The Campaign Podcast

Media planners and buyers, like many in adland, have been tackling a period of immense change. AI, media fragmentation and budget restraints are all impacting the roles within media.

At the end of January Campaign hosted Media Week Live, a conference for media planners and buyers, discussing how their roles are changing and what the future of the media agency looks like. Leaders from X, Pinterest, Omnicom, WPP, Publicis and the National Theatre joined to share their perspectives from the top.

Campaign's media journalists hosted the event: media editor Beau Jackson and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis. The pair join tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley to discuss the future of the media planner and buyer, what part creativity plays in the media plan, how media planners work alongside AI and what challenges media agency leaders are facing this year.

Further reading:
What does it take to be a media agency chief investment officer?
'Frustrating' and 'disappointing': media buyers on Google's action against Kantar Media and Barb
The Lists 2025: Top 10 media buyers
‘The weather is changing’: How much should publishers fret about Google AI Overviews?
Will media buyers be the first victims of AI?
Media buying among 'first areas to go' with rise of AI, says MediaMonks co-founder

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

Following the Super Bowl LX over the weekend, David Kolbusz, chief creative officer at Orchard Creative; Helen Rhodes, chief creative officer at Grey London; and Josh Green, chief creative officer of Elvis review a selection of the ads in this week's episode of The Campaign Podcast.

Hosted by Campaign’s creativity and culture editor Gurjit Degun, the trio critique work from Instacart, Anthropic, Squarespace, E.l.f Cosmetics, Pringles, Dove and Bud Light.

They also comment on whether this year’s ads are better than those of previous years. Kolbusz said: "The theme for me this year was that people are starting to figure out the Super Bowl again. I think the last five or so years have just been an absolute tragedy."

Further reading:
Super Bowl 2026 round-up: watch the ads
Pringles "Can hands" by Grey London

Campaign calendar:
Audio Advertising Awards: final entry deadline on 12th February, with multi-entry discounts

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The FIFA World Cup really is bigger this year, taking place in Summer across 39 days, taking place in 16 cities across the US, Mexico and Canada. While all the on-pitch fun is happening across the Atlantic, how can brands across the pond engage UK audiences effectively and authentically?

In this episode of The Campaign Podcast, Campaign welcomes guest Lizi Hamer, the global executive creative director at Octagon to discuss some of the biggest mistakes brands make when creating brand experiences around the World Cup, and why advertisers should be thinking community first, not country first.

Tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode with Campaign's deputy editor Gemma Charles and creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings.

Further reading:
Beyond borders: why countries don’t define modern fandom
Fifa 2026’s longer tournament window presents a golden opportunity for fan activations
Identity launches global sports proposition
The Year Ahead 2026: Cultural trends
The Year Ahead 2026: Experiences

Campaign calendar:
Audio Advertising Awards: final entry deadline on 12th February, with multi-entry discounts

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

Campaign's "agencies to watch" lists the top media, creative and new shops that are likely to have an impact in the next 12 months. This episode discusses the chosen agencies, how the lists have changed from 2025, and what makes an agency worth watching, or not.

While these lists are not an endorsement of each agency, they have been chosen because these shops went through big changes last year.

This episode of The Campaign Podcast is hosted by Lucy Shelley and features editor Maisie McCabe, creativity and culture editor Gurjit Degun and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis.

Further reading:
Eight new agencies to watch in 2026
Seven creative agencies to watch in 2026
Eight media agencies to watch in 2026
If 'agencies to watch' grow into 'top agencies' and other conundrums
LePub launches in London led by Gina Hood
‘The Grey-naissance’: Helen Rhodes plans ‘dollop of stupidity and naivety’ in Grey's return to creative glory
Ace of Hearts: dealing adland a new hand

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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 EMEA, Katie Mackay-Sinclair global chief brand officer at Mother, and Magnus Djaba, chief client officer and Publicis Groupe.

This bonus episode of The Campaign Podcast features the entire panel which 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

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