Carat UK

OPINION | Budgets are up. Sales aren't. So where should the extra money go? The latest IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) Bellwether shows UK media spend growing at a nine-quarter high. Good news, with a catch. Speaking to Performance Marketing World, our UK President, Mike McCoy, points out that the growth comes amid softer sales delivery. That makes how brands spend it far more important than how much they spend. "You can't just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks just because you have the budget. We have more automation, more platforms and more data than ever, but that doesn't mean more distinction." His advice for the run into Christmas is to be deliberate. Understand how your channels work together, get rid of silos, set a clear plan and stick with it. He also says every plan should account for two shifts: the fundamental change in how people search, and the growing link between AV and ROI. "Those that will see the greatest return will be the ones that judge their media investment by what it delivers for the business, rather than how individual channels perform in spreadsheets." Difference doesn't come from spending more. It's engineered. Read Mike's full comments in Performance Marketing World (subscription required) 👇 https://lnkd.in/eqsNNduN #IPABellwether #Media #Carat

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AWARDS | Carat UK were out in full force last night across two cities at Campaign UK's Media Week and MPA - Manchester Publicity Association Inspiration Awards 💙 A huge congratulations to the teams, and of course to our wonderful clients and partners. Media Week Awards: 🏆 GOLD - Agency | Media Idea: Launch - How the Co-op turned a £206m cyber attack into a year-long initiative to teach young people about the dangers of cyber-gang grooming 🏆 SILVER - Innovation & Creative Intelligence | Media Creativity: £250K-£1M - How the Co-op turned a £206m cyber attack into a year-long initiative to teach young people about the dangers of cyber-gang grooming MPA Inspiration Awards: 🏆 Best Sales Team Campaign - Good for the Soul - Mail Metro Media, Carat & VisitScotland

Difference is a growth advantage. Media should amplify it. Our Global Brand President Chrissie Hanson speaks to Campaign UK about the thinking behind Carat’s next chapter: challenging the approaches that push brands towards the middle, where distinction and advantage are lost. She explores how new capabilities are helping us identify wasted reach and make more deliberate choices that cut waste, earn attention and drive growth for our clients. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/eCUZwG9R

AWARDS | Carat UK's Olivia Snowden has made The Media Leader UK's Future 100 Club Class of 2026 🎉 She championed the move to take Carling beyond football sponsorship and into podcasting. Alongside a brilliant team, that became two seasons of Could It Be Magic?, a World Cup spin-off and two Media Week shortlists. Her colleagues also voted her Most Positive Vibes and Going the Extra Mile this year. As she puts it, great leadership should be measured "by how effectively we develop people", and she's already doing exactly that. Huge congratulations, Olivia. Thoroughly deserved. Read more about Olivia here: https://lnkd.in/e2bC6-R3 #Future100 #TheMediaLeader #Carat

AWARDS | Two wins at last night's IPA Effectiveness Awards 🥇 Gold for Lurpak, with Wieden+Kennedy London and Arla Foods. Nineteen years leading the butter category by talking about cooking, not butter. 🥉 Bronze for Madrí Excepcional, with Ogilvy UK and Molson Coors Beverage Company. A lager with no heritage that became a £1bn brand in five years. An honourable mention also to our clients, VodafoneThree, who were also awarded bronze for SMARTY Mobile 👏 The IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) doesn't hand these out for good-looking work. You have to prove it paid back. And we're incredibly proud that ours did. Congratulations to our clients and partners, and of course to the Carat teams who worked on both brands 👏 #IPAEffectiveness #Effectiveness #Carat #dentsu

Looking forward to discussing how marketeers find the difference that matters in their measurement approach with some super smart people at Drum Live this Wednesday.

THINKING | Remember when TV ads were part of the culture? Mike McCoy, President at Carat UK, shared with NewDigitalAge why he thinks streaming gives brands a chance to bring that back. Co-viewing creates stronger emotional responses, and that's where brand memory gets built. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/e65g8zJ7 #Carat #CTV #Streaming #Advertising

AWARDS | Carat UK, alongside clients Co-op, Carling, Vodafone and VisitScotland, have secured seven shortlists at the 2026 Media Week Awards. Our nominations reflect the range of challenges our teams have helped clients address across media creativity, content and audio and demonstrate the strength of the partnerships behind each campaign. You can read more about each of the campaigns here: https://lnkd.in/eMzaAi5W