The Media Leader Podcast

The creative industries' fight to protect their intellectual property from AI companies reached a crescendo last month amid the end of a government consultation on how it should handle copyright in the age of AI. But will public pressure be enough to convince governments to maintain copyright laws and not cave to tech giants promising strong economic growth?Alongside the wider creative industries, the publishing sector has argued that offering tech companies leniency around copyright would severely undermine existing business models for publishers and artists.One industry leader at the forefront of the fight to protect publishers’ IP is Professional Publishers Association (PPA) CEO Sajeeda Merali.In a conversation with Jack Benjamin, Merali explained the arguments being made by AI companies and by publishers over copyright, as well as what the government is currently considering as it weighs the desire to drive technological and economic growth while protecting its outsized creative industries from harm.The pair also discussed how magazines are adapting to new business realities – such as those created by consumer shifts towards AI usage and away from print readership – by transitioning to multiplatform content and commercial strategies.Highlights:4:46: Outlining arguments by AI companies and publishers over IP protections13:03: Where the UK government presently sits on the policy debate17:51: What's at stake for publishers in the age of AI25:10: Unpacking the latest ABC figures – where are publishers in the transition to digital?Related articles:UK creative industries call on government to ‘make it fair’ in AI era‘End of an era for search as we know it’? Publishers grapple with gen-AI search‘Show me the money’: Will business models be ‘redefined’ by AI agents?---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

This month, JCDecaux reported strong fiscal year 2024 earnings: the global business saw 9.7% organic growth, while JCDecaux grew 18.4% in the UK — a growth figure more typically associated with tech giants.Meanwhile, the broader OOH industry is in rude health, with total ad revenue hitting record highs (£1.4bn) in 2024.JCDecaux UK co-CEOs Chris Collins and Dallas Wiles joined host Jack Benjamin to discuss what is driving such strong growth in OOH investment and why JCDecaux is making 2025 its largest-ever year for screen deployment across the UK.The pair also talked about making OOH "as simple as possible" for advertisers to buy, innovations in measurement efforts and whether the retail media opportunity for OOH is overhyped.Highlights:5:06: Collins and Wiles' co-leadership strategy and changes at JCDecaux before, during and after the pandemic13:00: Reflecting on JCDecaux's strong UK growth and its year of investment18:59: How can OOH grow its share of the adspend pie?29:07: Why measurement is the "backbone" of JCDecaux's commercial strategy35:47: Are brands making the most of digital OOH with their creative?41:47: The opportunity for OOH in retail mediaRelated articles:JCDecaux to double London digital roadside footprintOOH hits record year in revenueWhy not advertise in a real town square?---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

This episode was produced in partnership with The Guardian.Last month, The Guardian promoted its chief advertising officer, Imogen Fox, to a new global role to drive commercial growth not only in the UK, but also in markets like the US and Australia, where the news outlet has seen a substantial influx of new readers."We're growing," Fox told senior reporter Jack Benjamin. "I'm not sure that message has translated yet to the advertising community and I think that's where there's a huge opportunity."In the US, she noted, The Guardian already has larger readership than The Washington Post, the Daily Mail and Bloomberg.In a special partner episode of The Media Leader Podcast, Fox joined Benjamin to discuss her new remit and reveal how The Guardian is innovating its ad offering to give advertisers new opportunities to access the title's "scale, influence and integrity".Fox also reflected on the importance of supporting journalism, the senselessness of keyword-blocklist practices and how The Guardian offers an effective media environment to drive business growth.She continued: "The Guardian is really needed in all of these regions. It's needed by readers, it's needed by democracy. In terms of what that means for advertisers, it means that there are lots of places where they can show up."Highlights00:49: Moving from editorial to commercial at The Guardian and Fox's priorities with her expanded remit6:34: The Guardian's commercial ethos: scale, influence and integrity12:13: How The Guardian is innovating its "fewer, better" ad experience and building new verticals22:30: The Guardian's progressive audience and what it means for brands25:05: Why premium publishers shouldn't be lumped in with all online advertisingRelated articlesGuardian moves into more subscription content with cooking appFrom skibidi to pebbling: Making sense of culture and why it matters‘Advertisers nowhere to be seen’ despite election traffic high, warns The GuardianScott Trust and Guardian Media Group approve Observer sale to TortoiseThe Guardian US appoints Sara Badler as new Chief Advertising Officer---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

