How AI, China and media consolidation is keeping the global ad market 'buoyant' - with WPP Media's Kate Scott-Dawkins

Last week, WPP Media released its mid-year global advertising forecast report. As Kate Scott-Dawkins, WPP Media’s global president of business intelligence and author of the report said, the growth picture for advertising is "quite buoyant", even in the midst of severe geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty. As the global advertising community descends upon sunny Cannes this week, including us at *The Media Leader*, deals will be cut, rose will be drunk, parties will be had. But ahead of the pomp and circumstance, *The Media Leader* wanted to take a close look at where the industry stands after a deeply unstable H1. Host Jack Benjamin caught up with Scott-Dawkins last week to unpack the strong growth picture despite that instability, and look ahead to the end of the year and beyond. The duo discussed the rise of China, the decline traditional ad sellsers, and why AI is driving substantial growth in the ad industry. **Highlights:** **1:39:** Unstable global business market, buoyant global ad market **6:01:** AI's 'Manifest Destiny' and 'Gold Rush' moment **9:31:** Is platform-driven media consolidation good for advertisers? How big is too big? **12:58:** Impact of social media ban and potential tech regulation **16:13:** What happens if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed? **19:32:** How AI is impacting the labour market, and what it means for consumer spending **24:58:** The rise of China and the bifurcation of marketing stacks **Related articles:** WPP Media upgrades growth forecast despite macro headwinds Strait of Hormuz disruption threatens $94bn of global ad investment over next 18 months