Tiktok falls under ban just as brands ramp up ad spend June 16, 2026 Tiktok’s UK ad business has been growing 40 per cent year on year, with brands increasing spending ahead of what the firm expected to be its biggest trading period on record. But that momentum now faces a test after Keir Starmer confirmed plans to plan under-16s from accessing the platform. The social media giant, which [...]
Activist investor pushing for M&C Saatchi break-up builds stake June 16, 2026 A notorious activist investment firm has added to its stake in M&C Saatchi in a move that brings it a step closer to orchestrating a break-up of one of Britain’s best-known advertising companies. Harwood Capital now owns more than eight per cent of the eponymous agency founded by advertising tycoons Maurice and Charles in 1995, [...]
Reform UK Treasurer Nick Candy takes podcast firm off sales block June 8, 2026 The podcast firm owned by the billionaire treasurer of the Reform Party has been taken off the sales block after first laying out plans for a deal last year. Audioboom, in which property tycoon Nick Candy is the majority shareholder, launched a strategic review in October, where it said the end result could lead to [...]
WPP Media CEO: Creative industries should bet big on London, the city of brilliant lunatics June 4, 2026 London has been named the best city in the world for culture - it should be creative industries' first choice, writes WPP Media's Kate Rowlinson.
Emma Sleep agrees to change ‘illegal’ sales practices following court settlement May 28, 2026 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has agreed a partial settlement with mattress company Emma Sleep after it admitted to breaking consumer law over its pricing tactics. The settlement is legally binding, so if Emma Sleep fails to comply, it “could result in contempt of court proceedings, potentially leading to significant penalties,” the CMA said. [...]
John Lewis, Debenhams censored over Black Friday ads May 20, 2026 John Lewis, Debenhams and Boots have been censored over “misleading” Black Friday ads after being accused of overstating the discounts on offer to shoppers. The three retail giants have had their adverts banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which monitors ads using an AI-powered tool. The watchdog has been cracking down on retailers’ pricing claims [...]
Tech firm behind in-store ads at Currys and Iceland goes bust May 13, 2026 The firm that provides high street giants Currys and Iceland with in-store digital advertising has declared insolvency, City AM can reveal. Software company Stratacache announced its winding-up of its UK operations and appointed liquidators on Wednesday, according to insolvency filings. This comes only months after the US digital screen specialist partnered with budget supermarket giant [...]
WPP sales down again despite uptick in new business April 28, 2026 WPP saw its revenue fall by more than six per cent in the first three months of 2026, piling pressure on the advertising giant’s turnaround plan just two months after it was unveiled. The FTSE 250 holding group saw its sales fall by 6.6 per cent to £3bn in the first quarter, while revenue less [...]
M&C Saatchi profit slumps amid Iran war warning and ‘softer’ UK market April 20, 2026 Advertising firm M&C Saatchi expects the Iran war to deal a blow to its sport and entertainment business, and revealed a profit slump for last year. For the year to December 2025, profit tumbled by 34 per cent to £19m. Revenue dipped by more than seven per cent to £205m. The firm, whose chief executive [...]
World Cup no longer has global audience – and that’s a marketers challenge April 4, 2026 The domestic football season is hurtling towards its conclusion and, despite England’s drab international break and talk of boycotts, World Cup fever is starting to build. Soon, wallcharts will be pinned up, vintage England kits pulled out from the back of the wardrobe, and Three Lions will find its way onto office playlists. However, this [...]