Last week, digital advertising trade body IAB UK unveiled new research forecasting a matured digital market, a fast-growing video and retail media market, and strong potential for gaming.It also found, based on interviews with 40 industry leaders, that the marketing funnel as we have known it may well not survive a digital future in which more media channels become shoppable and generative AI proliferates, changing how consumers seek information about products and services.In a companion op-ed to the report, James Chandler, IAB UK's chief strategy officer, argued that not only is the future funnel-less, but that all media will soon become retail media.Chandler joined host Jack Benjamin to elaborate on his argument and discuss how advertisers should adjust their media strategies as the consumer journey gets truncated by shoppable advertising in AV formats."Immediacy is going to be the biggest thing," said Chandler. "With the advent of AI and the sophistication around digital, you can go from awareness all the way through to buying something and becoming a customer in the space of seconds."Highlights:1:11: Takeaways from the IAB's Futurescape research6:34: Should agencies move away from a channel-led approach to planning?11:33: The opportunity in shoppable formats17:32: How AI is changing consumption habits and what it means for advertisers24:31: Is there a new heuristic that can replace the funnel?Related articles:The future is funnel-less — adapt your ad strategies accordingly100 years of doing it wrong — and how to do it right‘Full funnel measurement must accelerate’ — media priorities for Arla Foods’ Rob Edwards4 principles to create an effective full-funnel measurement strategy---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

Last month, concerns around brand safety and the opaque nature of programmatic advertising flared up again following a report from adtech transparency startup Adalytics, which found that a huge number of big-name brands have been accidentally placing ads on a website that hosts a great deal of child sexual abuse material (also known as CSAM).How did this happen? Do brands actually care about brand safety? And, if they do, what steps can they take to make sure they’re supporting quality media?Emily Roberts is head of digital at the Responsible Marketing Advisory, an independent marketing consultancy. She is also co-founder of the Women in Programmatic Network and an inaugural member of The Media Leader’s Future 100 Club.Roberts joined host Jack Benjamin to unpack the Adalytics report and share tips on how brands can avoid supporting harmful content online.Highlights:6:17: Is programmatic advertising a sustainable model for publishers?8:40: Unpacking the Adalytics report and the flaws in current brand-safety practices19:26: What brands should do to avoid accidentally showing up against CSAM online23:40: Brand safety on social media platforms31:48: How the Women in Programmatic Network has reacted to DEI "sunsetting"Related articles:How can brands avoid advertising against CSAM?Time to replace brand-safety paranoia with a nuanced approachBrand safety in a Donald Trump-led worldAdvertising adjacent to quality news content is brand-safe regardless of topic---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

Next month, Global CEO Stephen Miron will officially step back from his role after 16 years at the helm of one of Britain's largest media enterprises.When Miron joined Global as CEO in 2008, it was a £200m business with only one national radio brand. In March, he’ll leave an almost £1bn business, with numerous national radio brands, a digital ad exchange, dedicated listening app and substantial OOH footprint.Miron will still be involved at Global as chairman, replacing former ITV and Granada CEO Lord Charles Allen, who himself will become a senior non-executive director. Former STV CEO Simon Pitts is succeeding Miron as Global’s CEO.In an interview with The Media Leader in October, Global’s chief commercial officer Mike Gordon said: “We’re very lucky because Stephen’s not leaving the business. We have Stephen and we have Simon – it’s great to have somebody join the business with the experience that Simon’s got. No-one has a monopoly on a great idea.”Miron sat down last autumn with The Media Leader columnist and former editor-in-chief Omar Oakes for a conversation at our Future of Media London event to reflect on his career and legacy.“You have to know when to exit stage left,” Miron said. “It’s been the most amazing journey for 16 years, but I also think the business needs different thinking in the next 15 years.”Highlights:3:13: Looking back on Global's beginnings and Miron's early career path13:54: Lessons from Associated Newspapers18:50: Working with Ashley Tabor-King to identify growth in radio and OOH31:02: Defining Global's unique culture and identifying and inspiring talentRelated articles:‘Disrupt yourself before someone disrupts you’: Stephen Miron on 16 years of GlobalGlobal commercial chief Mike Gordon: Radio has ‘grown up and adapted’STV’s Simon Pitts to succeed Stephen Miron as Global CEO‘A tough act to follow’: Industry reacts to Stephen Miron’s departure from Global---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 audience-targeting practices too simple in an era of big data? Advertisers and their agencies tend to use demographics to target people across media channels, but perhaps that model is outdated.Natalie Bell is CEO of MG OMD. The Omnicom media agency is coming out with new research on how community-based targeting might be a new model worth considering and she joined host Jack Benjamin to preview early findings.As a trustee of Nabs and member of Wacl, Bell also spoke to concerns around a rollback in DEI initiatives across the media industry, led by the US market.She discussed the ethical conundrums of striving for responsible marketing in what feels like a new era, where progress is at risk of being rolled back, and what leaders should be doing to fight for what’s right for their employees and their clients.Highlights:5:40: Why brands should reconsider targeting practices to focus on communities13:17: Learnings from working on the government account during the Covid-19 era18:50: Media agency brands aren't dead23:38: How agency leaders are reacting to a "sunsetting" of DEI and ESG initiativesRelated articles:ESG has become a key differentiator for the investment communityLet’s harness the power of community for mental wellnessPodcast: Why social media is all about community now – with Reddit’s Paul Peterman---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

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