JOE MANDESE

Joe Mandese is the Editor in Chief of MediaPost. You can reach Joe at joe@mediapost.com.
- Obit: Long-Time Media Research Leader Andy Brown, Dead At 63 in
MediaDailyNews on
05/26/2026
Andy Brown, best known for his role as chairman-CEO of Kantar Media, died May 21. He was 63.
- Dentsu Revises Downward At Mid-Year in
MediaDailyNews on
05/26/2026
"The global advertising spend outlook is positive," the agency states, attributing a moderate downgrade as "informed by economic uncertainty tied to geopolitical tensions."
- Speaking Truthiness To Power in
TV Watch on
05/22/2026
Stephen Colbert was the late-night host we didn't know we needed until we really needed him. And by we I mean the majority of us who still believe media is supposed to speak truth to power. Or in
Colbert's case, truthiness.
- Are Synthetic Insights Better, Worse Or Just Different Than Human Ones? in
Planning & Buying Insider on
05/21/2026
That's what I asked Brandience's Brian McHale when he briefed me on the agency's new AI-generated "Synthetic Market Research & Testing" system.
- On The Bright Side, I'll Probably Be Getting Fewer PR Pitches In The Future in
Media 3.0 on
05/15/2026
"Authority is no longer controlled by editors," reads a new report from PR firm 5W advising brands and PR pros to pitch the primary sources of AI engines instead. You know, Wikipedia, Reddit, YouTube,
etc.
- Havas Media Net Creates B2B Role, Taps WPP's Gower To Fill It in
MediaDailyNews on
05/11/2026
"B2B marketing today requires a more connected approach that reflects how decisions are actually made," says Kristin Gower, who joins from global client president at WPP.
- If It Breeds (Chaos), It Leads in
Red, White & Blog on
05/11/2026
In a first, Truth Social has taken the No. 2 slot (just behind Fox News) among right-wing news sites, thanks in large part to Trump's chaotic messaging about the war in Iran.
- Remember The Metaverse? Now There's A Metaphorverse, Thanks To DirecTV in
MediaDailyNews on
05/11/2026
The week-long campaign will surgically target "upfront week" attendees across NYC via digital OOH, LED trucks and even on airplane seat-back screens.
- Made For Bill Duggan in
Planning & Buying Insider on
05/08/2026
More than anyone I've known, Bill Duggan was made-for-advertising. I mean that in the good way. The question is whether advertising can make another Bill Duggan.
- ANA Town Hall: 'How About Nothing -- Is Nothing Good For You?' in
Planning & Buying Insider on
05/07/2026
"That's not a sustainable chart," the 4As' Matt Kasindorf concluded, using his hands as the best gestural explanation for the decline in agency compensation fees and the rise in principal
media-buying.
- Made For Bill Duggan
by
Joe Mandese
(Planning & Buying Insider on
05/08/2026)
@Geoffrey Precourt: Full disclosure, everything I know about being an ad industry journalist I learned from you.
- I've Got 47 Problems But 86 Ain't One
by
Joe Mandese
(Red, White & Blog on
04/29/2026)
@Adam Buckman: Doh! Great catch. Hope there's a TVBlog in the future about that. Lift the Cone of Silence, please. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Adams#/media/File:DonAdams.jpg
- I've Got 47 Problems But 86 Ain't One
by
Joe Mandese
(Red, White & Blog on
04/29/2026)
@Dan C. from MS Entertainment: You're conveniently ignoring my "for illustration purposes only" disclaimer on Gemini's (not my) analysis. I wouldn't put statistical significance in that. As I noted there has been a conflation between the terms "86" and the lesser known/used mobster term "8 miles out 6 feet under." Perhaps my most important points were about "gaslighting" and "Mandela Effects" and the collective misremembering and twisting of reality that happens when someone like Donald Trump is using the powers of his office to distort the meaning of things, including a pop culture term like "86." It clearlly has never been meant to "kill" someone, but to get rid of someone. The real meaning of words is about the context of who, what, when, where and why people use them. If a mob hit man were using the term "86," I'd grant the meaning was to execute someone. If a top career law enforcement official who happens to be a president's political rival is using it, I believe the context was to remove that president from office. #seashells
- New Programmatic 'Transparency' Initiative Excludes Advertisers
by
Joe Mandese
(Planning & Buying Insider on
04/21/2026)
@Anthony Katsur from IAB Tech Lab: Thanks for the update. Interesting you didn't say that when you announced it and only after MediaPost pointed it out. Your release reads like a supply-side and agency-side intiative with the only reference to advertisers being a quote from an agency executive stating agencies "are responsible for navigating a massive supply chain on behalf of advertisers" -- coming years after advertisers undertook for themselves (see above). Feels like catch up, but others can read for themselves @ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iab-tech-lab-launches-industry-council-to-address-transparency-in-200b-us-programmatic-ad-market-302748778.html
- Nielsen: Move Along, Nothing To See Here (*)
by
Joe Mandese
(Planning & Buying Insider on
04/14/2026)
@Ed Papazian: Also for your knowledge: https://www.wsj.com/cmo-today/nbcuniversal-says-nielsen-devalues-media-companies-with-inaccurate-metrics-d2490068
- Nielsen: Move Along, Nothing To See Here (*)
by
Joe Mandese
(Planning & Buying Insider on
04/14/2026)
@Ed Papazian: For your knowledge... https://mediaratingcouncil.org/sites/default/files/News/MRC%20Releases%20Update%20on%20the%20MRC-Accredited%20Nielsen%20National%20Big%20Data%20%2B%20Panel%20Television%20Service.pdf
- Nielsen: Move Along, Nothing To See Here (*)
by
Joe Mandese
(Planning & Buying Insider on
04/14/2026)
@Ed Papazian: While the first part of your comment is definitely true, in this case, Nielsen is knowingly publishing data it knows is not accurate and misrepresents what it is giving clients now (in the form of impact data so they can make upfront planning estimates) and what they will be publishing as actual "currency" beginning this fall. They are willfully publishing data they know is not representative of the marketplace, but which happens to benefit streamers in the meantime. Read into that what you want.
- Can An Ad Industry Award Save Democracy?
by
Joe Mandese
(Red, White & Blog on
04/06/2026)
@Ed Papazian: The U.S. definitely is still characterized as a liberal democracy, but its ranking has fallen precariously in V-Dem's index. In terms of skewing democracy's weight,.the U.S. is only 4.5% of the world population.
- The Ben & Jerry's Of Tomato Sauce Brands
by
Joe Mandese
(CPG Insider on
03/31/2026)
@Dan C. from MS Enterainment: That's the thing you zero in on? I don't understand why you always comment on some personal slight instead of commenting on the overall substance of something we publish. It's like you're always looking to make a dig, and I suspect that's your real objective.Personally, I tolerate that when you do that with my commentary, because I'm editor-in-chief, but I don't understand why you're always looking to stir up some kind of personal criticism about someone posting something on MediaPost. In any case, you're entitled to express your own opinion about "sauce" vs. "gravy," but that's literally why I put the word "gravy" in quotes. It was an homage to my Italian American ancestors, not what I personally use to describe tomato sauce.In fact, my article referred to "sauce" five times and referenced "gravy" only once, and that one was in quotes.But I suppose you'll pick a fight over those quants too.
- The Ben & Jerry's Of Tomato Sauce Brands
by
Joe Mandese
(CPG Insider on
03/31/2026)
@Dan C. from MS Entertainment: Not sure why you always personalize your comments, but gravy is what the old school Italian Americans I grew up with called tomato sauce. Some of them from Arthur Avenue.https://share.google/323C3d3YEA3JySfLX