The Media Leader Podcast

One question that we’ve returned to time and again on this podcast and in our coverage, as media practitioners return to time and again themselves, is how to appeal to young people. Young people who are often hard to reach. They overindex on low-attention social media platforms and, while they generally express a greater openness to and trust of advertising, also worry over how their media diets are shaping their still-forming brains. One company that has made it its business to reach this exact demographic is LadBible. Founded in 2012 as one of the first scaled social publishing businesses, Ladbible operates channels including Unilad, Gamingbible, Sportbible, Tyla, and, more recently BetchesMedia, which it acquired last year. Apart from producing editorial content for young people, the company drives revenue through working with brands to develop creative for commercial campaigns. LA Ronayne is the executive creative director at LadBible. As other more traditional publishers have increasingly invested in a social publishing arms race, Ronayne sat down with host Jack Benjamin to discuss her team's workflow, what sets social campaigns apart, and best practices for speaking to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Highlights: 4:11: The creative process for branded social content: from brief to output 9:02: Working with different social platforms: tracking algorithm changes, stopping thumbs 15:16: Latching onto short-term trends versus long-term culture 20:00: Trust and measuring success 23:06: Where LadBible sees itself in a crowded social publishing market 26:57: What does Gen Z want? Related articles: ‘Misaligned expectations’ between brands and influencers hamper creator economy Over two-fifths of influencer ads fail to meet ASA disclosure standards ‘Social as a destination itself’: Inside Mail Metro Media’s two new social publishers Journalism and creator economy ‘converge’ at The Independent Can brands become influencers? With Jungle Creations’ Melissa Chapman

In a new mini-series, former Media Leader editor-in-chief Omar Oakes is joined by former Dentsu International CEO, now AI strategist Hamish Nicklin to argue over the nuances of AI development and its use in the creative industries. In the first episode, the duo debate for and against the prompt: "AI will replace most white collar jobs, and faster than anyone thinks." Taking the "for" side of the argument is Nicklin, while Oakes represents the "against" side, posing sceptical questions. The topic comes as ex-Twitter founder, now Block CEO Jack Dorsey recently stated: "The core thesis is simple: intelligence tools have changed what it means to build and run a company. We're already seeing it internally. A significantly smaller team, using the tools we're building, can do more and do it better, and intelligence tool capabilities are compounding faster every week." He added: "Within the next year, I believe the majority of companies will reach the same conclusion and make similar structural changes." Likely? Or just hype? Highlights: 1:13: Recent developments in AI use: Gaming, data centre scaling, the Grammarly scandal 5:30: Jack Dorsey claims AI will replace entry-level white collar work. Nicklin shares why he might be right. 18:46: The 'coordination tax': Is AI replacing unproductive work, or valuable process? 31:33: The pipeline problem: How does junior talent turn into senior talent? 36:44: Agency business models need to change 38:37: Is AI a cover story for cutting head count? 40:57: Verdicts

Most AI podcasts tell you one of two things: either AI is going to save the world, unlock human potential, cure diseases, fix the broken bits of capitalism — or that it's going to end the world, homogenise culture, hand power to a handful of companies that have too much of it. In a new mini-series, former Media Leader editor-in-chief Omar Oakes is joined by former Dentsu International CEO, now AI strategist Hamish Nicklin. The duo thinks both those takes are lazy, and is keen to argue over the nuances of AI development and its use in the media and advertising industries. Over the next few weeks, Oakes and Nicklin will discuss topics such as weather AI is really to blame for job cuts, whether AI will replaces human media planners, and whether AI will lead to a decline in creative talent. Episodes of the show will release on Thursdays. In this pilot episode, Oakes and Nicklin lay out the ground rules for their debates to come.

This episode was produced in partnership with The Guardian. The World Cup is poised to be the biggest media event of the year in 2026, and media owners have been betting that it will help lift their pocketbooks and grow audiences. Live sport has become one of the last, best ways for advertisers to reach mass, live audiences centred around a major cultural event, be it on TV, online, on social or in the news. The Media Leader has spoken with a number of media outlets that view the World Cup as key to their success this year. For The Guardian, the event is not only a major commercial and editorial opportunity, but it is an aptly timed one amid a significant push for US growth. James Fleetham is the director of advertising at The Guardian and Marcus Christenson The Guardian’s football special projects editor. For this special partner episode, the pair unpacked the major threads of this year’s World Cup, both as a commercial opportunity and an editorial one. Highlights: 4:35: What makes the World Cup a unique editorial and commercial opportunity. 9:07: The big stories of this year's World Cup and what makes The Guardian unique from its competitors in sport coverage. 16:37: Expanding US coverage and leaning into multimedia opportunities amid changing engagement habits. 22:35: Will US foreign policy impact this year's World Cup coverage and brand interest? 27:03: How The Guardian sells global cultural events: "Be early, be easy, be different." 31:06: Approaching new football audiences and continuing interest after the event is over. Related articles: The Guardian promotes its creative canvas amid US investment drive Planning for a world cup when football never sleeps Leading Questions with Imogen Fox – The Guardian Get your head in the game: Why the World Cup 2026 will determine marketing’s MVPs Should advertisers be creating World Cup contingency plans?

Last year, UM unveiled a new global omnichannel media planning proposition: Full Colour Media. The approach, underpinned by a custom body of research developed in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, seeks to move against the grain of generic, algorithm-driven media planning and towards a recentring of brand-driven advertising. Since the debut of the proposition, UM has gone through a period of continued change as its parent, Interpublic Group, was acquired by Omnicom Group at the end of last year. Susan Kingston-Brown is the global brand president for UM Worldwide. She joined The Media Leader from the agency's new London offices at Bankside to discuss how Full Colour Media has developed over the past year, whether distinctive agency brands are still valuable at a time when some holding groups are consolidating their efforts, and how she has managed the transition to Omnicom with her team at UM. Highlights: 5:26: What is Full Colour Media? Why UM embraced a new planning proposition. 15:10: Is there a conflict between AI and Full Colour Media? 20:20: The value of agency brands amid market consolidation. 26:29: How UM has managed the transition into Omnicom 35:00: Agency holding group valuations have declined. What's the argument against that investment thesis? Related articles: UM unveils ‘Full Colour Media’ proposition to fight brand blandness UM global brand president: ‘The agency world will look different in a year’s time’ Will one and one equal ‘more than two’? Omnicom to complete purchase of IPG imminently