Are marketers replacing agencies with AI?

This episode of The Campaign Podcast explores whether marketers are using AI to do work traditionally done by their agencies and examines what clients are – and aren’t – doing with AI.It comes as Campaign launches the Power 100, the list of the most powerful marketers in the UK. This year they were asked questions designed to tease out where they are on their AI journeys.Presented by deputy editor Gemma Charles, guests on the podcast were premium content editor Nicola Merrifield, acting commissioning editor Louise Ridley and Will Hanschell, the co-founder and chief executive of generative AI platform Pencil that was acquired by The Brandtech Group in 2023.Further reading:Power 100 2025: AI – giving marketers 'superpowers'Power 100 2025: the full listCampaign Power 100 2025 Hall of Fame revealedAn inside job: when and how Power 100 marketers are going in-house Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campaign published its Faces to Watch list for 2025 last month and also canvassed the cohort on a range of topics both on and off-the-record. From hybrid-working and salary through to the rise of AI and diversity, the Faces – all of whom have worked in adland for eight years or less – gave their views freely.This episode not only dissects their thoughts but also offers the perspectives of adland leaders on the lot of their junior staff. Hosted by Campaign’s deputy editor Gemma Charles, this episode features deputy media editor Shauna Lewis, acting commissioning editor Louise Ridley and reporter Ezster Gurbicz.Among other issues, they discuss why juniors may have missed out by not starting their careers in the office due to Covid, the younger generation’s embrace of AI and the demise of hierarchical structures from yesteryear.Faces to Watch 2025: the full listFaces to Watch 2025: the AI adopters with a focus on diversityFaces to Watch 2025: Proportion 'very worried' about financial situation doublesFaces to Watch 2025: proportion in-office at least three days a week rises to over 80%Faces to Watch 2025: Drop in people experiencing bullying or harassment at workFaces to Watch 2025: Almost half think increasing use of AI in adland is positiveWhat would be your advice for this year’s Faces to Watch? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neurodiversity exists in between 15 and 20% of UK adults, but recent All In data counts over half of adland’s UK workforce as neurodiverse, at 55%.This week is dyslexia awareness week, and to mark the occasion this episode looks into neurodiversity in adland, and how the industry supports people with different ways of thinking, both internally and in the ads it produces. Hosted by Campaign's tech and multimedia editor, this episode welcomes guest Wayne Deakin, former global executive creative director at Wolff Olins, as well as media editor Beau Jackson and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis from the Campaign.They discuss why advertising attracts people with different ways of thinking, how it impacts the work and the barriers and taboos that still exist making agency life challenging for those with neurodiversity.Further reading:‘More than just clothes’: Vanish builds on autism awareness workHow leaders can build a neurodiversity-friendly workplaceHow I got diagnosed with ADHD at age 38Great minds don’t think alike: How to tap the neurodivergent talent pool Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ndidi Oteh, the new global chief executive of Accenture Song, was interview on stage by Campaign's editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier at Campaign Live in her first UK interview.24 days into the new job, Oteh discussed navigating change and scale, plans to expand in media buying, and how the agency arm of consulting giant Accenture compares to the big holding companies. This episode features the full session from the event, with an introduction from Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley. Oteh divulged Song's acquisition strategy, focusing on talent and partnerships, and how the creative shop is actually changing the consultancy giant. Further reading:Four agency groups in race to win Jaguar Land Rover global marketing accountDentsu appoints bankers to seek buyers for international businessAccenture and WPP have discussed potential M&A dealWPP hires AKQA global CEO from AccentureAccenture Song dropped from TfL creative review for 'not meeting DEI criteria'Accenture Song appoints Ndidi Oteh as North America leadDavid Droga to step down as CEO of Accenture Song Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cars, airlines, FMCG brands and banks used to be some of the most desirables clients to have for an agency. Some clients are still more desirable to agencies than others, but is it based on size, market, sector or another factor? In this episode, Campaign's editorial team question if prestige sectors still exist and to what extent agencies actually choose their clients. Tech editor Lucy Shelley hosts the episode alongside premium content editor Nicola Merrifield, news editor Will Green and editor Maisie McCabe.Further reading:‘Old-fashioned and irrelevant’: how the dominance of retained accounts is on the turn‘Take the learning from the losses and the fun from the wins’ – how agencies deal with losing a lucrative client Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podcast: What will the next 70 years of commercial TV look like?This September, the UK celebrates 70 years of commercial TV since the launch of ITV on September 22 1955.A lot has changed since the very first TV ads. Not only are they now in full colour but the very definition of TV has evolved and keeps on changing with the addition of new formats and introduction of new digital competitors.In this episode, Campaign’s tech editor Lucy Shelley is joined by the Campaign editorial team to discuss how TV is adapting and defending its position in the media mix, how creativity has changed and what the next 70 years of TV will look like.She is joined by UK editor Maisie McCabe, deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings and media editor Beau Jackson.Watch some of the ads mentioned in this podcast below:Cadbury's Smash “Martians” Three “Pony”John Lewis “The long wait”John West “Bear”Guinness “Surfer”Cadbury's “Gorilla”Marmite “End Marmite neglect”Sony Bravia “Bouncy balls”Lloyds TSB “The journey to London 2012” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Media platforms, including Meta, TikTok, X, Spotify, Pinterest and others, have been advancing their own AI capabilities to improve the advertising process of creating and serving ads to an audience. So where does this leave media and creative agencies?Meta, has gone so far as to call itself a “one stop shop” for advertisers, by reportedly aiming to fully automate advertising, including the creation and targeting of ads, by the end of the year. After this was reported, Meta’s stock price went up, while Publicis, Omnicom, IPG and WPP’s all took a dip. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said: “Over the long term, advertisers will basically just be able to tell us a business objective and a budget, and we’re going to go do the rest for them.”In this episode, the Campaign editorial team discusses how much of a threat media platform’s advancement of AI poses and how agencies are adapting to not lose their role in the advertising process.Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, the episode features deputy media editor Shauna Lewis and editor Maisie McCabe.Further reading:You can’t just tell an AI to create ads like a CCOWhy is principal-based media buying so controversial?Buckle up for the ride as agency world will look significantly different in two yearsUK TV commercial chiefs on 'radical collaboration' and ‘bullishness’ in the face of LHFSir Martin Sorrell: Tech platforms are encroaching on clients of large agenciesWill media buyers be the first victims of AI?Media buying among 'first areas to go' with rise of AI, says MediaMonks co-founderGoogle’s EMEA president urges adland: ‘Don’t wait for magic AI moment – it’s here’Microsoft AI CEO: Bigger organisations are ‘starting to feel the pressure’ from AI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Omnicom and IPG have kept their cards close to their chests while nearing completion of the biggest acquisition in advertising history. Set to close in the second half of this year, the merger-acquisition has now secured 15 out of the 18 regulatory approvals required, including recently with UK watchdog the CMA, in early August. Under the terms of the all-share deal, Omnicom said at the start of August it was set to pay only $9bn for IPG, down from $13.3bn when the takeover was first agreed on 9 December, as the stock prices of both companies have fallen. But the actual price will only be decided once the deal is finalised.In this episode, the Campaign team discuss what’s next for Omnicom’s takeover of IPG, how it fares against its holding company peers and the priorities for the current chief executives John Wren and Philippe Krakowsky, plus what it means for the agencies and people within the soon-to-be biggest holding company in advertising. This discussion follows on from a previous episode which asked: Will the Omnicom-IPG merger really happen?Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, this episode features Campaign’s editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, editor Maisie McCabe and media editor Beau Jackson.Further reading:Omnicom and IPG’s leaders could learn from WPP’s 2025IPG cuts 2400 jobs in first half of 2025 ahead of Omnicom takeoverIPG profits drop as UK growth falls 9.7%Omnicom’s Duncan Painter to lead data reorganisation ahead of IPG takeoverJames Temperley leaves IPG as part of restructureAndrea Suarez becomes latest media agency chief to leave IPG MediabrandsJohn Wren on his vision for a bigger, better OmnicomIPG downgrades UK ad market growth to 6.4% in 2025Troy Ruhanen: 'I wouldn't have taken OAG job if it was all about efficiency and smashing things'Omnicom and IPG chiefs visit UK to sell merger to staff and pitch consultants Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campaign releases an unpublished recording from the inaugural Campaign Live conference last year. Unilever's former chief marketing officer Keith Weed and chief financial officer Graeme Pitkethly are interviewed on stage by Campaign’s editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier. They discuss how to keep the peace in the infamously tense CMO and CFO relationship that they said requires "mutual respect" from both sides. Weed says: "If you can create a good atmosphere between the CFO and the CMO, it creates a good atmosphere in the company."Coming up in the campaign calendar:Campaign LiveThe In-House Agency Awards Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is the summer of women’s sport, or ‘simply sport’ as Campaign's deputy editor Gemma Charles put it, and records are being broken both on and off the pitch.The Women’s Euro’s, which was viewed by 16.2 million people during the final, has been touted as the most commercially successful football tournament ever — women’s or men’s — with 30,000 more ads per day than last year’s men’s tournament. The women’s rugby world cup takes place this month and has targeted viewing hours of 50 million versus just under 18 million in 2021, but the board expect it to be nearer 100 million.In this episode, the Campaign team is joined by Laura Weston, co-founder of sports consultancy See You At Jeanies and a member of the board of trustees for Liverpool FC. Alongside Campaign's deputy editor Gemma Charles and Campaign Red's data journalist Jamie Rossouw, they discuss what’s next for women’s sport and its sponsorships, the gaps that still exist and ask if this is the moment that brands finally get on board.This episode is hosted by Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley.Further reading:Women’s sport is the greatest growth opportunity for the sports industry.Roundup: How brands are celebrating England’s Euros winHow soon before brands build their own women’s football teams?Women’s Euro 2025 round-up: Watch the adsTesco “Receipts” by BBH LondonSports Direct Women's Euros ad enlists stars for park football matchBBC creates stop-motion ad for Uefa Women’s Euro 2025BBC "Names will be made" by BBC CreativeITV's Uefa Women’s Euros film travels through history of women’s footballMaking sports ads interesting again Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.