Omnicom doubled its cost-synergy target overnight and its share price jumped 13%. WPP has already cut 7,000 roles. Ian Whittaker writes on the financial logic that is quietly tearing the agency industry apart, and why Publicis is the only one that can say no.

The grades are in for Campaign Asia's 23rd annual evaluation of APAC agency networks. Knowledge subscribers get early access.

It follows the appointment of a new chief people officer, Mark Taylor, former chief people advisor at Lego Brand Group.

From Ellie Brocklehurst's elevation at Omnicom Advertising Asia, Shane Geffen exit at Hero, and Deloitte’s David Gatt's move to Omnicom Oceania in a week of senior reshuffles.

The work, created by indie agency The Friday, stars Vietnamese singer Phùng Khánh Linh.

The account was awarded without a pitch.

Starcom holds the top spot in an indie-heavy table, while WPP continues to lead among holding groups.

Users of several legacy search tools will be automatically upgraded to AI Max by the end of September.

Publicis’ Rish Gopal has spent eight years in Japan watching brands get culture wrong. He says the problem isn’t data but a lack of patience, and that the long game is the only one that works.

WPP’s EssenceMediacom is the incumbent on the account.

Debuting after the Masters Tournament, the new work addresses the gap between AI expectations and business results.

The business is won after a competitive pitch.

Rushing the brief doesn’t save time; it just moves it to the most expensive part of the process, says Pieter-Paul von Weiler, co-founder of BetterBriefs.

The redundancies to centralise marketing under Asad Ayaz were confirmed via an internal staff memo. CEO Josh D’Amaro said, “this is hard”, but necessary to streamline operations.

In a closed-loop economy, the stakes are higher and the margin for error thinner. Microsoft’s choice of Publicis challenges the idea that tech will make agencies obsolete.

Brosgill, who grew Assembly's Asia-Pacific footprint across 14 markets and led the ADK Global acquisition, has stepped down after 16 years with the network. No successor has been named.