First up this week – a need to set the record straight. A couple of weeks ago I was critical of ‘Campaign’ over its (lack of) reporting of the implications around programme content being included in a deal between GroupM and Channel4. I wrote that ‘Campaign’ should have investigated further. Well, now they have, and so credit is due to Gideon Spanier and to ‘Campaign’ for doing so. Read more

When I lived and worked in the USA I promised myself that I would never start a sentence in any professional meeting with the four words: ‘In the UK we…’. When I started this blog I made myself a similar promise – never start a post with the words: ‘There used to be…’. Read more

Another day another deal. A few weeks back ‘Campaign’ reported that GroupM has struck a two-year deal with Channel 4 apparently worth £500m. The deal is alleged to include the provision of some advertiser-funded shows from the agency’s sibling GroupM Entertainment.

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The argument between advertisers and media agencies in the USA over transparency rumbles on. Earlier Cog Blogs have commented on advertisers’ concerns over the agencies’ media buying practices, and their hiring (via their trade body the ANA) of two consultancies to look into the whole matter of where the money goes. Read more