For my last column as editor-in-chief, I’d like to sign off with a celebration of those that best demonstrated The Media Leader’s values of disruption, inclusion, courage and excellence this year.
24 Mar 2025 | Omar Oakes
Ad-funded content on platforms doesn’t work because there are too few platforms and the rents are too high. As media fragments and production businesses suffer, creators must diversify to survive.
When Omnicom and IPG merge, nothing really changes apart from some agency brands get shut down and a lot of people lose their jobs. The big holding groups remain one homogenous blob.
ITV carries immense cultural power that makes a sell-off far from straightforward, writes the editor.
Advertisers needed ‘protecting’ 100 years ago, which is why we have JICs like Barb and trade bodies like Isba. How we define ‘protection’ and ‘choice’ will matter most as Origin formally launches next year.
Apple is selling AI as a life hack for stupid liars. It’s not a good strategy and it’s distinctly un-Apple.
The media we create for ourselves is the best tool we have to combat noise and disinformation.
If network agencies run their business like supermarkets, their double-digit margins are unsustainably high, writes the editor-in-chief.
Tech is radically changing media and advertising, but our first Future of Media Manchester event reminded us that what matters most to creativity and sales is the same now as it was 200 years ago, writes the editor-in-chief.
This sector has the talent and the tools to succeed. But whether it has the stomach to start challenging bad practice is key to arresting its decline, writes the editor.
When influential media owners like Elon Musk throw money at Donald Trump, it should concern all of us who work in this industry, writes the UK editor-in-chief.