MediaCat UK
@mediacatuk.bsky.social
An online publication covering the media side of the marketing industry
https://mediacat.uk
https://mediacat.uk
'From an advertising and media perspective, data and technology are actually moving us away from people, seeing them almost as robots and machines.'
Havas Media’s Emily Fairhead Keen and Dan Holt tell us how brands can reconnect with real people through empathy, usefulness and trust.
Havas Media’s Emily Fairhead Keen and Dan Holt tell us how brands can reconnect with real people through empathy, usefulness and trust.
Havas and the human experience of media - MediaCat UK
Havas Media’s Emily Fairhead Keen and Dan Holt on how brands can reconnect with real people through empathy, usefulness and trust
mediacat.uk
August 12, 2025 at 11:12 AM
'From an advertising and media perspective, data and technology are actually moving us away from people, seeing them almost as robots and machines.'
Havas Media’s Emily Fairhead Keen and Dan Holt tell us how brands can reconnect with real people through empathy, usefulness and trust.
Havas Media’s Emily Fairhead Keen and Dan Holt tell us how brands can reconnect with real people through empathy, usefulness and trust.
In this month’s ad formats roundup, scroll depth replaces IDs, inbox tabs become product surfaces and even UX design becomes a variable in ad pricing.
Ad formats: August 2025 - MediaCat UK
New inventory from Teads, X, TiVo and more
mediacat.uk
August 11, 2025 at 4:23 PM
In this month’s ad formats roundup, scroll depth replaces IDs, inbox tabs become product surfaces and even UX design becomes a variable in ad pricing.
Airbnb announced that it is shifting its advertising from TV to social media in its earnings call.
Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, attributed the shift to changing consumer habits, saying that search is ‘switching from desktop to mobile and from Google search to social media’.
Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, attributed the shift to changing consumer habits, saying that search is ‘switching from desktop to mobile and from Google search to social media’.
Airbnb CEO: The holy grail is to be like Netflix - MediaCat UK
Travel booking app moves away from TV and doubles down on social
mediacat.uk
August 8, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Airbnb announced that it is shifting its advertising from TV to social media in its earnings call.
Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, attributed the shift to changing consumer habits, saying that search is ‘switching from desktop to mobile and from Google search to social media’.
Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, attributed the shift to changing consumer habits, saying that search is ‘switching from desktop to mobile and from Google search to social media’.
In this month’s ad formats roundup, scroll depth replaces IDs, inbox tabs become product surfaces and even UX design becomes a variable in ad pricing.
Ad formats: August 2025 - MediaCat UK
New inventory from Teads, X, TiVo and more
mediacat.uk
August 8, 2025 at 12:11 PM
In this month’s ad formats roundup, scroll depth replaces IDs, inbox tabs become product surfaces and even UX design becomes a variable in ad pricing.
In February, WPP’s outgoing CEO, Mark Read, described 2025 as the ‘year of execution’. Halfway through, his words sound dangerously prophetic.
The holding company released its H1 results this morning. No crystal ball was needed here, a bleak July trading update had already lowered expectations.
The holding company released its H1 results this morning. No crystal ball was needed here, a bleak July trading update had already lowered expectations.
WPP pins hopes on AI as profit plummets - MediaCat UK
WPP continued its painful 2025 with another set of disappointing results
mediacat.uk
August 7, 2025 at 4:40 PM
In February, WPP’s outgoing CEO, Mark Read, described 2025 as the ‘year of execution’. Halfway through, his words sound dangerously prophetic.
The holding company released its H1 results this morning. No crystal ball was needed here, a bleak July trading update had already lowered expectations.
The holding company released its H1 results this morning. No crystal ball was needed here, a bleak July trading update had already lowered expectations.
Do you have a question about media, marketing or your career that you’d like answered? Ask Faris Yakob.
He has a world of experience within agencies and as a consultant, and he wrote the book on Paid Attention.
Just email your question to askfaris@mediacat.uk.
He has a world of experience within agencies and as a consultant, and he wrote the book on Paid Attention.
Just email your question to askfaris@mediacat.uk.
August 7, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Do you have a question about media, marketing or your career that you’d like answered? Ask Faris Yakob.
He has a world of experience within agencies and as a consultant, and he wrote the book on Paid Attention.
Just email your question to askfaris@mediacat.uk.
He has a world of experience within agencies and as a consultant, and he wrote the book on Paid Attention.
Just email your question to askfaris@mediacat.uk.
'As AI agents increasingly consume content on our behalf, will we start designing more and more content not just with AI but for AI? To what extent will we need to prioritise machines as a primary audience, designing content for algorithms whose ‘opinions’ could shape human decisions?'
The algorithmic era: rise of the consumer agents - MediaCat UK
What happens to marketing when everyone's got their own AI agent?
mediacat.uk
August 6, 2025 at 4:31 PM
'As AI agents increasingly consume content on our behalf, will we start designing more and more content not just with AI but for AI? To what extent will we need to prioritise machines as a primary audience, designing content for algorithms whose ‘opinions’ could shape human decisions?'
Selena Gomez’s cosmetics brand, Rare Beauty, unveiled three scratch-and-sniff billboards in New York City last week to promote its first fragrance.
The billboards weren’t just fragranced — they also featured QR codes passersby could scan to order a sample from Shopify’s Shop app.
The billboards weren’t just fragranced — they also featured QR codes passersby could scan to order a sample from Shopify’s Shop app.
Rare Beauty billboards offer perfume samples to NYC pedestrians - MediaCat UK
The brand combines scented ads and QR codes to drive perfume sampling
mediacat.uk
August 6, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Selena Gomez’s cosmetics brand, Rare Beauty, unveiled three scratch-and-sniff billboards in New York City last week to promote its first fragrance.
The billboards weren’t just fragranced — they also featured QR codes passersby could scan to order a sample from Shopify’s Shop app.
The billboards weren’t just fragranced — they also featured QR codes passersby could scan to order a sample from Shopify’s Shop app.
'YouTube’s entire model depends on avoiding television’s core responsibility: accountability for what it distributes.'
As we chase TV equivalence, are we failing to question what YouTube actually is?
As we chase TV equivalence, are we failing to question what YouTube actually is?
If YouTube is TV, who’s the commissioner? - MediaCat UK
As we chase TV equivalence, are we failing to question what YouTube actually is?
mediacat.uk
August 6, 2025 at 11:12 AM
'YouTube’s entire model depends on avoiding television’s core responsibility: accountability for what it distributes.'
As we chase TV equivalence, are we failing to question what YouTube actually is?
As we chase TV equivalence, are we failing to question what YouTube actually is?
'As AI agents increasingly consume content on our behalf, will we start designing more and more content not just with AI but for AI? To what extent will we need to prioritise machines as a primary audience, designing content for algorithms whose ‘opinions’ could shape human decisions?'
The algorithmic era: rise of the consumer agents - MediaCat UK
What happens to marketing when everyone's got their own AI agent?
mediacat.uk
August 5, 2025 at 4:46 PM
'As AI agents increasingly consume content on our behalf, will we start designing more and more content not just with AI but for AI? To what extent will we need to prioritise machines as a primary audience, designing content for algorithms whose ‘opinions’ could shape human decisions?'
Ad trade bodies are warning advertisers not to fall foul of the incoming restrictions on advertising less-healthy foods (LHF) during their seasonal marketing.
Don’t forget LHF rules during the holidays, warn industry bodies - MediaCat UK
Trade associations publish one-page explainer and offer online training
mediacat.uk
August 5, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Ad trade bodies are warning advertisers not to fall foul of the incoming restrictions on advertising less-healthy foods (LHF) during their seasonal marketing.
'Yes, search still works. But it’s capturing intent as opposed to creating it. If you’re only showing up when someone knows what they want, you’re competing for the narrowest slice of demand — often at the highest cost.'
Brave Bison's Mark Byrne explains how search is changing
Brave Bison's Mark Byrne explains how search is changing
Search spend is falling. Where's the cash going? - MediaCat UK
Search still works, says Brave Bison's Mark Byrne, but it's place in the customer journey has changed
mediacat.uk
August 1, 2025 at 4:25 PM
'Yes, search still works. But it’s capturing intent as opposed to creating it. If you’re only showing up when someone knows what they want, you’re competing for the narrowest slice of demand — often at the highest cost.'
Brave Bison's Mark Byrne explains how search is changing
Brave Bison's Mark Byrne explains how search is changing
Heading into Meta’s second-quarter earnings call, many expected a stumble. Instead, Meta came out running.
‘The strong performance this quarter is largely thanks to AI unlocking greater efficiency across our ad system,’ Zuckerberg told analysts.
‘The strong performance this quarter is largely thanks to AI unlocking greater efficiency across our ad system,’ Zuckerberg told analysts.
Meta turns AI into revenue, not just hype - MediaCat UK
A 22% revenue jump and $150bn added to its market cap show that Meta’s ad engine is now running on AI, with results Wall Street can’t ignore
mediacat.uk
August 1, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Heading into Meta’s second-quarter earnings call, many expected a stumble. Instead, Meta came out running.
‘The strong performance this quarter is largely thanks to AI unlocking greater efficiency across our ad system,’ Zuckerberg told analysts.
‘The strong performance this quarter is largely thanks to AI unlocking greater efficiency across our ad system,’ Zuckerberg told analysts.
Campaigns run through Meta's automated ad-delivery system, Advantage+, typically outperformed manually orchestrated ones by 9% at the midway point of the campaign --- but they then lost steam.
mediacat.uk/marketers-be...
mediacat.uk/marketers-be...
Marketers best Meta's black box, report shows - MediaCat UK
AI targeting tool identifies likely buyers at the expense filling the funnel
mediacat.uk
July 31, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Campaigns run through Meta's automated ad-delivery system, Advantage+, typically outperformed manually orchestrated ones by 9% at the midway point of the campaign --- but they then lost steam.
mediacat.uk/marketers-be...
mediacat.uk/marketers-be...
'Yes, search still works. But it’s capturing intent as opposed to creating it. If you’re only showing up when someone knows what they want, you’re competing for the narrowest slice of demand — often at the highest cost.'
Search spend is falling. Where's the cash going? - MediaCat UK
Search still works, says Brave Bison's Mark Byrne, but it's place in the customer journey has changed
mediacat.uk
July 31, 2025 at 4:27 PM
'Yes, search still works. But it’s capturing intent as opposed to creating it. If you’re only showing up when someone knows what they want, you’re competing for the narrowest slice of demand — often at the highest cost.'
Traffic to VPN providers has exploded since the UK’s Online Safety Act took effect less than a week ago.
Just as publishers were beginning to find ways to stand on their own outside the walled gardens, the VPN boom is now herding advertisers straight back into the arms of Big Tech.
Just as publishers were beginning to find ways to stand on their own outside the walled gardens, the VPN boom is now herding advertisers straight back into the arms of Big Tech.
Online Safety Act exacerbates publishers’ ‘dark traffic’ problem - MediaCat UK
VPN adoption triggered by new age verification rules blinds advertisers and deepens the monetisation crisis for UK digital media
mediacat.uk
July 31, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Traffic to VPN providers has exploded since the UK’s Online Safety Act took effect less than a week ago.
Just as publishers were beginning to find ways to stand on their own outside the walled gardens, the VPN boom is now herding advertisers straight back into the arms of Big Tech.
Just as publishers were beginning to find ways to stand on their own outside the walled gardens, the VPN boom is now herding advertisers straight back into the arms of Big Tech.
Ad trade bodies are warning advertisers not to fall foul of the incoming restrictions on advertising less-healthy foods (LHF) during their seasonal marketing.
The Advertising Association, ISBA, IPA, and IAB UK have published a one-page document explaining clearly what brands can and can’t do.
The Advertising Association, ISBA, IPA, and IAB UK have published a one-page document explaining clearly what brands can and can’t do.
Don’t forget LHF rules during the holidays, warn industry bodies - MediaCat UK
Trade associations publish one-page explainer and offer online training
mediacat.uk
July 31, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Ad trade bodies are warning advertisers not to fall foul of the incoming restrictions on advertising less-healthy foods (LHF) during their seasonal marketing.
The Advertising Association, ISBA, IPA, and IAB UK have published a one-page document explaining clearly what brands can and can’t do.
The Advertising Association, ISBA, IPA, and IAB UK have published a one-page document explaining clearly what brands can and can’t do.
A new meta-analysis from Haus shows that manual campaigns still outperform Advantage+ for a slim majority of brands.
Still, there's plenty in the findings that Meta's salesfolk will lap up, including the stat that, on average, ‘Meta drove on average 19% lift to the brand’s primary KPI’.
Still, there's plenty in the findings that Meta's salesfolk will lap up, including the stat that, on average, ‘Meta drove on average 19% lift to the brand’s primary KPI’.
Marketers best Meta's black box, report shows - MediaCat UK
AI targeting tool identifies likely buyers at the expense filling the funnel
mediacat.uk
July 31, 2025 at 8:48 AM
A new meta-analysis from Haus shows that manual campaigns still outperform Advantage+ for a slim majority of brands.
Still, there's plenty in the findings that Meta's salesfolk will lap up, including the stat that, on average, ‘Meta drove on average 19% lift to the brand’s primary KPI’.
Still, there's plenty in the findings that Meta's salesfolk will lap up, including the stat that, on average, ‘Meta drove on average 19% lift to the brand’s primary KPI’.
It's not just grumble websites that are going to have to adjust to the new Online Safety Act...
mediacat.uk/online-safet...
mediacat.uk/online-safet...
Online Safety Act exacerbates publishers’ ‘dark traffic’ problem - MediaCat UK
VPN adoption triggered by new age verification rules blinds advertisers and deepens the monetisation crisis for UK digital media
mediacat.uk
July 30, 2025 at 7:25 PM
It's not just grumble websites that are going to have to adjust to the new Online Safety Act...
mediacat.uk/online-safet...
mediacat.uk/online-safet...
New data from Digital i reveals that the most stable traffic on UK streaming platforms doesn’t come from prime-time hits or algorithmic discovery.
It arrives in two daily spikes (6-9am and 5-7pm) and it’s driven almost entirely by children’s programming.
It arrives in two daily spikes (6-9am and 5-7pm) and it’s driven almost entirely by children’s programming.
Streaming's most reliable audience can't read yet - MediaCat UK
New research shows kids content is becoming a retention engine
mediacat.uk
July 30, 2025 at 4:23 PM
New data from Digital i reveals that the most stable traffic on UK streaming platforms doesn’t come from prime-time hits or algorithmic discovery.
It arrives in two daily spikes (6-9am and 5-7pm) and it’s driven almost entirely by children’s programming.
It arrives in two daily spikes (6-9am and 5-7pm) and it’s driven almost entirely by children’s programming.
The ads business of Spotify is the ‘one area that hasn’t yet met expectations,’ according to the company’s founder and CEO, Daniel Ek.
The streaming platform delivered healthy results in Q2 but saw its ad-supported revenue fall by 1% year on year.
The streaming platform delivered healthy results in Q2 but saw its ad-supported revenue fall by 1% year on year.
Spotify CEO ‘unhappy’ with ads business - MediaCat UK
Execution, not strategy, to blame for poor performance
mediacat.uk
July 30, 2025 at 2:46 PM
The ads business of Spotify is the ‘one area that hasn’t yet met expectations,’ according to the company’s founder and CEO, Daniel Ek.
The streaming platform delivered healthy results in Q2 but saw its ad-supported revenue fall by 1% year on year.
The streaming platform delivered healthy results in Q2 but saw its ad-supported revenue fall by 1% year on year.
Traffic to VPN providers has exploded since the UK’s Online Safety Act took effect less than a week ago.
Just as publishers were beginning to find ways to stand on their own outside the walled gardens, the VPN boom is now herding advertisers straight back into the arms of Big Tech.
Just as publishers were beginning to find ways to stand on their own outside the walled gardens, the VPN boom is now herding advertisers straight back into the arms of Big Tech.
Online Safety Act exacerbates publishers’ ‘dark traffic’ problem - MediaCat UK
VPN adoption triggered by new age verification rules blinds advertisers and deepens the monetisation crisis for UK digital media
mediacat.uk
July 30, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Traffic to VPN providers has exploded since the UK’s Online Safety Act took effect less than a week ago.
Just as publishers were beginning to find ways to stand on their own outside the walled gardens, the VPN boom is now herding advertisers straight back into the arms of Big Tech.
Just as publishers were beginning to find ways to stand on their own outside the walled gardens, the VPN boom is now herding advertisers straight back into the arms of Big Tech.
The ads business of Spotify is the ‘one area that hasn’t yet met expectations,’ according to the company’s founder and CEO, Daniel Ek.
Ek said Spotify has been ‘moving too slowly’ with its ads business, and it’s taking ‘longer than expected’ to see the results they anticipated.
Ek said Spotify has been ‘moving too slowly’ with its ads business, and it’s taking ‘longer than expected’ to see the results they anticipated.
Spotify CEO ‘unhappy’ with ads business - MediaCat UK
Execution, not strategy, to blame for poor performance
mediacat.uk
July 29, 2025 at 4:23 PM
The ads business of Spotify is the ‘one area that hasn’t yet met expectations,’ according to the company’s founder and CEO, Daniel Ek.
Ek said Spotify has been ‘moving too slowly’ with its ads business, and it’s taking ‘longer than expected’ to see the results they anticipated.
Ek said Spotify has been ‘moving too slowly’ with its ads business, and it’s taking ‘longer than expected’ to see the results they anticipated.
The in-car environment is 'one of the largest untapped frontiers in digital media', according to the driver interaction platform 4screen. And last week, Brand Metrics and LeadStory also found that in-car ads can have a significant impact on brand uplift.
In-car ads deliver 3X brand uplift, says LeadStory - MediaCat UK
Streaming platform study claims in-car consumers are 'the most engaged'
mediacat.uk
July 29, 2025 at 2:36 PM
The in-car environment is 'one of the largest untapped frontiers in digital media', according to the driver interaction platform 4screen. And last week, Brand Metrics and LeadStory also found that in-car ads can have a significant impact on brand uplift.
New data from Digital i reveals that the most stable traffic on UK streaming platforms doesn’t come from prime-time hits or algorithmic discovery.
It arrives in two daily spikes — 6-9am and 5-7pm — and it’s driven almost entirely by children’s programming.
It arrives in two daily spikes — 6-9am and 5-7pm — and it’s driven almost entirely by children’s programming.
Streaming's most reliable audience can't read yet - MediaCat UK
New research shows kids content is becoming a retention engine
mediacat.uk
July 29, 2025 at 11:04 AM
New data from Digital i reveals that the most stable traffic on UK streaming platforms doesn’t come from prime-time hits or algorithmic discovery.
It arrives in two daily spikes — 6-9am and 5-7pm — and it’s driven almost entirely by children’s programming.
It arrives in two daily spikes — 6-9am and 5-7pm — and it’s driven almost entirely by children’s programming.