The Future of Brands and The Future of Audio and Entertainment - our reactions

By Team Bluestripe

The PR team took a trip over to the Adwanted Future of Brands and Future of Audio and Entertainment last week. This is what we thought…

Making change happen - Sarah Shaw, Associate Director - Head of Media Practice

One of the first sessions of the day was a discussion between Ozone and The Independent on how to make change happen. It focused on the importance of advertising in supporting the work that publishers are carrying out to campaign for—and champion —the most pressing issues facing society today.

What struck an emotional chord with me was the deep-dive into The Independent's compelling campaign 'Brick by Brick', which was launched in partnership with domestic abuse charity, Refuge. I had no idea that with a national shortage of safe spaces, a woman desperate to escape is turned away from a refuge every two hours across the country. Furthermore, there are strict stipulations in place, such as that women with teenage sons or pets will be turned away.

Launched last year, the campaign aimed to raise £300,000 to construct a dedicated, safe home in a secret location where women escaping abusive partners, together with their children or pets, can find security and freedom. And due to the phenomenal response to the appeal the aim to build one home was extended to two, doubling the number of women and children who will be helped out of abuse and into new, safe futures.

Does retail media deserve social media’s game-changing mantle? - Joe Campbell, Senior Account Manager

Lesley Myers-Lamptey (Head of Commerce Strategy, T&Pm Group), Alexia Nakad (VP of Brands, UK and MENA, LiveRamp), Pedro Ramos (Director of Retail Digital Media Strategy, GroupM) and Inam Mahmood (EMEA General Manager, Nielsen) then took to the stage to discuss this with Adwanted Events’ Head of Event Content and Marketing, Sam Tidmarsh. The consensus was that it is too early to say.

Retail media is still evolving, and while its benefits are transformative, some challenges must be addressed. For one, there are different definitions of networks and channels that constitute ‘retail media’, which can blur internal responsibilities and budget allocation and make setting clear objectives difficult. This includes where the focus lies, with a lot of attention being paid to the bottom of the funnel, when retail media’s real power is its ability to measure incremental outcomes across the customer journey.

Nevertheless, the group was optimistic that by prioiritising collaboration, agnostic measurement and the right expertise, retail media could take up social media’s crown.

Will business models be ‘redefined’ by AI agents? - Ana Collins, Account Executive
Next up, Yemi Olagbaiye (Senior Commercial Leader, Softwire), Rhiannon Davies (VP Creative Strategy, Jellyfish), Sarah Salter (Global Head of Innovation & Platforms, Wavemaker), Sergio Tallon De La Torre (Head of Brands and Agencies, EMEA, Taboola) and Ed Greig (Chief Disruptor, Deloitte) were on stage discussing all about business and AI with Adwanted Events’ Technology Editor, John Moulding.'

Yemi highlighted that AI agents will create opportunities for individuals to take on leadership roles, while Sergio compared the technology’s evolution to Iron Man, reflecting its growing sophistication. The panel was hopeful about their own AI tools, expressing confidence in AI’s ability to transform business. Taboola’s GenAI assistant, Abby, was a key example - automating campaign set up, media planning, and strategic improvements through prompts.

Ultimately, while the exact impact of AI on business models is still unfolding, it’s clear that AI will play a significant role in reshaping the future of business and leadership.

Are podcasting and video truly the future? - Nell Martin, Account Manager

We rounded off the day with a session from Derek Brown, Director of Digital, News Broadcasting, Matt Deegan, Director at Podcast Discovery, Tom Whiter, Head of Content, Goalhanger, Molly Brown, AV Director, UM London and Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, Sports Journalist and Host of Blakademik, covering off the opportunities we can see in podcasting and video.

The panel explored how the introduction of video has changed the game, transforming an audio medium into a truly multimedia experience. This affects everything from creation to consumption to distribution, so the impact is enormous. The key message was that brands and agencies must ensure that they have the talent, skills, and monetisation strategies implemented to allow them to adapt and diversify their offerings to fit client needs.