Researchers from University College London (UCL) and the Royal College of Art (RCA) are launching a new Centre for Creative AI, in partnership with The Brandtech Group. The Centre, chaired by Alex Mahon, the outgoing Channel 4 CEO, aims to bring together academia and industry to pioneer creative AI applications across entertainment, media, fashion, music, and art. It’s supported by brands and tech companies including Diageo, Unilever, Runway, Snap, leading AI law firm Cooley, and the Design Museum.
There’s growing evidence that AI investments are paying off as 61% of marketers report they have already seen revenue grow as a result. This is according to a survey of 300 senior level marketers in Europe (UK, France and Germany) by Epsilon. The ‘AI in Marketing: Leadership and Impact in Europe’ study reports that while AI is transformative, organisations are at very different stages in their AI journey. Only 16% of marketers using AI see themselves as ‘Leading.’ Marketers report their organisations are most commonly in the ‘Scaling’ phase (36%) where AI is being integrated across multiple channels to support media buying and personalised content. At the more tentative end of the spectrum, 21% are still in the ‘Exploring’ phase. Just half in the ‘Exploring’ phase expect to see revenue growth from adoption – 10% lower than other, experienced respondents. Their expectations about reducing media ad waste are also slightly lower than those organisations in the other phases – 31% compared to 34%. Concerns over data privacy (37%) top the list of barriers to AI adoption. Just 6% of senior marketers say it is unlikely their organisations will allow AI to make autonomous decisions. Already 47% of Leading organisations allow AI to make some decisions autonomously, while only 18% insist on full human oversight.
Sky Media has announced the six winning brands of the 2025 Sky Zero Footprint Fund, securing a share of £2 million in media value to amplify their sustainable missions. Tony’s Chocolonely, GoodGym, WRAP, Fussy, GUPPYFRIEND,and PÄRLA have moved into the creative production phase, ahead of the Grand Prix final in November. There, the most impactful, creative, and inspiring advert will be awarded an additional £500,000 in media value. Each of the winning organisations will produce a TV campaign, using sustainable production guidance from AdGreen.
64% of UK marketers plan to increase AI investment in 2025, 76% say AI tools make teams more productive, and 76% are already seeing real ROI. That’s according to HubSpot’s ‘2025 State of AI in Marketing’ report. Just 36% of UK marketers say their company actively encourages AI use through official policy, while 31% say it’s only “somewhat encouraged.” 20% of UK marketers say AI use is somewhat limited by restrictive policies, while 11% report having no policy in place at all. 53% of UK marketers cite data privacy and compliance as a barrier to AI adoption, 43% say lack of time or training makes strategic use difficult, and 38% point to disconnected tools which reduce efficiency and add complexity. 51% of UK marketers are provided with workshops and learning sessions, 49% are provided with company-paid access to AI tools, 40% are provided with external consultants or advisors, and 36% are provided with structured training programmes for learning. At the same time, 59% of UK marketers are taking online courses, 59% are taking advantage of company-provided internal resources, and 53% are learning through video content from platforms like YouTube or TikTok. Despite barriers, nearly half (49%) of UK marketers describe themselves as eager to use AI. 69% believe they can spot AI errors when they occur. 74% believe most people will use some form of AI or automation in their jobs by 2030, and 69% agree that full implementation in their own company would unlock unprecedented growth.
A new report from Mediareach has revealed that the UK media and advertising industry is still failing to reflect the lived experiences of multicultural Britain. The ‘Multicultural Communities Report 2025’ shows that while 18% of the UK population now comes from non-White British backgrounds, and 40% in London, representation in advertising remains superficial, stereotypical, or absent altogether. Only 7% of UK ads feature people from BAME backgrounds in leading roles. 60% of adverts still feature exclusively or predominantly White casts. One in three portrayals of Black people are confined to music, sport or dancing. Only 9% of White audiences feel misrepresented in ads, compared to 30% of Asian and 34% of Black audiences.
Over half of UK consumers (57%) have little-to-no trust in brands to use AI responsibly, while 76% say they lack confidence in the data privacy of AI, a 41% drop since 2024. That’s according to new research from SAP Emarsys, which includes insights from 2,000 UK consumers and 250 UK marketers. As many as 87% of UK marketers now use AI, and 63% are increasing investment in AI this year, but just 19% of shoppers feel they receive enough value in return for their data.
Kantar has expanded its sustainability offer to help brands step up to the climate challenge and secure long-term growth. First is BrandSustainability, which helps brand owners to understand what people think about their brand when it comes to sustainability and how this contributes to brand growth. Complementing BrandSustainability is Bridging the Gap, which helps marketers identify how to encourage consumers to adopt sustainable behaviours. Bridging the Gap groups people into one of seven profiles, based on the different deep-seated beliefs that stop them from behaving more sustainably. In addition, Kantar’s Sustainable Transformation Practice has updated its Sustainability Sector Index dataset for 2025, with fresh insights covering the sustainability issues that matter most to consumers. Now in its fourth year, the 2025 Sustainability Sector Index is based on a survey of 20,000+ consumers in 22 markets.
41% of UK marketers believe AI will enrich their role within the next year, with one third (34%) saying that AI skills are increasing in value for organisations, according to research from Dotdigital. The report, entitled ‘The secret lives of marketing teams,’ highlights that AI is being used frequently to make teams more effective (46%) as well as to support the administrative side of the job (34%). While many agree that AI advancements are enabling better work, they also caution that the hype around AI may create false impressions of its ability to replace certain skillsets (23%). Brand awareness was named as the top priority for UK marketers in 2025, at 43%, with many being optimistic about it: 86% believe this goal is achievable. Marketers know that achieving this goal will require a combination of both agile digital marketing strategies with AI supporting and enabling teams to use more of their time on creative ideation (38%).
Customer engagement platform SALESmanago has announced the acquisition of Thulium, an omnichannel, AI-powered ecommerce-focused customer service solution.
