We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our latest client, Nordic supplements company 4HIM & HER, on TV in the UK.  Since going live on June 10th, the campaign is showing really promising performance right out of the gate, with day one sales up 41% vs average.

 

Our relationship started at the beginning of the year and we’ve overseen the whole process getting the client live from concept to airtime.  We’re proud to have helped another international client reap the benefits of UK TV advertising.

 

A brilliant job from our AV Account Director James Budden and massive thanks to the team at 4HIM & HER for trusting us with their money.

A huge welcome to Thanh Nguyen who joins the team as Digital Media Manager.

 

Thanh brings with her a wealth of experience across search and social and has already made a huge impact in the office helping our digi team go from strength to strength.

A brilliant read from Alex, our Director of Growth, on AI and why human creativity in media planning matters more than ever…

 

“Walking through the halls of SXSW London this year, I couldn’t help but reflect on how dramatically the conversation has shifted since my last visit to the festival’s original Austin home in 2019. Back then, I was there with Funnel Music, the company I co-founded, and the industry was consumed with one word: copyright. Panel after panel dissected rights management, streaming royalties, and the complex web of music ownership in the digital age.

 

But here’s what struck me most about 2019 – while the conference rooms buzzed with legal debates, the real magic was happening in the venues. Acts like Fontaines D.C., Black Midi, and Squid were tearing up stages, creating sounds that felt genuinely revolutionary. These artists weren’t just following algorithms or trends; they were forging entirely new paths through raw creativity and human intuition.

 

Fast forward to SXSW London 2025, and the pendulum has swung dramatically. The dominant theme wasn’t copyright – it was AI. Every other session seemed to explore how artificial intelligence would reshape content creation, marketing strategies, and audience engagement. The enthusiasm was palpable, and admittedly, some of the possibilities are genuinely exciting.

 

Yet something felt missing. Where 2019 had those breakthrough musical moments that made you stop in your tracks, this year’s festival felt notably light on those serendipitous discoveries. Perhaps it’s coincidence, or perhaps there’s something deeper at play about how we’re approaching creativity in the age of AI.

 

The Homogenisation Risk

 

This shift from copyright concerns to AI fascination has me thinking deeply about our industry. As Director of Growth at Mostly Media – a top 50 independent media planning and buying company – I spend my days hearing our team’s strategies that cut through the noise to reach the right audiences with the right message at the right moment.

 

The promise of AI in media planning is undeniable. It can process vast datasets, identify patterns human analysts might miss, and optimise campaigns with impressive precision. But here’s the critical question we need to ask: if everyone has access to the same AI tools, analysing the same data pools, and following the same algorithmic recommendations, where does differentiation come from?

 

We’re at risk of creating an echo chamber of strategy. When every media planner is using similar AI models trained on similar datasets, we inevitably converge toward similar solutions. The nuanced understanding of brand voice, the intuitive grasp of cultural moments, the ability to spot emerging trends before they’re reflected in the data – these uniquely human capabilities become our competitive advantage.

 

The Human Edge in Media Planning

 

The best media planning has always been part science, part art. Yes, we need the data, the analytics, the performance metrics. But we also need the human insight that recognises when a TikTok trend is about to break mainstream or understands that a particular audience segment responds to authenticity over polish – or spots the cultural moment that makes a brand message resonate.

 

At Mostly Media, we’re embracing AI as a powerful tool, not a replacement for strategic thinking. We use it to surface insights, automate routine tasks, and optimise performance. But our value lies in the interpretation, the creative application, and the strategic direction that only comes from human experience and intuition.

 

Learning from the Music Industry

 

The contrast between those 2019 SXSW breakthrough acts and this year’s more muted musical landscape (don’t come at me for this, of course there were highlights, that’s not the point) offers a valuable lesson. Fontaines D.C., Black Midi, and Squid didn’t emerge from algorithmic recommendations – they came from scenes, from human connections, from the kind of organic cultural movements that happen when creative people push boundaries without knowing exactly where they’re going.

 

Similarly, the most effective media strategies often come from understanding the human stories behind the data. It’s about recognising that behind every click, view, and engagement is a person with complex motivations, cultural context, and emotional needs that can’t be fully captured in a dataset.

 

Moving Forward

 

As we navigate this AI-powered future, the key is balance. We should absolutely leverage these powerful tools to enhance our capabilities and deliver better results for our clients – and in truth, we’re on an AI train which is not for turning. But we must resist the temptation to let AI think for us entirely.

 

The future belongs to those who can combine AI’s analytical power with human creativity, cultural insight, and strategic intuition. Those who can use technology to amplify their uniquely human abilities rather than replace them.

 

Just as those breakthrough artists at SXSW 2019 didn’t follow formulas but created something genuinely new, the most successful media strategies will come from planners who use AI as a springboard for innovation, not a crutch for conformity.

 

The question isn’t whether AI will transform our industry – it already is. The question is whether we’ll use it to become more human in our approach, or less.

 

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So, did AI write this? What do you think? And actually, do you care?”

 

Credit: Alex Pilkington, Director of Growth

We are absolutely delighted to see Mostly Media ranked in Campaign UK top 50 media agencies in the UK again this year.

 

By my estimation we are a top 20 ‘independent’ media agency & a top 3 ‘independent’ media agency outside London.

 

Not a bad effort for a business that started at the kitchen table of the very special David Eccles back when calculators needed batteries!

 

Thanks to all our clients that continue to trust us with their money. As always, we will continue to strive to make your advertising pounds and dollars work harder this year.

 

Huge thanks to the incredible Team Mostly, who continue drive the business forward every day with their inspiration, hard work and unfeasibly large sugar consumption.

 

Stu Smith, MD

The latest ABC UK Consumer Report shows a 7.3% drop in average magazine circulation across the board in 2024. While print circulation overall is down, it’s not all bad news. There are still titles out there showing how print media can still drive results. These successes prove that if you adapt to your audience’s needs, print media can still be a powerful tool for growth. If readers are spending their hard-earned money on a publication the chances are they are incredibly brand loyal, and this brand loyalty is where the magic can happen for advertisers. It’s been the same since the first advertisement was placed in the first magazine.

 

At Mostly Media, we’ve been buying print media for over 30 years on behalf of our clients. We’re still proud to work with many clients who are using print media successfully to boost their sales and drive their brands. It’s undoubtedly a tough market, but there are still great opportunities out there, and we’re here to help you navigate them.  So, if you’re looking to boost your brand’s presence and sales, then maybe don’t discount press just yet, get in touch with us and we’ll help.