The new home for media planners and strategists at the heart of the APG

Media Planning Group

In much the same way as the original APG was formed, the MPG is an idea born out of the Advertising Who Cares? movement and a desire by media industry leaders and advertisers to ensure that we continue to put back into the industry to inspire and educate the next generation of strategists and planners. With technology and AI taking centre stage, this is a focused attempt to put human thinking and human interaction back into a process that has become increasingly automated and bring media and creative back into the same room.

What is The MPG?

The MPG sits alongside the APG and is the new home for media planners and strategists. It will run an extensive programme of activity covering training courses, debates and how to guides designed to unpack the fundamentals of media planning, encourage independent, critical thinking, and provide a view on the world of comms and media that is universal, rooted in decades of experience and insight.

"I am happy to bore anyone who asks with how brilliant the APG has been for me, throughout my career. Not only did I learn almost everything that's been vaguely useful to me through its training, books, award schemes and the like, it also built me an amazing network, introduced me to people who are now close friends and lets me occasionally do small things to let me pay all those benefits forward. And now with the MPG, this is all available for media planners and strategists as well"

- Kate Waters, ITV

What is MPG Membership?

With MPG membership, you receive the same benefits as APG membership, plus specific launch benefits for new MPG members who join between 1st April-31st May 2026.

MPG Membership Benefits

Free member-only access to our Think Tank that houses:
- All APG Awards case studies (over 400 award-winning strategies)
- Videos of our past events
- Jon Leach's Top Models & Super Model series
Access to our member-only APG Training Courses & Workshops and the new MPG focused programme

Free or discounted tickets to all APG and MPG Events

Access to our New Member Meet & Greet, held every month

Access to community initiatives like Arrive & Thrive, Time to Think and The Right to Disconnect that support the well-being of planners and strategists at work, and create pressure for positive change
Eligibility to enter the APG Awards 2027
Exclusive notification of all training and events

Introductory offer includes:

50% off The APG A-Z
50% off the first MPG training course

What is the cost for MPG Membership?

UK membership = £240+vat

Non-UK membership = £195+vat

Block membership (discount for a team of 5) = £980+vat

AAA membership (for your whole department) - please get in touch for a quote

Sign up today >

MPG Training Course

Our inaugural course has been designed and written by the best strategic thinkers from across the industry. This course will be helpful if you understand the basics of putting an implementational media plan together but you want to understand how to approach a client brief from a strategic point of view. You might already have 3-5 years of agency experience or you might simply want a planning refresh.

It will take place in person in London on 19th May 2026.

Go here for more info >

Upcoming Events

MPG Launch Event: The black box is the future of media planning

23rd April 2026 | 6pm-8pm BST | Live at VCCP London

The MPG launch event will take the form of one of the APG’s renowned “Noisy Thinking” sessions with a number of speakers, including David Wilding, Sally Weavers and James Shoreland debating different views on the provocation ’The black box is the Future of Media Planning’.

Get your ticket here >