News

Much of the content we share is created and shared by our community. We strive to deliver a positive, respectful environment for our community to share their own views and opinions, but these may not always directly align or reflect those of Don’t Panic and the UK Paid & Performance Media Awards.

FEATURED NEWS The UK Paid & Performance Media Awards: Why We've Evolved Published – 28.07.2026 The paid media landscape doesn’t ever stand still. Just this year to date we have seen META Ads integrate with Claude, META rolling out ad-level placement controls, conversion ads coming to ChatGPT, and Google introducing the Business Agent for leads. Keeping up is all part of the weekly routine. We know the pressure is on […] Read More

Image: The UK Paid & Performance Media Awards: Why We’ve Evolved

The UK Paid & Performance Media Awards: Why We’ve Evolved The paid media landscape doesn’t ever stand still. Just this year to date we have seen META Ads integrate with Claude, META rolling out ad-level placement controls, conversion ads coming to ChatGPT, and Google introducing the Business Agent for leads. Keeping up is all part of the weekly routine. We know the pressure is on […] Read More

Image: AI and Paid & Performance Media: The Opportunity, The Tension, and The Human in the Middle

AI and Paid & Performance Media: The Opportunity, The Tension, and The Human in the Middle Artificial intelligence in paid and performance media is equal parts exciting and complicated. Here’s where we think things stand. The AI upside is significant Let’s start with what’s working, because a lot is. Automated bidding has matured considerably. Smart Bidding across Google and Microsoft, Meta’s Advantage+ campaigns, and equivalent tools across the major platforms now […] Read More

Image: Launching a Travel Insurance Start-Up with Paid Search at Scale

Launching a Travel Insurance Start-Up with Paid Search at Scale Launching a new brand into a competitive market is never easy — especially in the travel insurance sector, where established providers dominate search results and customer trust plays a huge role in purchase decisions. When Gigasure approached Loop Digital to support the launch of their new travel insurance brand, the challenge was clear: generate rapid […] Read More

Image: Mabo Shortlisted for Best Use of AI in Paid Media at the UK Paid Media Awards

Mabo Shortlisted for Best Use of AI in Paid Media at the UK Paid Media Awards Award-winning UK digital marketing agency Mabo is excited to announce that we have been shortlisted for Best Use of AI in Paid Media at the UK Paid Media Awards. The shortlisting recognises a campaign where we helped a UK Outdoor Retailer evolve their paid media strategy, moving beyond a long-standing Manual Shopping setup and introducing […] Read More

Image: Helping renters find a home: Why Focus Agency Group is shortlisted for Real Estate & Property Campaign of the Year at the UK Paid Media Awards 2026

Helping renters find a home: Why Focus Agency Group is shortlisted for Real Estate & Property Campaign of the Year at the UK Paid Media Awards 2026 At Focus Agency Group, we believe property marketing works best when it reflects real people, real decisions and real lives. That thinking has helped earn us a shortlist at the UK Paid Media Awards 2026 in the Real Estate & Property Campaign of the Year category for our work with Simple Life Homes. The campaign […] Read More

Image: Starlight Digital nominated for Travel Campaign of the Year 2026

Starlight Digital nominated for Travel Campaign of the Year 2026 At Starlight Digital, we’re paid media experts specialising in Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Social Media Ads and Amazon Ads. We were founded in March 2021 by Steven Mikellides – a multi-award winning digital ads specialist with 15 year’s experience under his belt. Steven previously worked for some of the largest digital marketing agencies in the […] Read More

Image: Exter Media Shortlisted for UK Paid Media Awards 2026

Exter Media Shortlisted for UK Paid Media Awards 2026 We are proud to share that Exter Media has been shortlisted as a finalist at the UK Paid Media Awards 2026. For our team, this recognition means more than strong campaign metrics. It represents validation of a paid media approach built around clarity, structure, and commercial accountability. We started Exter Media with a simple belief. […] Read More

Image: Creative is the New Essential for Paid Media Targeting

Creative is the New Essential for Paid Media Targeting Author: Verónica Ruiz Morcillo Creatives are becoming a central pillar in paid media. As platforms increasingly move towards automation, our approach to work and the elements we can control are evolving. This is where creatives play a crucial role in what we can influence and manage. This is not just something advertisers have been witnessing […] Read More