The Media Leader Podcast

Last week, WPP Media released its mid-year global advertising forecast report. As Kate Scott-Dawkins, WPP Media’s global president of business intelligence and author of the report said, the growth picture for advertising is "quite buoyant", even in the midst of severe geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty.As the global advertising community descends upon sunny Cannes this week, including us at The Media Leader, deals will be cut, rose will be drunk, parties will be had. But ahead of the pomp and circumstance, The Media Leader wanted to take a close look at where the industry stands after a deeply unstable H1.Host Jack Benjamin caught up with Scott-Dawkins last week to unpack the strong growth picture despite that instability, and look ahead to the end of the year and beyond. The duo discussed the rise of China, the decline traditional ad sellsers, and why AI is driving substantial growth in the ad industry.Highlights:1:39: Unstable global business market, buoyant global ad market6:01: AI's 'Manifest Destiny' and 'Gold Rush' moment9:31: Is platform-driven media consolidation good for advertisers? How big is too big?12:58: Impact of social media ban and potential tech regulation16:13: What happens if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed?19:32: How AI is impacting the labour market, and what it means for consumer spending24:58: The rise of China and the bifurcation of marketing stacksRelated articles:WPP Media upgrades growth forecast despite macro headwindsStrait of Hormuz disruption threatens $94bn of global ad investment over next 18 months

In February, the Institute for Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) released its latest Agency Census. The findings showed an agency market in contraction: employment at creative agencies fell 14.3% last year – and that’s before Omnicom completed its acquisition of IPG and subsequently announced it would cut thousands more jobs globally.New hiring dropped over 40%, with young people especially finding careers in media and advertising hard to break into, let alone remain in.However, the Census also registered continued progress in gender representation and ethnic diversity at agencies, even if pay gaps persist and geographical diversity is lacking.Lianree Robinson is the campaigning chair for Women in Advertising & Communications Leadership (WACL). She also works as the CEO of The Marketing Academy Foundation and as a mentor for Who’s Your Momma London.If that wasn’t enough to keep Robinson busy, she’s also begun writing a monthly column for us at The Media Leader.Robinson joins host Jack Benjamin to discuss the findings of the IPA Agency Census, and provide a sense check of the progress the media and advertising industries have made with regard to gender and ethnicity inclusion.Highlights:5:38: IPA Agency Census toplines7:16: What has caused the creative agency labour market contraction?10:20: Challenges faced by under-25s employees19:24: Progress, but "relatively slow progress", on gender representation and ethnic diversity24:43: Persistent gender and ethnic pay gaps27:59: WACL's key priorities31:33: Geographical diversity neededRelated articles:Agency employment declines 6.8% as creative roles hollowed outWhy do female-founded agencies remain the exception?I didn’t take the ‘traditional’ route into media. That’s exactly why it workedAsk Nabs Anything: Handling redundancy, rejection and mental health — with Nabs’ Annabel McCaffrey---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

Late last month, a group of six magazine publishers – Bauer, Future, Hearst UK, Hello!, Immediate and Time Out – launched Atria, a single marketplace through which advertisers can engage with the combined reach of those publishers’ brands, equivalent to about 33m consumers.The effort is powered by publisher-owned first-party data. It is hosted by audience platform Permutive.Cath Waller is the managing director of advertising at Immediate Media. She is also the chair of PPA Magnetic, part of the Professional Publishers Association, the trade body for publishers.A leading voice behind the Atria effort, Waller sat down with host Jack Benjamin to discuss the marketplace's launch and where it might be headed next.The pair also discussed the current state of magazine publishing, and the headwinds and tailwinds facing Immediate.Highlights:2:43: The launch of Atria: how it works and how it came together10:12: "The industry is where it is": Magazine media is disinvested and publishers are under pressure15:25: The value of trusted editorial and a cleaner supply chain20:41: Future-facing goals26:59: How to handle AI? Embracing innovation as AI search reduces trafficRelated articles:Why quality pays: the power of trusted editorial in media planning – PPA Magnetic and The Media LeaderCMOs on what makes publisher partnerships work: ‘Great partners push back’PPA asks CMA to require greater transparency of Google’s AI search featuresThe Fishbowl: Cath Waller, Immediate 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