Media Matters: Ahmed Aden on the Re-Convergence of Creative and Media

Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, Ahmed Aden graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Mathematics and Economics. His career journey began in public service and took him through roles in banking and energy before he found his true passion in digital marketing.

With eight years of experience across global markets, he's known for blending creativity with analytical precision to drive campaign success. Outside of work, he’s a travel enthusiast who’s always ready for his next adventure and enjoys staying sharp with a good sports trivia challenge!

LBB> What was it about the world of advertising media that pulled you in? What did you do before you got into media?

Ahmed> Before I entered media, I spent time in the oil and gas industry, as well as in banking and insurance. These fields gave me a strong foundation in understanding risk, analytics, and large-scale operations.

But what really drew me into advertising media was the intersection of creativity and analytics. Media allows for creative campaigns to be crafted and tested in real time, and you can measure the impact in a way that’s both quantitative and immediate.

I saw it as a perfect blend of left- and right-brain thinking—balancing creative ideas with data-driven insights, which excited me from the start.

LBB> Over the course of your career, what have been the most significant changes you’ve seen in the media side of the industry?

Ahmed> Having spent seven years in digital media, one of the most significant changes has been the evolving landscape around privacy regulations, like GDPR and CCPA. These have made it more challenging to target individuals with the same level of precision we once enjoyed.

We’re also seeing the impact in terms of attribution—it's become harder to quantify media effectiveness when certain data is no longer accessible. As a result, we’ve had to adapt by finding new ways to balance personalisation with privacy, and shifting focus toward more anonymised data and broader, consent-based audience segmentation.

LBB> What was your first job in the media industry and give us a taste of the path that your career has been on?

Ahmed> My first job in the media industry was at DAC, where I cut my teeth in digital media. I was responsible for running paid search campaigns for an education client, where I learned the ropes of manual bidding and developed a strong understanding of STAG (Single Theme Ad Group) search structures.

It was very executional at the time, but that experience taught me the nuances of how small optimisations in search could lead to bigger results.

Since then, I’ve moved from hands-on campaign management to more strategic roles, helping clients navigate the complexities of today’s digital ecosystem.

LBB> In more recent years, which projects or clients have proven to be the most stimulating and satisfying to work on and why?

Ahmed> I find stimulation and satisfaction in every account I work on, as each presents its own unique challenges and opportunities.

Two accounts that stand out from my time in Canada were Brooks Running and The Fresh Market. Both required a deep understanding of consumer behaviour and careful media strategy to drive performance.

Since moving to England, I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with all of our European accounts. Some of the highlights include David Lloyd Clubs, Medivet, and Simon Kucher.

Each of these clients has unique challenges—growing market share, retaining market share, increasing brand awareness—and it's been rewarding to see the impact our media strategies have had across different goals and different markets.

LBB> In media, an understanding of human behaviour is so important – what are some of the most interesting changes you’re seeing in terms of how we behave with and interact with media?

Ahmed> The way people consume media has become more fragmented and fast-paced than ever. One of the biggest shifts is the rise of multi-screen behaviour—people are rarely focused on just one device at a time. This split attention has forced brands to think about how to engage audiences across platforms simultaneously.

Another interesting trend is the growing importance of user-generated content (UGC). Reviews, social posts, and influencer-driven conversations have become more trusted than traditional advertising, which means brands need to think differently about how they influence consumer perception.

LBB> Brand safety is more important than ever and consumers and campaign groups are increasingly holding brands to account for the media they choose to spend on – what are your thoughts on this phenomenon and how are you and your teams navigating it?

Ahmed> Brand safety is critical because media placements can shape how consumers perceive a brand. For example, if an ad is shown next to controversial content, it can harm the brand's image, even if the content isn't directly related to the ad.

Consumers today are more aware of where brands advertise, and they expect companies to be mindful of this. My team uses advanced verification technologies and pre-approved whitelists to ensure that our clients’ ads appear in safe and appropriate environments.

Beyond that, we’re also proactive in making sure the partners we work with share similar values when it comes to responsible content.

LBB> What do you think are the most pertinent debates happening in the media field right now?

Ahmed> One of the most pressing debates is around balancing data-driven marketing with consumer privacy. As privacy regulations become stricter, media agencies are having to rethink how to personalise without invading privacy.

Another major debate revolves around the role of AI—not just in automating processes but in maintaining a balance between efficiency and creativity. There’s also an important conversation happening about the environmental impact of digital advertising. As the industry moves increasingly online, the carbon footprint of digital media is being scrutinised, leading to more interest in sustainable advertising practices.

LBB> Decoupling, recoupling, creative agencies trying to build media functions, media agencies creating content studios... What’s your take on the relationship between creative and media and where do you think it’s going?

Ahmed> I think we’re witnessing a re-convergence between creative and media.

With today’s highly fragmented media landscape, it’s no longer enough to think of creative and media as separate silos. The best-performing campaigns are those where the creative is informed by real-time media data. Whether it's digital video or social ads, content needs to be dynamic and adaptable to audience behaviour, which means the teams working on media need to collaborate more closely with those creating the messaging.

In the future, I expect more agencies will bring these two functions even closer, possibly under the same roof.

LBB> The wider industry has become really obsessed with artificial intelligence, but media has been using variations of AI and algorithmic automation for some time – what’s your take on the longer-term influence of AI on media? Are there any aspects of media planning that you think AI could still have a big impact on?

Ahmed> AI has been a part of media planning for years, particularly with automated bid strategies that have optimised performance on platforms like Google and Facebook.

Going forward, AI will likely have an even bigger role, not just in automating tasks but in areas like predictive analytics and trend forecasting. One area where AI could still have a huge impact is in creative optimisations. While we already use AI to test creative variations, there's still a clear difference when something is entirely AI-generated. Maintaining the human touch in creative development is important, and it will be interesting to see how we balance AI-driven efficiencies with the need for authentic, relatable content.

LBB> More attention is being paid to the environmental impact of various media types, particularly in digital – where do you think the industry is in terms of tracking that impact and minimizing it?

Ahmed> The industry has started to take note of the environmental impact of digital media, but there’s still much more to be done. Some initial efforts are being made to measure the carbon footprint of programmatic advertising and data-heavy operations, but we need standardised metrics and practices.

I think we’re at the beginning of a shift where brands will increasingly favour sustainable media partners, and media agencies will need to adopt greener practices, whether that’s through the use of cleaner technologies or carbon offset initiatives. It’s an emerging space, but one that will become more critical in the coming years.