Sam Anderson

Network Editor

The Drum

I'm the editor for The Drum Network, working on stories from inside the marketing industry.

Before joining The Drum, I worked as a copywriter, writer and editor in agencies and consultancies. Before that, I flirted with a career in academic philosophy. I'm also interested in novels, movies, and quizzes.

Three cartoon characters

Has AI oversaturation already killed the opportunity to stand out?
PepsiCo's 'Tastes OK' campaign

The imaginary marketing awards: Ad execs’ unsung campaign heroes (and villains)
Piles of paper on a desk

Amid ‘endless’ 15-month pitch processes, new biz experts dream of standardization
The TikTok logo, lit by a ring light

A premature post-mortem: Ad execs on TikTok’s legacy so far
Adam Buxton recording a podcast in a field

Is lovingly crafted, homemade advertising Adam Buxton’s podcasting secret?
A desk chair on a street, in front of an orange wall

What do agency leaders make of increasing ‘return-to-office’ demands?
Lightbulbs and a mobile phone on an orange background

We ask marketers: What types of lead-generation content actually work for agencies?
A pair of human lips, with a finger to them in a 'shh' gesture

The ‘try not to talk about AI’ challenge: What tech trends are exciting ad execs?
Two colored pencils, on backgrounds of alternating colors

‘Brand and demand aren’t opposites’: What mistakes do we make in conceptualizing B2B...
Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya in Dune: Part Two

Ahead of The Oscars, what are ad execs’ favorite ever movie marketing campaigns?
A range of different looking lanterns

How do gen Zers want the marketing industry to change?
An old-fashioned CRT TV, turned into a fish bowl

We ask marketers: Will the TV ad ‘slump’ keep getting worse, or is change coming?
The Fairy Grotto by Erastus Salisbury Field

B2B’s brand-building ‘renaissance’: Are we seeing shift to emotion and long-termism?
A pile of beer mats and logos

From the Geico gecko to Coke red, what’s the secret to an enduring brand asset?
Three open halves of oranges on a purple background

‘Time for demographic barriers to get smashed to pieces’: Ad execs on 2024 audiences
A robot's hand, bunched into a fist

‘The great unifier’: Marketing execs’ (tentative) generative AI hopes for 2024
A depiction of the evolution of humans in silhouette

‘Shit is going to get serious’: Marketers on how agency life is evolving in 2024
A person looking into a large pair of binoculars

Marketing moments to watch in 2024 (according to marketers)
A 360-degree bird's-eye view of the earth

What actually is immersive marketing (and where is it headed next)?
A computer file with the name '2023'

‘A year of contagious uncertainty’: Ad execs wrap up 2023