.adwantedevents.com/futureofgaming.---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is the oldest form of advertising there is, and it has had a whirlwind of the past three-and-a-half years. The medium was hard hit by pandemic-era lockdowns, but has recovered quickly and now, according to the World Out of Home Organization’s Global Market Index Report, it is set to surpass $40bn in global revenue for the first time this year.Route Research CEO Denise Turner joins host Jack Benjamin and reporter Ella Sagar to discuss the current state of the OOH market, developments in ad measurement, the viral success of fake OOH ads, and whether we've yet reached a 'new normal' when it comes to how individuals are traversing metropolitan areas.Ella also speaks about her recent interview with Clear Channel Europe CEO Justin Cochrane, who told her the OOH company is seeking to become a US-only business.---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

2023 has seen a startling spike in anti-queer rhetoric and misinformation around the world and brands have been caught up in the culture war.Earlier this year, Bud Light was victim of a right-wing boycott for a partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, and Target received a high-profile onslaught of threats against staff for offering Pride products during the month of June. Both companies responded by capitulating to pressure.Cass Naylor is co-director of advocacy at Outvertising, the not-for-profit LGBTQ+ advertising and marketing advocacy group. He is also an independent diversity and inclusion consultant and campaigner. And until recently, he worked in comms and marketing for the Financial Times.He joins host Jack Benjamin and reporter Ella Sagar to discuss how media properties, brands and advertisers must do more to support the queer community, especially in the months outside of Pride.“Queer people know what pinkwashing looks like; we're very, very sensitive to it now and we react very badly to it", Naylor says. "And [brands] are not getting any better at it. So you need to engage with your queer employees and the forum to do that is through the staff network. I'm a big believer in internal employee activism advocacy through staff networks, ERGs [and] BRGs. Lean on them. They are your experts. But make sure that you deserve to be showing up where you’re showing up and then be loud about it because we need companies to lead the charge."---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Jack Benjamin, Omar Oakes and Ella Sagar are back on the podcast this week to analyse some of the industry’s biggest stories.The Premier League season is upon us once more, and while Jack may be clueless about British professional sport, he did cover how the league’s forthcoming gambling ads ban has thus far had ‘almost no impact’ on Premier League shirt sponsorships. With Disney finally getting involved in the gambling industry through its sports broadcaster ESPN, will the sports betting market continue to grow despite growing concerns over gambling ads?Clear Channel has pledged a strategic review of its European holdings after it previously sold off its Swiss and Italian businesses this year. Ella discusses how the company expects to do the same in Spain and France next year, and how the outdoor company is in sell-mode as it seeks to reduce more than $5bn in company debt.Plus: the trio discusses a number of disappointing earnings results from news publishers and considers whether AI can provide them with a competitive advantage in the future; and the Daily Mail and General Trust has thrown its hat into the ring to purchase Telegraph Media Group, but could such an acquisition get past regulators?---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

2023 has been touted as the year of retail media. Between Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Lidl, Boots, Target, Kroger, Uber, Deliveroo, Revolut, and Walmart, retailers have been jumping at the chance to expand their media footprints. But what should retail media’s space be on the media plan?Kiessé Lamour, Wunderman Thompson's global head of media, commerce, and Simon Akers, founder of marketing consultancy Archmon, join host and reporter Ella Sagar to future of retail media, including why Lamour and Akers believe travel companies are primed to be the next big thing.“We should be treating retail media as a contributor to the overall shopper strategy," said Akers. "It’s complicated because you’ve got brands, you’ve got the shopper team, you’ve got the retailer... [but] how do we integrate the needs of the shopper team with the needs of the media team and ensure that we’re all helping each other out?"---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Omar Oakes and Ella Sagar prove their dedication to B2B podcasting by missing the England v Nigeria World Cup penalty shootout to record this episode with their analysis on the industry's biggest stories.OFCOM'S MEDIA NATIONS REPORT - is broadcast media suffering from 'fragmentation' or does it really have a deeper cultural problem with more consumers preferring short-form content? Spoiler for Omar's opinion, which features in his column today.RAJAR - did the BBC score an own goal by letting Ken Bruce walk away with Popmaster? The Rajar radio audience figures once again provided a plethora of interesting audio stories... but do we need to play closer attention to talk radio and the rise of GB News/TalkTV?PLUS Omar and Ella reflect on Sky Media trialling ITV's self-serve ad platform, why so few people in the US are taking up ads on Netflix and Disney+, and why Omnicom is giving media owners and advertisers marks out of 100 for how sustainable they are.---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Commercial radio superseded the BBC in share of radio listening in the past year, and in tandem with the growing popularity of podcasts, audio is having a moment.Radiocentre CEO Matt Payton joins lead audio reporter Ella Sagar and host Jack Benjamin to discuss the past, present and future of the medium. The trio discuss the post-pandemic ascendancy of commercial radio, the need to innovate audio measurement tools and standards, and hurdles and opportunities in getting the upcoming Media Bill passed through parliament."The easy trap to fall into is to sort of talk about the good old days," said Payton. "Whereas actually, right now, radio and audio we think is stronger than ever. Stronger than ever in terms of audiences, in terms of revenues last year. So it’s taking this moment and saying, look, we’re in a bit of a golden age of audio, so let’s think about building on the innovation, developments up until now and focus on the future.”---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader