UM London

We are thrilled to share that last night, we came home with three wins from Campaign UK's Media Week Awards 2024!   We won Gold in the 'Best Use of Content' category, Silver in the 'Best Ad Funded Programme' category, and Bronze in the 'Econometrics' category for our "Future Fit Econometrics" campaign for LISTERINE® Professional.   A huge congratulations to everybody who contributed to these successes, and a big thank you to our amazing clients for continuing to trust us and support us. We are proud of what we have achieved and look forward to more!   Mediabrands Content Studio. UM Worldwide, Stacey Breese, Harry Templeman, Tirion Roberts, Lawrence Dodds, Enyi Nwosu, Franky Farmer, Kayla Jaffe, Richard Cable, Nafiseh Bakhshian, Simon Taylor, Callum Parton, Shara Brown, Alex Page, Lynn Barclay, Ashley Ogunremi

We recently partnered with ISBA to explore the challenges and opportunities around trust in today’s media landscape. As winners of The Media Leader UK's Excellence in Trust award, we’re committed to holding ourselves and the industry accountable when it comes to trust in media.   We are sharing with you some insights from our 'Trust and Growth' event that highlight the complexity of today’s media landscape, and emphasise the need for responsibility, collaboration, and innovation from both brands and media partners. Here are our key takeaways:   ⭕ We live in an era of information overload and disinformation, where conflicting narratives create confusion. This makes the media and brands' role in restoring trust more important than ever.    ⭕ Despite concerns about trust, 72% of people believe media can unite society, and 67% view it as a key source of knowledge. The challenge lies in bridging this trust gap while proving the value of reliable journalism.   ⭕ Brands need to be selective about where their ads appear - avoiding platforms that spread disinformation to protect their credibility and maintain consumer trust.   ⭕ Retail media is the fastest-growing segment in UK media, forecast to double to £66bn by 2027. However, retail media space needs improvement in areas like data availability, impression consistency, and transparency. Unifying processes, leveraging AI for complex retail growth, and adopting growth standards will be critical to its success.   ⭕ Content block lists are hurting news media. Blocked terms like "attack" and "shoot" resulted in 70% of digital ad space going unused during events like the Euros. It’s critical for brands to collaborate with trusted partners to navigate these challenges effectively.    ⭕ Brands find it difficult to support minority channels because they struggle to identify and target smaller, diverse audiences. Agencies must build trusted partnerships to help brands engage meaningfully with these communities, and find ways to showcase the commercial opportunities that engaging with independent and minority titles can bring.   A big thank you to ISBA and to our wonderful speakers Alan Rusbridger, Phil Smith, Adam Trainis, Jo Allan, Neil Peace, Michael Albert Brown, Bobi Carley, and Enyi Nwosu.

Last week, we had the pleasure of taking the stage at Adwanted Events' Future of Media London. As an agency, we truly value these important moments when our industry comes together to discuss key topics, so a massive thank you to Adwanted Events and The Media Leader UK for hosting such a brilliant event that highlighted the many facets of the evolving media landscape.   A huge well done to our incredible speakers, Jenny Zhang, Susan Kingston-Brown, Gabriela Reis de Paiva, and Michael Albert Brown. Jenny explored how data can unlock growth for brands, providing valuable insights into data-driven strategies. Susan addressed the seismic shifts in the industry, changing client demands, and how UM and IPG Mediabrands are preparing for the next chapter. Gabi presented the findings from our latest research project, Amplify: The Power of Authentic Culture, conducted in partnership with Amaliah. And, Michael interviewed Nafisa Bakkar, who shared her inspiring journey as an independent media owner and emphasised the importance of brands being authentic in their communications to the Muslim audience. The sessions were inspiring and insightful, and we are proud to have had them represent UM.   UM Worldwide #FOML #FOM

Two unforgettable conversations have marked my week: ⦿ The first, at our MRSpride annual insight summit with IGNACIO LABAYEN DE INZA, Founder of the charity Controlling Chemsex, highlighting the extent of the chemsex crisis amongst LGBTQ+ people in the UK. Many of you won't have heard of this, but it's the biggest epidemic that LGBTQ+ people have faced since AIDS ⦿ The second, at Future of Media, with Nafisa Bakkar, Founder of Amaliah, the media platform for Muslim women, in which we talked about the stark lack of intentionality that brands and media tend to have in their engagement (or lack of it) - towards Muslim audiences, despite the huge commercial opportunity they represent Thank you to everyone who made these platforms possible, and thanks to those who have shared positive feedback since the sessions. Some of the feedback has been a bit overwhelming, and it has restated to me the importance of using our voices to try and winch progress around ‘invisible’ crises. Especially by building greater knowledge around topics that don't get the attention they deserve and need. The power of insight.

On behalf of the whole team, we want to say a massive thank you for attending The Future of Media London conference over the past two days! We were absolutely thrilled with the incredible feedback, as over 1,000 people joined us for an unforgettable event packed with insightful content, invaluable networking, and a touch of fun. This was the biggest and best Future of Media London ever! The excitement on LinkedIn has been amazing, and we’ve loved seeing all your photos and comments. Please keep it going by sharing your thoughts using #FOML. As a special thank you, we’re excited to offer you the chance to win tickets to the first live show of The News Agents podcast at the Royal Albert Hall, courtesy of our partnership with Global. Just share your feedback for a chance to win! (Link in the comments 👇) Featuring Susan Kingston-Brown, Stephen Miron, Sally Weavers, Lisa Walker, Giovanni Pupo, Kim James, Maria Iu, Omar Oakes.

More great thought leadership out of #AWNewYork24 from our Global Chief Product Officer, Andrew Littlewood, chatting with The Trade Desk/The Current about emphasizing human ingenuity as the industry moves into the age of intelligence. “AI is going to be making a lot of calls and decisions on our behalf and we need to be intelligent about the way we’re deploying and feeding that.” Click to listen to the full conversation with host, Chris Brooklier.

Another exciting day at Adwanted Events' Future of Media London! We’re proud to share that Gabriela Reis de Paiva, Insight Director at UM, presented the findings from our latest research project, Amplify: The Power of Authentic Culture, which we conducted in collaboration with Amaliah at today’s event. 5% of the UK population is Muslim, a community with significant buying power, and yet many agencies and brands fail to create strategies to reach and connect with these potential customers. Amaliah is a media platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of Muslim women, and is the partner that can help brands understand the perspectives of the Muslim audience best - particularly how they feel brands are representing them. The research uncovered some critical insights, such as only 14% of respondents feeling that Muslim people are frequently represented in advertising, and when they are, 60% believe that representation is often stereotypical. Furthermore, 75% indicated they are more likely to support brands that portray Muslims in a positive, authentic way. Following Gabriela's presentation, Michael Albert Brown, Head of Insights and Research at UM, interviewed Nafisa Bakkar, Founder & CEO of Amaliah. Nafisa shared about her journey with Amaliah and emphasised the importance of brands being authentic in their communication with the Muslim community, highlighting great case studies of brands doing it well. We’re proud to have partnered with Amaliah to deepen our understanding of this crucial issue within the industry. As an agency, we are committed to applying these findings in our work, ensuring that we take meaningful steps to address this challenge. A special thank you to Michael Albert Brown, Gabriela Reis de Paiva, and Nafisa Bakkar for your hard work on this project, and for helping us drive positive change. Also, thank you to Chris Howell for creating such a powerful visual identity for the project. UM Worldwide #FOML #FOM

We're excited to share that Susan Kingston-Brown, UM EMEA President, participated in a fireside chat this morning at Adwanted Events' Future of Media London. Brilliantly moderated by Omar Oakes, Editor in Chief at The Media Leader UK, the conversation covered the seismic shifts in the industry, changing client demands, how agencies of the future need to adapt to survive and thrive, and how UM and IPG Mediabrands are preparing for the next chapter.   Susan shared her passion for challenging conventions and her appreciation for the nuances of working with diverse markets and cultures, which have been pivotal in her journey to becoming UM EMEA President. She also spoke on leadership, sharing her perspective that a great leader always focuses on outcomes and embraces continuous change without disruption. Recognising the current rate of change, she highlighted the need to evolve media planning to reflect the broader ecosystem.   Susan also emphasised the critical correlation between strong client relationships and agency success, noting that while many companies have access to similar technology and data, it’s the people who make the real difference.   UM Worldwide #FOML #FOM

We’re excited to share that Jenny Zhang, Regional Analytics Director at UM, joined a panel at The Future of Media London, hosted by Adwanted Events. Alongside industry leaders Gordon Black from Adidas, Virginie Chesnais from Happydemics, Phil Spencer from ScanmarQED, and Sameer Modha from ITV, the conversation focused on the future of measurement. Brilliantly moderated by Sam Tidmarsh, the discussion explored how data can unlock growth for brands. Jenny emphasised that to truly drive business success, we need to go beyond surface-level metrics - asking deeper questions, and gaining a holistic and nuanced understanding of our clients’ goals in today’s evolving media landscape. At UM, we’re committed to ensuring that our measurement strategies deliver not just data, but insights that propel our clients forward. UM Worldwide #FutureOfMedia #FOML

Our CEO, Kara Osborne Gladwell, has written an article for The Media Leader UK on the critical need for better representation of carers in media. She highlights how carers, who often juggle employment and caregiving responsibilities, remain largely invisible in today’s media landscape, despite their significant role in society and the economy. By overlooking this audience, brands risk missing opportunities for meaningful connection and impactful messaging. Kara shares insights from our recent research, The Care Economy: Society’s Engine Room, conducted in partnership with UN Women UK, revealing that 25% of working mothers in the UK have been forced to leave their jobs, while another quarter have had to reduce their hours, underscoring the wider impact on the workforce. At UM, we’re committed to understanding audiences in all their nuances. Kara stresses how these nuanced insights, particularly about carers, lead to more inclusive media strategies and highlight the importance of workplace cultures that support caregiving responsibilities. A big thank you to the team who worked hard on this research: Tabitha Morton Atonte Semira Martha Bennett Michael Albert Brown Olivia Wilton Kim Lambert UM Worldwide. Read the full article below!