Campaign360 opens in Singapore: Highlights

Campaign360 2025 kicked off today at Marina Bay Sands, diving straight into the marketing industry’s toughest questions: Can brands drive real change in a world on fire? Is AI helping or hurting? And does the CMO still matter?

Opening the day, ex-Amazon UX lead Maren Costa delivered a powerful wake-up call on climate responsibility, challenging marketers to lead, not just sell. 

Still to come: the reveal of Campaign’s 2025 Power List spotlighting APAC’s top brand marketers, the region's Top 50 Brands and sharp sessoins from the region’s boldest voices. This isn’t business as usual, and the conversation has only just begun.

The full agenda is available on Campaign 360 website. 

Campaign Asia-Pacific's editorial team will bring highlights as the day unfolds. 

Watch this space. 

Opening remarks by Haymarket Media's managing director Atifa Silk

DAY ONE

The end of business as usual: marketing in the anthropocene
Opening keynote by Maren Costa, climate justice leader, former Amazon insider

“We are at a civilisation-defining crossroads, and staying the course would be suicide. Changing course needs radical coordinated global transformation on an emergency timeline. And maybe that's just so overwhelming, we just want to look away. I did, until I didn’t. So I ask you to consider, how long will you continue with business as usual? What's your tipping point when the risk of staying the course becomes more terrifying than the risk of choosing a radically new path?”

“Radical change saves money and will save your business, not to mention lives. You might think that customers won't go for it. The data says otherwise and demand for ethical brands is rising fast, and products that are marketed as sustainable grow 2.7 times faster. The brands that lead change are the ones that people will remember and reward. You might say ‘It's not our job, it's the government's job’. Governance is moving too slowly when they fail to lead; the burden and opportunity falls on our businesses. Don't wait for the inevitable carbon taxes, plastic bags or producer responsibility regulations. Lead for your cause—that's how reputations are built and how civilisations are staked.”

Look out for our full story on Campaign Asia-Pacific about Costa's suggestions of how brands can lead the climate course. 

Connect or die: A growth playbook in turbulent times
Speakers: Amrita Randhawa, Publicis SEA CEO; Sapna Nemani, chief solutions officer, Publicis APAC

Publicis leaders Amrita Randhawa and Sapana Nemani share how marketers can share a strategy for marketers to build connected ecosystems and power sustainable growth in rising volatility.

Randhawa:

“We analysed thousands of Q1 2025 earnings calls. The single biggest keyword in every marketer or CEO’s earnings call was: Where is growth coming from?

"And the answer is not inflation. Not pricing.

“The traditional marketing playbook isn’t working as well as it used to. It’s not just about doing everything BAU as the opening said, delivering launches, doing customisation, driving penetration, and getting growth. That’s no longer the case. In fact, growth from innovation is lower than marketers expect. Instead, local brands—brands that drive relevance at a national and hyper-local level—are working from a very different playbook.”

Nemani:

"Connected identity is a game-changer because it connects data in a meaningful way for brands. We need to connect capabilities in a way no one else can. And that happens in three ways. 

1. Connect your PESO – paid, earned, shared, owned – across touchpoints with no red lines.
2. Connect with content – smart, relevant, personal content arriving in people’s lives when they need it.
3. Connect to business outcomes – because growth today must be tied to real business impact.”

Is the role of the CMO still relevant in today’s digital-first landscape?

Lisa Ortner Ghouze, global head of marketing, financial markets, Standard Chartered:

“Emotional connection is the biggest untapped opportunity in B2B marketing. And I think about this a lot especially for a regulated entity. People think we’re marketing to very serious people who don’t like making jokes. Even if you’re marketing something very complex, there are still people behind everything. And whether we use gen AI tools to make decisions, ultimately, an emotional connection must be there. We have to challenge ourselves to be brave and more creative.”

Sarah Fox, VP and regional general manager, Disney Cruise Line:

“Obviously we need data. We need data to reinforce our KPIs, to understand if our finances are being spent in the right place, to understand if we're moving the needle appropriately. But it's in balance of creativity, right? It's how we connect emotionally to the consumer. And so, I think sometimes we can also get a little bit paralysed in data. To me, it's how you use data to be effective. Know you're being affected, but also using your gut and doing things in interesting ways. In business, it’s all about curiosity.”

