Hello Starling

I couldn’t agree with this chap more! I genuinely believe that you can’t fix what you don’t understand from the inside. 
A career politician who’s never worked on a ward, never balanced a budget, or never run a business will always be one step removed from reality. They get their information from civil servants and lobbyists whereas people who’ve actually done the job feel it in their bones. For me, expertise and experience beats ideology every time.
 Generalist politicians talk in slogans but those who have spent years in the trade know what actually works and what doesn’t. We keep electing generalists with very little experience, then act surprised when the NHS stays broken and the economy keeps lagging. To be clear, I’m not anti politician, I am just pro competence and I think the people who have walked the walk are best placed to do the job of running these huge government departments.

@WillHayCardiff Da iawn, Will! You and your team are marvellous and deserve all of the luck and success. Keep up the great work! 💛

In September 2024 I quit my job at a large news organisation to go it alone and start a business running a Welsh politics newsletter. Yesterday we had a team of 16 working to cover the most important election in Wales’ history. We had eight in the news room as well as representatives at nine of the counts. Thank you to the team who worked so hard to make it happen. Wales is so underrepresented when it comes to coverage and it was privilege to help tell the story. Over 100k people read the newsletter yesterday and in the last month have had 12 million (yes 12 million!?) views on social media. Thanks you to our sponsors. Especially @hellostarling_ who have been with us since the beginning. But most of all, thank you to everyone who puts their hands in their pockets to support us. We are now have over 12,000 subscribers. Without you we literally could not do this. Proper coverage and scrutiny of Welsh politics and politicians has never been more important and we excited to hold all 96 of our new MSs to account and help people better understand Cymru. I am so lucky that I get to cover the country I love for living.

There’s something in the air today. Something feels different. Is it ‘fairness you can feel’? Or is it a feeling that Wales is about to be ‘fixed’? Or is it that there could be ‘new leadership for Wales?’ Whatever you feel today, please go and have your say by voting. It’s one of the greatest things we have and in some countries, citizens don’t have that right, so please, exercise your democratic right, regardless of who you vote for, please, go and put a cross in a box 🗳️

We’ve been awarded the IPA's (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) People First Promise certificate 🙌 This means we have been officially recognised for putting our people first. Not just in words, but in action 💛

👀 We're looking for a Media Planner and Buyer on a Fixed-Term contract. If you have media agency experience, Nia and Jamie in our team would love to hear from you. 👇 Check out our jobs page today! buff.ly/A0I3fyF

It's great to receive this kind of feedback from the lovely brands we work with. It's the kind of feedback that gets us out of bed in the morning to do what we do best: Media planning and buying that gets results 💪

With just 18 days until the Senedd elections, today is the last day to register to vote. If you’re not on the electoral roll yet, go to vote.wales before midnight tonight. This election feels different and not just because we are electing 96 Members to a reformed Senedd with new powers and new constituencies. This is a genuine chance for Wales to reset, to demand better public services, to tackle the housing crisis, to fix our NHS waiting lists, to protect our language and culture, and to start closing the prosperity gap. But real change only happens when we understand the problems properly In the first place, and that’s why I am a champion of @WillHayCardiff’s brilliant new book - Who Cares About Wales? Why the Welsh Need to Get Angry. Will lays out exactly why so many people in Wales feel overlooked, frustrated, and sometimes forgotten and why that anger could actually be the fuel we need to build something better. There’s also a lush forward by the fabulous @carolvorders! If you want to go into this election informed, fired up, and understanding of the deeper challenges we face (instead of just the usual soundbites you see from politicians), this book is essential reading. When I finished it I genuinely thought differently about Cymru’s potential. To get the conversation going, I’m going to gift 10 copies of the book. If you’d like one, just DM me. There’s no catch, I just want more people across Wales reading this ahead of the election. Wales deserves better but we only get better if we show up, get informed, and get angry in the right way 👌

In today’s audio world, one of the most rapidly evolving spaces is programmatic audio advertising. This article will teach you what programmatic audio is and why it might be the perfect pitch for your brand 📻 eu1.hubs.ly/H0t1N5c0

In Adland, we're often guilty of using acronyms, and they can sometimes lead to confusion, so we are here to help you understand the difference between your DOOH and your prDOOH so you're not left thinking WTAF?! eu1.hubs.ly/H0t1KNP0

For decades, every new marketing technology has triggered the same fear: that automation will make creativity redundant, media planning unnecessary, and budgets obsolete. So, will AI shrink budgets? Find out what we think here 👇 eu1.hubs.ly/H0t1K-X0

🗣️ Voice search isn’t a future trend any more. It’s here, it’s mainstream, and it’s reshaping how people find brands, products and services. If you’re saying “Alexa, help me, I’m a marketer”, this one’s for you. eu1.hubs.ly/H0t1Lgw0

There’s a part of the media industry most marketers never see, and it's a bit like a game of spot the difference... If you’ve ever wondered how your media is really being bought, or what questions to ask your agency, we've written an explainer below 👇 eu1.hubs.ly/H0t1Kpq0

👀 We're looking for a Media Planner and Buyer on a Fixed-Term contract, so if you have media agency experience, we’d love to hear from you. 👇 Check out our jobs page today! eu1.hubs.ly/H0sW7_D0

Every new bit of marketing technology triggers the same fear: that automation will make creativity redundant, media planning unnecessary, and budgets obsolete. But when it comes to AI, will it really shrink marketing budgets? Here's what we think 👇 eu1.hubs.ly/H0sT15q0

We are incredibly proud to have been part of such a brilliant night. Congratulations to the finalists, winners, and all of the phenomenal women of Wales. Da iawn, pawb. #wiw26

We're very excited about tonight's awards with @businessinWal. Good luck to all finalists and a special mention to the category we're sponsoring: Media Champion. Good luck to Beth Fisher, Ffion Morgan, and Gwen Crabb.

👀 We're looking for a Media Planner and Buyer: 💰 A salary of up to £35k (open to negotiation) 📅 40 days of annual leave plus bank holidays 👌 4 days work for 5 days' pay 🌎 Hybrid working 👁 Eye care 🏥 Healthcare 💫 Plus other great benefits eu1.hubs.ly/H0sxV4d0

On International Women’s Day, we're reminding you that women aren’t a segment. They’re half the population, as diverse and complex as any audience. The best campaigns don’t stereotype; they research, test, learn and find the right people, whomever they may be. Happy IWD!

Equality, fairness, honesty, and compassion. We can all fall short sometimes, but it's in pledging our commitment to these values that makes change happen. That's why we're proud to have made the Cardiff Equality City Pledge. Learn more at eu1.hubs.ly/H0sc6cY0

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🌼 Happy St. David’s Day 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🌼 We hope that your day is full of daffodils and Welsh cakes!