What’s wrong with being a holding company?

The advertising and media industry is going through a period of massive change, as a result of AI, economic and global pressures, organisational restructures and redundancies. In the latest market report from Campaign Red called “The Great Reboot”, we reported that the top holding companies cut 12,000 people from their businesses.As the industry is contracting, how are the people within it, its leaders and those seeking employment obtaining mentorship to push themselves and the industry forward?So far this year, we have seen the launch of mentorships schemes from The Marketing Skills Trust, Ogilvy UK and Rapp UK, an expansion of Lollipop mentoring’s existing programme and launch of Zoo.London’s career community.In this episode, Campaign's editorial team discusses why mentoring is so important in periods of rapid change, if adland puts enough value on the power of mentoring, and what happens if it’s neglected altogether. Fiona Cameron joins the episode as vice president of women’s professional support programme Bloom, and former learning and development partner at Group M, now called WPP Media. From Campaign, the episode features deputy editor Gemma Charles, deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings, and hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.Further reading:Campaign Inspiring Women Awards winners 2026: Mentor of the YearWhat does it take to be an ad agency chief executive? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adland’s agency networks have been forced to think differently, after a challenging year for holding companies with economic instability, a mega-merger and AI disruption.Publicis began calling itself a “platform organisation” years ago, while Omnicom restructured to become a “premier marketing and sales company” after the acquisition of IPG last year. In February, WPP’s chief executive Cindy Rose said: “We don’t want to be a holding company any more”, but a “single operating company” instead.Campaign Red released a market report called "The big reboot", looking into the top network's 2025 FY results and what the post-holding company era looks like for the industry.In this episode, Campaign's editorial team is discussing why the largest agency groups are moving away from the holding company label, and what this "reboot" means. Editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, media editor Beau Jackson and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis join the episode hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.Further reading:Arthur Sadoun on why “pressure” from investors doesn’t matter, Publicis' “resilience” and the competitionPublicis grows 4.5% in Q1 as Arthur Sadoun pans “squeeze to please Wall Street”Q1 expected to be “worst quarter” for WPP’s new business in 2026WPP reports 6.7% revenue decline in Q1 2026Omnicom revenue grew 3.9% in Q1 after IPG acquisitionChapter 1: RevenueChapter 2: HeadcountChapter 3: M&AChapter 4: Share priceChapter 5: New businessChapter 6: Creative awardsAA/Warc: adspend forecast for 2026 drops amid methodology shake-up“The fragmentation of media is clear”: adland reacts to AA/Warc Expenditure ReportAA/Warc: adspend to break records and smash £50bn ceiling in 2026 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Media has seen a string of deals in the last year, poised to consolidate key areas of the market. Paramount Skydance seeks to complete its $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros., and in the UK, Sky ponders its bid to acquire the broadcast and ad sales division of ITV. In publishing, after several other attempts fell through, European media group Axel Springer, which owns Business Insider and Politico, has agreed to buy the Telegraph Media Group for the sum of £575m.So, pending various approvals, what would such deals mean for the media landscape and its advertisers?Campaign's editorial team gather in the studio to discuss why media owners are consolidating, the impact on media buyers and what it means for competition. Hosted by media editor Beau Jackson, this episode includes Campaign’s UK editor Maisie McCabe, editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis.Further readingWill Sky’s proposed takeover of ITV be good for advertisers?ITV confirms talks with Sky about £1.6bn sale of M&E unitParamount Advertising takes sole control of UK sponsorship deals Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Publicis Groupe acquired sports marketing and entertainment agency 160over90 this month, in a move it claims will “disrupt” the sector.In this episode, the Campaign team discusses why Publicis has made this "big bet" now, whether the sector needs disrupting and how influencers are changing the game. The team discusses why some say "the gap between brands and consumers is widening" and how athletes are becoming their own "self-contained media platforms, because their performance in the game is so intrinsic to their personas".Hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley, this episode includes deputy creativity and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings, creativity and culture editor Shauna Lewis and deputy news editor Marianne Calnan-Holland.Further reading:What does the fan experience of the Fifa World Cup look like from the UK?Coca-Cola World Cup spot explores emotional journey of footballWhy is gaming not a media channel?Beyond borders: why countries don’t define modern fandomFifa 2026’s longer tournament window presents a golden opportunity for fan activationsBurnley FC and X unveil social documentary on women’s teamBurnley FC and X partner with Sure For Men for UK’s first X Original series Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year WPP, Apple and Amazon increased their in-office days, with the latter two tech companies mandating five days in office. In February this year, adland’s best-performing holding company Publicis Groupe increased its mandated staff attendance from three days to four.In the age of AI and efficiency, this episode of The Campaign Podcast is asking if being in the office more does actually increase productivity, if its possible to measure productivity and if adland will soon be in the office for more days a week. Hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley, this episode includes deputy editor Gemma Charles, deputy media editor Shauna Lewis and deputy creative and culture editor Charlotte Rawlings.Further reading:Should adland follow Publicis and WPP’s four-day office mandate?This is adland: 2025Updated: latest hybrid working policies at “new big six”Why do more office days no longer boost staff’s sense of belonging?Hybrid working in adland: who struggles most with stricter in-office policies?Hybrid working Credos report: Less than half of adland happy with home/office splitMark Read: 'People are happier when they’re in the office'Is a four-day working week viable for adland? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In March, Meta and Google were found liable for designing addictive platforms that harmed a young user's mental health, a verdict both platforms disagree with and plan to appeal. Channel 4 also released its documentary called Molly vs The Machines about a 14 year old girl who took her own life after seeing harmful content online. Plus, the UK Government began a consultation for a potential ban for under 16s to improve digital safety, following Australia's ban in December, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying we “have to act”.Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms rely on advertising to make money. So whether a government ban or strict regulation of the platforms is the solution, this episode questions how much responsibility should the brands funding these platforms have.Jake Dubbins, managing director at Media Bounty and co-chair of Conscious Advertising Network, joins the episode alongside Campaign's UK editor Maisie McCabe and editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier. This episode is hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.Further reading:Ian Russell challenges Instagram boss to “chat” at Cannes LionsMolly vs the Machines showed us that advertising choices aren't neutralCan we talk about whether fraudulent ads are the tech platforms' biggest problem?Ofcom research finds rise in concern over online risks versus benefits Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In-house agencies have been growing over the last few years, as brands have been taking more work in-house and building bespoke teams. In the last few weeks, Allwyn launched an in-house studio, ITV shifted its retained creative account from Uncommon to ITV Creative and Uncommon’s executive creative director Richard Biggs jumped to BBC Creative. Campaign Red analysed this trend and last month produced an in-depth global report, The Inside Job, looking into what disciplines brands are in-housing, why they are luring agency talent and how they are collaborating with external agencies. In this episode, Niki Garner, director of ITV Creative, joins The Campaign Podcast to discuss the in-housing evolution, why she hires from agencies and how in-house teams can provide the most value. Garner was also named In-house Agency Leader at Campaign’s In-House agency awards last year.Joining from the Campaign team is data journalist Jamie Rossouw, co-author of The Inside Job, and premium content editor Nicola Merrifield. This episode is hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.Further reading:How to build a successful in-house agencyAllwyn's media director: in-house shop Studio 59 aiming for “newsroom mentality”BBC Creative appoints Natalie Lau as head of planningITV Creative lead dismisses past 'snobbery' aimed at in-house agenciesITV promotes I’m a Celebrity… South Africa with hand-drawn animation“The darker side of water”: behind the scenes of Channel 4’s “The fountain of filth”Lego ad calls 'play' with array of characters performed by Tom HollandSpecsavers highlights audiology services by 'rebranding'Over four in 10 in-house agencies want to be brand’s lead agency, IHALC research findsITV, Reckitt and Pepsi in-house leaders to speak at Campaign's In-Housing SummitThe Lists 2025: Top five in-house creativesCampaign In-House Agency Awards 2025: winners revealed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a break from the usual listen, we're bringing you the first three episodes of The Karman Line, a new podcast about the UK space industry from Haymarket Media Group, the owner of Campaign. This burgeoning sector is keen to communicate the extraordinary things it is doing to wider, complementary audiences.How do we solve population pressure and climate crisis in space? How has GPS allowed us to provide 12% more food globally? How did the UK become a global leader in small satellite manufacture after the British Government said, “there’s no future for the UK satellite industry”? How did Elon Musk turn reusable rockets from science fiction to science fact in less than 20 years? What else are “Elon and Jeff” going to allow us to do? And why is SpaceX still “the elephant in the room”? Join Alice as she talks to Will Whitehorn, chair of giant space tech investor Seraphim and former president of Virgin Galactic, and they discuss the implications of “The Elon Musk show” and its legacy, “the beginnings of a competitive space industry of scale”. Contributors:Alice Bunn, President of UKspace Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedInUKspace: Overview | LinkedIn Will Whitehorn OBE, Seraphim Space Investment TrustWill Whitehorn OBE | LinkedInKey topics covered:UK satellite manufactureUK universitiesSpaceX valuationReuseable rocketsAgricultural managementPopulation pressureClimate crisisSolar powerData centres in spaceIndustrialising in space Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campaign's annual School Reports scrutinise and assess 80 UK agencies from across the industry, giving them each a score between 1 and 9.Released last week, agencies across creative, media, social, digital, CRM and experiences are evaluated based on their individual history. The top mark of 9 is awarded to an agency that has had an outstanding year; 8 for an excellent year; 7 for a good one; 6 is satisfactory; 5 is adequate; 4 stands for below average; 3 is poor; 2, a year to forget and 1 warns that the shop's survival is in question. For the last two years, no 9s were given, but this year, there were four awarded. In this episode, Campaign's journalists discuss what the data revealed about individual agency health, how agencies fared in this year’s reports against difficult conditions and what goes into achieving a top score of 9. Premium content editor Nicola Merrifield, editor Maisie McCabe and media editor Beau Jackson join the episode hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley. Further reading:School Reports 2026: Top holding companiesSchool Reports 2026 tables: Top 100 creative agenciesSchool Reports 2026 tables: Top 50 media agenciesSchool Reports 2026: Top regional agenciesSchool Reports 2026: Agency billings growth slows down amid industry challengesSchool Reports 2026: The end of “performative window dressing” for diversitySchool Reports 2026: Which agencies got the highest marks?What is Group M?Do holding company solutions undermine agency brands?WPP launches new Elevate28 strategy with four core divisions and £500m savings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gaming has firmly entered the mainstream, with more than three billion players worldwide and engagement levels that now rival – and often exceed – social platforms. What was once seen as a niche channel is now a dominant cultural force, commanding time, attention and participation at scale.These shifts, and what they mean for brands, were explored in depth at Campaign’s recent gaming summit, held in London.In this sponsored episode of The Campaign Podcast, Dentsu’s global head of gaming, Brent Koning, builds on that conversation and goes further. He delves into gaming’s role as an immersive social space, and why it remains one of the most underutilised channels in the marketing mix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.