Observed Signal · Jul 14, 2026 · Company Profile · Source: The Drum · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Publisher-agency TCO outlines culture-first approach
TCO London (originally The Church of London) operates as both an independent publisher and a creative agency, combining three magazine brands — Huck, Little White Lies and Sandwich — with agency work for global clients. Founded 20 years ago, TCO emphasizes authenticity and tightly integrated teams rather than scale. Simon Baker has been managing director since 2017, while co-founder Vince Medeiros is publisher and a lecturer at Goldsmiths College. TCO holds global creative accounts including Gore‑Tex and Nike, has produced experiential work for Selfridges, and created cultural research such as its Cannes-released report 'The Great Unnrotting.' The company leverages editorial-led access to niche communities and creative talent to inform branded entertainment and cultural campaigns for advertisers.
Profile of an independent publisher-agency hybrid that showcases an editorial-led model for branded entertainment and experiential work — useful as a case study for brands and agencies but not industry-shifting.
Track Nike Signals & Market Shifts in Real-Time
Polaris7 autonomous intelligence agents track regulatory filings, primary sources, executive changes, and deal flow 24/7. Create your free Explorer workspace to monitor these entities.
Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- TCO London operates as both an agency and a publisher, owning the magazines Huck, Little White Lies and Sandwich.
- TCO was set up 20 years ago as The Church of London.
- Simon Baker has been TCO’s managing director since 2017; he previously worked at ITN as head of branded content.
- Co-founder and publisher Vince Medeiros is a lecturer in promotional media at Goldsmiths College and holds a PhD.
- TCO holds global creative accounts including Gore‑Tex and Nike, built an experiential skate bowl for Selfridges, and produced the Cannes-released report 'The Great Unnrotting.'
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mapped“has landed major contracts with the likes of Nike (with its ‘No Noise’ running series);...”
“Sandwich follows its own publishing schedule, with each issue produced bespoke with a sponsor and release when it’s good and ready (it was b...”
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Brand Measurement Needs a New Source of Truth
The article argues that traditional brand measurement, relying on surveys and panels from firms like Kantar, Ipsos, and NielsenIQ, suffers from information loss and unreliable human responses. It proposes augmenting these metrics with real-world behavioral signals, such as consumer search data, social media sentiment, e-commerce interactions, and even AI discovery responses. The author describes a model that uses AI to analyze unstructured data in real time, providing mental availability, perception, and commercial power metrics. An example client campaign shows how these augmented metrics provide near-real-time feedback, making brand budgets defensible sooner. The article concludes that brand measurement should move towards a multisource approach, integrating both traditional surveys and new AI-driven signals.
Getting Fired, Risk and Ambition at Changemakers
The Marketing Society's Changemakers conference explored career resilience, ambition, and failure. Speakers included Laura Brown, former InStyle EIC, who discussed her layoff and the importance of personal equity separate from job titles. Sofia Hernandez, ex-TikTok executive, talked about leaving a high-powered role for health reasons and the evaporation of corporate status. Wendy Kula, now CMO of Saucony, took a year off after Nike restructure to combat burnout. Maryam Banikarim, former Hyatt CMO, stepped away at 50 to prioritize family. Sam Tomlinson, CEO of MediaSense, advocated for a 'learn fast' culture and criticized corporate risk elimination over risk management. The event focused on defining success beyond big titles and embracing failure as a growth path.
Brands Must Create Entertainment in Creator Age
At the inaugural Jupiter Festival in Miami, industry experts outlined ten practical rules for brands navigating the creator age. Key takeaways include: brands must adopt mobile-first storytelling and understand vertical video's unique grammar, audiences follow attention across platforms, and building persistent brand worlds is more valuable than one-off placements. Successful content discovery requires significant marketing investment, and brands should integrate creator capability internally. Hiring individuals who have demonstrated audience-building skills is advised, and creators should be treated as infrastructure, not a campaign tactic. Unilever's expansion from 10,000 to 300,000 creator relationships exemplifies scalability. Ultimately, brands must create compelling content that audiences choose to watch, rather than interrupting them with overt commercial messages.
Track Real-Time Market Signals & Shifts
Set up custom watchlists to receive automated, evidence-grounded executive digests whenever material signals or shifts occur across your tracked landscape.