Day: 9 June 2026

Meta to earn $240bn from advertising in 2026 outpacing global social media ad growth

Stuart Mitchell

In recent years, Meta has transformed its proposition to advertisers through AI-driven automation, leading its advertising business to grow a forecasted 22.3% to $240bn this year, according to WARC Media. Serving ads across its mass reach ‘family of apps’ remains the foundation of its monetisation strategy. Its fast-growing ad business funds an aggressive AI innovation programme – which, in turn, fuels the flywheel through further increases in ad revenue.   WARC Media’s latest Platform Insights report explores Meta’s hyper-efficient advertising business, evaluates usage across its apps, and assesses the performance of campaigns on Meta.   Alex Brownsell, Head of Content, WARC Media, and co-author of the report, said: “Meta’s flywheel is spinning faster than ever. The…

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Charities call for end of rule locking 70,000 pensioners out of vital financial support

Stuart Mitchell

National charity Independent Age and 12 other organisations1 have teamed up to send an open letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden, calling for an end to the mixed age couples rule. The rule, introduced in 2019, could be preventing around 70,000 low-income couples from receiving entitlements specifically for older people until they both reach State Pension age, leaving affected couples up to £7,000 worse off a year. As well as the range of organisations calling for change, new polling from Independent Age shows that…

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Cannes Lions’ Landmark AI Craft Ruling Proves What One Birmingham Founder Has Been Saying All Along – Human Creativity Isn’t Optional, It’s Everything

Stuart Mitchell

As Cannes Lions 2026 prepares to award the first ever AI Craft Lion – requiring entrants to prove human creativity was essential to the work – Dré Picart, Managing Partner and co-founder of award-winning Birmingham agency Tribera, says the decision confirms what the industry has been slow to admit: AI without human conviction doesn’t produce better marketing. It produces more of the same. Dré, whose agency was recently named one of Campaign’s Best Places to Work 2026, made the argument in a recent keynote at The Marketing Meetup, warning that…

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Episode 21 of CIPR’s Engage Podcast out now; Leadership and Impact

Stuart Mitchell

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ (CIPR) Engage podcast returns with a new episode on the future of leadership in communications. Recorded at the Institute’s Annual Conference, Episode 21 – Leadership & Impact – features interviews with the event’s expert speakers who share their reflections on the topics of their talks, the questions they posed, and how their thinking applies to the day-to-day realities of communications leadership. Episode 21’s speakers cover topics ranging from the cognitive cost of over-reliance on generative AI and the new expectations of multi-generational workforces, to…

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PRCA calls on the public affairs and public relations industry to adhere to ethical GEO standards

Stuart Mitchell

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has issued a rallying call to the global PR industry to ensure factual and accurate communication, as understanding grows about Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). GEO is now a large part of communications practice. Large language models are becoming a primary interface through which the public secures information about brands, organisations and policies. As bad actors embrace opportunities for manipulation, the PRCA is calling on the wider UK and international public affairs and public relations industry to stand with its members and ensure the…

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