The Media Leader UK

The crowd was buzzing at Adwanted Events Future of Brands today! Managed to dip in for some excellent sessions on creativity before watching Advertising Association President and Allwyn CEO Andria Vidler have her 'Fireside chat' with Media Leader's James Longhurst; "Trust me, I'm in advertising." It was a great moment to help mark the Ad Association's Centenary year. I may be biased but I thought it was a very interesting and wide-ranging chat, covering everything from why the Cadbury's 'Gorilla' ad still wins awards almost 20 years later, to the importance of not bombarding the audience (even if you do have the best ad ever). Key takeaways from Andria for marketers and advertisers looking to ensure their brand survives into the next century? Write brilliant briefs, stick to your brand truth and don't over-promise, accept that change always happens and learn how to be relevant to that change. Stephen Woodford Sam Tidmarsh Matt Bourn Sharon Lloyd Barnes Shelley Morrell

It's been a busy morning at The Future of Brands as we have heard from brand and agency leaders on what’s possible when human creativity and technologies converge. Make sure you are following the news and announcements on our live blog and stay tuned for our wrap coming next week. https://lnkd.in/e5Nqvacm #FoBrands

The Media Leader has been named official partner of the Advertising Association’s Media Business Course (MBC), a long-running industry programme focused on developing early-career talent across the media sector. The 2026 programme will be co-chaired by Jenny Biggam, founder of the7stars, and Rak Patel, chief commercial officer at Channel 4, and will take place in Eastbourne from 7–10 July. Now in its sixth decade, MBC brings together delegates from across agencies, media owners, tech, and brands to work in teams on a live client brief from advertisers such as Mars, Aldi UK, Burger King and easyJet. Participants develop a full media strategy before presenting to a panel of industry judges. As part of the partnership, The Media Leader will support the programme through editorial coverage and industry engagement, helping to raise awareness of its role in developing future media leaders. Read more here: https://shorturl.at/wsAz8

Conversations around social media and its impact aren’t going away, if anything, they’re becoming more nuanced. Following a recent trial in Los Angeles, where a jury found that platforms developed by Meta and Google were designed in ways described as “addictive” and linked to harm, the wider discussion continues to evolve. In a new Media Leader podcast, Jack Benjamin speaks with Jessica Butcher MBE of ScrollAware, an organisation focused on convening business leaders to raise awareness of and responses to online harm. The conversation explores perspectives on responsibility, platform design, and how the industry may respond. Listen to the full podcast: https://shorturl.at/kqfSm

It looks like Out-of-home isn’t standing still and neither are the ways audiences interact with it. This piece explores Ocean Outdoor UK’s move into immersive advertising, where digital environments and physical spaces begin to merge in new ways. It’s part of a broader shift toward formats designed to capture attention through experience, not just placement. As these approaches develop, the article points to bigger considerations across the industry - from how engagement is measured to what effectiveness really looks like in more experiential formats. An interesting piece of where OOH could be heading: https://shorturl.at/z7UiA

Our top stories from The Media Leader over the past week reflect a familiar but increasingly urgent set of industry tensions. Fragmented, platform-led measurement continues to challenge comparability and decision-making. At the same time, there is growing debate over whether the industry’s long-standing effectiveness narrative still matches the questions clients are actually asking. Alongside this, holding groups are rapidly evolving their positioning around proprietary AI platforms built on audience and campaign data, signalling a broader shift in how media and marketing services are being structured. As capability expands, the challenge of clarity, trust, and interpretation becomes more central. Explore the full stories: https://lnkd.in/e_uES9T7 Jack Benjamin James Longhurst Omar Oakes Nick Manning

We put our Leading Questions to Jo Allan, CEO of Newsworks... On adaptability: "I get frustrated when I hear 'but we have always done it this way.' We can't afford to stand still." On collaboration: she's a firm believer that the organisations that work together more will thrive more. On failure: self-awareness is everything. Know what you don't know, ask the "daft" questions, and recognise when others can add more than you can. And her advice for aspiring media leaders? Do the best work you can, stay humble, and make time for young, new and returning talent. Oh, and her leadership inspiration? Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada, because you can learn just as much from leaders you don't want to be like as from those you do. Read the full interview via the link below. https://lnkd.in/eXW3h5cv