Why brands need less channel planning and more ecosystem design — with Arena Media's Hamid Habib

Why brands need less channel planning and more ecosystem design — with Arena Media's Hamid Habib

From The Media Leader Podcast by The Media Leader

June 15, 2026 · 59 min · Season 5 · Episode 97

About this episode

Hamid Habib discusses the shift from channel planning to ecosystem design in marketing.

Last week on the show, The Media Leader spoke with Thinkbox’s Elliott Millard about how brands can reconsider their cultural impact, and this week, we wanted to continue that conversation with an agency that bills itself as sitting right at the centre of culture. Hamid Habib is the managing director of Arena Media within Havas Village. Habib and Arena Media pride themselves on working on inventive campaigns that embed brands within culture and communities. Habib discusses what it means to work for a “cultural media agency”, how he has moved his clients away from channel planning and toward ecosystem design, and the overarching cultural changes he thinks every brand should be aware of. He and host Jack Benjamin also talk about why brands are underinvesting in gaming, and how AI is changing the role agencies play for their clients. Highlights: 4:55: Arena Media's unique client proposition and why brands "grow when they move with culture". 11:24: Less channel planning, more ecosystem design: Why the brand and performance dichotomy is not fit-for-purpose. 18:00: Important cultural shifts this year: Bifurcation of media behaviours across generations, AI changing customer journeys…

People in this episode

Host: Jack Benjamin

Guest: Hamid Habib

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Arena Media, Havas Village, Thinkbox

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