100% Media round-up: 7- 11 February
Introducing today’s round-up of stories from around the media world, updated by the Mediatel News team, to ensure you’re 100% up-to-date.
Friday, 11 February
ITV relaunches healthy eating campaign worth £3m
ITV and Veg Power scheme have relaunched Eat Them To Defeat them campaign to help one million children receive activity packs and inspire healthy eating.
The TV campaign airs on 12 February during The Masked Singer finale aiming to reach 70% of households with primary school-aged children and will be complemented afterwards with a schools programme to encourage children to eat more vegetables.
The £3m campaign is funded by eight major food retailers and brands, Aldi, ASDA, Co-op, Dole, Lidl, Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose.
This also forms part of a joint initiative from ITV, Channel 4 and Sky’s £10m pledge to promote healthier lifestyles for children.
ITV’s media agency Essence planned accompanying off-air media with pro-bono contributions from Acast, Spotify, Mail Online, Yahoo, LadBible, Mail Metro Media, Ocean Outdoor, Clear Channel, JCDecaux and others.
Creative was also done pro-bono by adam&eveDDB.
European Publishers Council files antitrust complaint against Google
The European Publishers Council has filed an antitrust complaint against Google with the European Commission.
The aim is to “break the ad tech stranglehold Google currently has over press publishers, and all other businesses in the ad tech ecosystem”.
The complaint asks the European Commission to “hold Google accountable for its anticompetitive conduct and impose remedies to restore conditions of effective competition in the ad tech value chain”.
NOW READ:
Expect Google and Facebook to tell very different stories this week
Snap shows Hidden Black Stories with AR in Trafalgar Square
Snap has launched an augmented reality experience in Trafalgar Square to reveal hidden stories of Black British and Black people in the UK with Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter Tukwini Mandela (pictured, below).
Black Cultural Archives and Research Without Borders found only 32% of Brits could recognise famous historical black figures.
Via Snap’s local lens technology, people will be able to see the history behind four Black British artists projected on to the National Gallery, a boxing ring to represent Bill Richmond and Tom Molineaux, a black sailor said to be George Ryan on Nelson’s Column and a statue of Nelson Mandela near the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square (pictured, below).
The specific location and stories were selected by a panel with contributors from Slavery Remembrance, Black History Walks, Nubian Jak Trust, Mary Seacole Trust and 100 Great Black Britons and it was timed to coincide with Nelson Mandela’s release from Robben Island 32 years ago.
M&S hands out 20,000 roses with Metro copies
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Marks & Spencer has partnered with Metro to promote its range of Valentine’s Day flowers.
Today 20,000 roses were handed out alongside copies of the freesheet at stations including: London Victoria, Liverpool Street, Waterloo, Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly.
M&S is also sponsoring Metro’s very own Cupid service, ‘Rush Hour Crush’ – which aims to connect love-struck commuters by enabling them to identify each other from the fleeting moments their paths crossed.
YouTube launches NFTs in creator tools
YouTube’s chief product officer announced plans yesterday to integrate non-fungible tokens into creator tools so they can sell content so fans can “own” videos.
In a blog post, chief product officer Neal Mohan also announced YouTube Shorts fund, more tools to enable collaborative livestreaming, setting channel guidelines, sorting comments and insights via YouTube studio.
These web3 and NFT developments were previously hinted at by CEO Susan Wojcicki in an open letter at the end of January.
IPG grows 12% in fourth quarter
Interpublic Group’s latest earnings results showed Q4 2021 organic net revenue growth was 11.7% year-on-year to $2.55bn.
This broke down into organic net revenue growth of 12.1% in the U.S. and 11% in international markets.
For the full year 2021, organic net revenue growth was 11.9% and reported net income was $952.8m.
Looking ahead to 2022, CEO Philippe Krakowsky anticipated “another year of strong growth” and said the group will be targeting full-year organic growth of 5% in 2022
Thursday, 10 February
Publicis Groupe agency Starcom adds to leadership team
Starcom has promoted Sophie Barr and Danny Weitzkorn to managing partners.
Barr (pictured, above left) was business director of the Samsung account for three years and previously held roles at OMD, M2M and Walker Media.
She will now be responsible for a team of 80 and report into Jane Holding, managing director for OPTS.
Weitzkorn (picture, above right) was also a business director and worked on P&O Ferries, DP World, Karcher and NS&I accounts.
Prior to Starcom, he had positions at Publicis Media, Wavemaker, Ball Street Network and Kameleon.
He will be in charge of a team of 15 and report into Richard Friar, Starcom MD.
Twitter announces $4bn share repurchase programme
Twitter announced its Q4 and full year 2021 results and an accelerated share repurchase programme today.
Revenue for Q4 2021 increased 22% year-on-year to $1.57 bn with ad revenue at $1.41bn.
Daily active users grew by 13% to 217 million in the same time.
The quarterly report found total ad engagements decreased 12% and cost per engagement increased 39% compared to the same time last year.
Annual revenue was up 37% at $5.08bn and the company also announced it had authorised a $4bn share repurchase programme with $2bn to be accelerated share repurchase.
This report is the first under new CEO Parag Agrawal after Jack Dorsey stepped down in November.
Disney+ brings back Futurama as subscribers grow 37%
Disney is relaunching Futurama, the animated sci-fi comedy created by The Simpsons’ Matt Groening and David Cohen.
A new 20-episode season will comprise of 20 new episodes and go into production this month, ahead of a 2023 launch date on Disney+, the entertainment giant’s streaming platform.
Disney also released its latest quarterly earnings: global paid subscribers for Disney+ grew by 37% year-on-year, but an increase in production costs meant that the streaming service increased its operating loss.
Hearts & Science creates UK CEO role
Omnicom Media Group has promoted Hearts & Science media agency head Garrett O’Reilly’s job role, from UK managing director to CEO.
Radiocentre’s Lucy Barrett to head World Radio Alliance
Lucy Barrett, client director at industry body Radiocentre, has been appointed as the first president of the World Radio Alliance.
Bensons for Beds appoints the7stars to media account
Bensons for Beds, the nationwide bed and mattress retailer, has appointed the7stars as its agency for UK media planning and buying.
This month, the7stars will work with Bensons on integrated media strategy, planning and activation. The brief is built around Bensons’ three-year plan and growth ambitions.
Bensons is going through a major transformation programme after becoming a standalone business in 2020, backed by Alteri, the specialist European retail sector investor.
The competitive pitch process for Bensons was managed by The Aperto Partnership. The brand also employs VCCP for advertising (pictured, main image)and previously worked with RP2 for media buying.
Wednesday, 9 February
Channel 4 to exclusively broadcast Professional Fighters League in UK
Channel 4 will exclusively broadcast mixed martial arts content from the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
The PFL’s Challenger series, regular series, playoffs and World Championship will be shown from 20 April on all Channel 4 platforms.
There will also be archive and original content from PFL studios and 4Studios from 2019- 2021 seasons.
Amazon gains exclusive Shepperton access
Amazon Prime Video has agreed a long-term contract with Pinewood Group to get exclusive use of new production facilities at Shepperton Studios.
The multi-million pound deal includes nine sound stages, workshops and office accommodation which will be used by Prime Video for future original TV series and film production.
These new facilities are 450,000 square feet and form part of Shepperton Studio’s growth to make it 1.2 million square feet in total.
Read Raymond Snoddy’s latest column: Digital stars are in danger of heading towards a black hole
LADBible takes over Manchester billboard to bring attention to violence against women
Youth publisher LADbible has launched a campaign She is Someone on Europe’s largest digital out-of-home site in Manchester for Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week.
The group worked on the campaign (pictured, above) with domestic violence charity Refuge and has amplified the message on social that domestic abuse can happen to anyone and is not acceptable.
The creative was by the group’s in-house team and features on MCR Screens.
ITV brings in more than 2.5 million viewers for the Brit Awards 2022
ITV broadcast the Brit Awards 2022 with nearly 2.6 million viewers on average tuning in, according to overnight figures.
BARB figures showed that for the individuals 4+ category, the Brit Awards got an average 16.9% share of audience registering an average of 2.57 million viewers across ITV SD and HD over the programme.
Audience peaked at 10pm with a five-minute high of 2.84 million viewers over ITV SD and HD as Ed Sheeran was presented with Songwriter of the Year award.
The awards were also streamed live on YouTube and highlights are available on that platform as well as ITV Hub.
Adele was the big winner of the night taking home three awards including Best Album of the Year.
Omnicom reports 9.5% revenue growth in Q4 2021
Omnicom Group released its financial earnings for the last quarter with a 2.6% increase in revenue year-on-year.
The US advertising and media agency group reported $3.86bn revenue for the fourth quarter of 2021, after organic growth of 9.5%. This included an increase of 7.4% for advertising revenue.
“Global organic revenue growth of 9.5% exceeded our expectations in the fourth quarter, operating profit margins remained very strong, and we posted solid quarterly earnings per share,” John Wren, chairman and CEO of Omnicom Group. said.
UK Reddit and Twitter users may need to submit IDs
Reddit and Twitter users in the UK could be required to submit details of their passport or credit card as part of new government proposals.
The government is working on new age verification proposals to prevent people under 18 from accessing pornographic material like commercial porn websites.
The two sites are some of the few social networks that continue to host pornography and could face either removing this content from their sites or implementing these age rules.
NOW READ: Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries wants to make UK the ‘safest place to go online’
Tuesday, 8 February
IPA Touchpoints: diverse media habits ‘starting to narrow’ between young and old
The post-lockdown period of the Covid-19 pandemic has driven an increase in similarities between the commercial media usage habits of older and younger generations, the latest IPA Touchpoints report has revealed.
Radio hits highest ever adspend year as travel brands return
Latest sector data from industry body Radiocentre revealed radio’s ad revenue for 2021 broke the previous record of £713.6m set in 2018 and represents a 25% year-on-year increase versus a pandemic-hit 2020.
Brit Awards and YouTube Shorts create #BRITsUnseen campaign
The Brit Awards and YouTube Shorts will show exclusive content of 2022 Brit Award nominees at the red carpet event tonight.
Griff, Ghetts and Holly Humberstone will appear with other YouTube creators showing “unfiltered” preparations for the award ceremony.
The campaign will include platform, ticket barrier, escalator and billboard take-overs at North Greenwich station by the O2 where the ceremony will be taking place tonight (pictured, above). The Brits 2022 will also be livestreamed internationally on its YouTube channel for the ninth year in a row.
Creative was by YouTube’s in-house Creative Studios, with collaboration with The Or, Amplify, ATP and The Fifth.
Cinch sponsors ITV’s new entertainment talent show Starstruck
Online car sales platform Cinch will sponsor ITV’s new music talent show Starstruck airing at 8.30pm on 12 February.
Its sponsorship idents will feature brand ambassador Rylan Clark and a take on the programme’s format with people competing in a sing-off to win a car. This marks Cinch’s second ITV entertainment TV sponsorship as it previously sponsored musical game show, Walk The Line.
Starstruck is a singing talent show and features Sheridan Smith, Adam Lambert, Jason Manford and Beverley Knight as judges with Olly Murs as presenter.
News UK launches apprenticeship scheme for diverse talent
News UK has announced it will launch a Sales Academy to help aspiring salespeople get into advertising.
It is the first media organisation to partner with government scheme Kickstart for such a scheme and has said it will create up to 100 paid placements for unemployed young people.
Eight commercial apprentices in print, digital and broadcast sales, The Bridge Creative and The Fifth influencer marketing agency, have joined the News UK Sales Academy so far.
The company has pledged to bring about a 50/50 gender split across its workforce and 20% representation of ethnic minorities.
Incubeta bolsters senior leadership in the UK
Digital marketing group Incubeta has made three promotions and one new hire to its senior leadership team.
Andrew Turner (pictured, above right) has been promoted to chief revenue officer, James Sleaford to chief growth officer (pictured, above left) and Claire Burgess (above, centre) to director of delivery.
Incubeta also hired Charlie Davison as growth consultancy director.
NOW READ UK CEO of Incubeta, Sally Laycock’s column: Breaking the mould: a woman’s journey to the top
Thiel to exit Meta board
Peter Thiel, the outspoken founder of PayPal and Palantir, is stepping down from Meta after 17 years.
The libertarian US Republican Party backer is the Facebook parent company’s longest-serving board member. He is to leaving to help Donald Trump’s allies in the November midterm elections, according to the New York Times.
Evening Standard creates head of digital strategy role
The Evening Standard has promoted Samantha (Sami) Herbert to the newly created role of head of digital strategy, reporting to acting editor Charlotte Ross.
Herbert will be responsible for driving forward London freesheet newsbrand’s online strategy and diversification, its audience and working across all departments to deliver editorial innovations.
She was previously associate audience editor and has previously worked at The Telegraph and MSN.
Monday,7 February
Smart Energy GB turns to m/SIX
Smart Energy GB, the government-backed campaign helping people to understand the importance of smart meters and their benefits, has appointed m/SIX to handle its media planning and buying business, following a competitive pitch.
PHD, the previous media agency, repitched for the account alongside mSIX, Essence and the7stars. The campaign’s advertising, created by ad agency AMV BDDO, has featured Albert Einstein using volumetric capture tech.
The review of Smart Energy GB’s media agency requirements was through MediaSense, and supported by media consultant and Mediatel News columnist Nick Manning.
Spotify apologies for Joe Rogan but will not ‘silence him’
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says he “strongly” condemns racial slurs and other comments made by the company’s star podcaster Joe Rogan, but will not be removing him from the platform.
Rogan (pictured, above) has issued an apology for the second time in a week; this time for racial slurs after a montage video surfaced showing him repeatedly using the racist word “nigger”. Rogan said the video took the clips out of context.
In a letter to staff, Ek said it was Rogan’s decision to remove a number of past episodes from The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said … I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Ek added.
Digital adspend to reach $753bn in 2026
A new Juniper Research study has found that global digital advertising spend will increase from $407bn in 2022 to $753bn in 2026 – up 85%.
The report found that mobile in-app revenue will account for 56% of global spend by 2026.
‘Quarter’ of people will visit the Metaverse every day
By 2026, 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the metaverse for work, shopping, education, social and/or entertainment, according to research company Gartner.
Gartner defines a metaverse as a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical and digital reality.
Marty Resnick, research vice president at Gartner, explained: “From attending virtual classrooms to buying digital land and constructing virtual homes, these activities are currently being conducted in separate environments. Eventually, they will take place in a single environment – the metaverse – with multiple destinations across technologies and experiences.”