Kenneth Lim, CMO, Singapore Tourism Board:

“It's challenging from the perspective of a tourism board. If you think about it, we don't own the entire consumer journey. I can do all of my other upper funnel marketing and my pre-arrival content, but when it comes to the products, how do consumers actually interact with the products and experiences? That data doesn’t lie with us, and that’s where our partnerships are really important. This is where we have to be agile in our data partnerships with our partners [such as with Sarah Fox’s Disney Cruise Line]. We get little pieces of information from our partners which can help us identify if we’re moving in the right direction. In the tourism borard space, partnerships are definitely critical.”

Amrita Randhawa, CEO, Publicis Groupe SEA:

“There are two things for me that are super important right now. The first is authenticity because there’s been a rejection of overly polished, overly curated [content]. It has to be authentic to the brand. But equally, consumers today have far less patience than ever before. It might sound old-school, but being responsive at the right point in time [is essential] because that one person is a pissed off consumer and they will make it their mission to destroy the brand. So the unforced link between authentic experiences and what those experiences look like are what marketers have to be thinking about.”

“I don't think as agency people we have ever needed empathy and the ability to listen and not sell more than we do now. I was reading a Gartner study about how 37% of CMOs aren’t convinced they have everything in terms of data analytics and ability to understand that they are proving impact. And today, a [CMO’s] pressure to prove impact in their role is immense.”

The AI advantage: More effective multi-channel advertising by StackAdapt
Speaker: Deirdre Chew, director of sales, SEA, StackAdapt

“AI is saving more time for us to work on strategic messaging by focusing on three areas. The first is around the simplifying process. By automating manual tasks, AI is helping to save more time for us to focus on strategic position. The second is targeting the right user. AI is ensuring that we’re reaching the audience most likely to engage [in content]. And the last is optimising in real time. As a campaign runs, AI is ensuring that it's making the adjustments to help you achieve your performance objectives. It's not just about efficiency. It's about making smarter decisions faster.”

Focus groups in action

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How are modern consumers changing the game?

Catherine Chai, marketing director, Sony Pictures Entertaintment

“Going to the cinema is no longer a leisure activity. Consumer behaviour and expectations have been shifted drastically by the [Covid pandemic]. We are now competing with home entertainment and also increasingly sophisticated experiences. I miss the time where I just needed to promote a trailer, buy some random ads, maybe buy some prints on some high-distribution newspaper and my movie would sell. It’s no longer the case. Our challenge now is that we don't market movies, we market relationships. How do we establish a new relationship with our target audience? Therefore, we work hard on positioning [each movie] right. Instead of telling people what's the story about, we try and identify who the movie is for and what experience it can deliver—will it bring collective joy or will it be a social conversation starter? It’s very challenging, but we work harder to engage the modern consumer.”

“Nowadays, people are not only about brands to entertain, they want to respond to a brand that resonates with their personal values. There used to be a time where we invite influencers to our screening and they would just come. But in recent years, I notice that every time we extend a visitation, the questions we might receive from influencers is, ‘What's the political stance of the company?’ or ‘Which side are you at?’ They are very aware. They are more discerning. They no longer just take in what you feed them.” 

Deric Wong, chief business officer, EternityX

“In China, the challenge for marketers when it comes to content is orchestration. There are so many platforms for brand discovery, and we all know the consumer does not make a decision based on exposure. While that is hugely powerful, it’s all about content. Now, imagine in China, if you have to create content for Rednote, you have to create content for your WeChat video programme, and you have to create content for Douyin. And they’re all very, very different. A brand has a very important duty to orchestrate their brand across ecommerce, branding, or product, and making sure the messages are cohesive.”

Sean Loh, content and campaign lead, Audi Singapore

“Buying a car in Singapore is insane. It’s a product that depreciates in value over the next 10 years. So how do get consumers thinking about [buying a car]? Well, many of your childhood memories are built inside a car, or around transport. So with that, we try to create content that’s the most relevant. For example, in some of our newer products right now, we have a visual screen in the passenger area. While the driver is focusing on getting from point A to B, the passenger can enjoy entertainment on the on screen embedded in the dashboard. So, we won’t just talk about our services and our product, we’re also trying to talk about what’s most beneficial to the people around them; and they can support [and win over] the driver about the brand.”

Introducing the Campaign PowerList 2025

Delegates to Campaign360 got an early look at this year’s Power List of top APAC CMOs, which will be published in Campaign Asia on Thursday, May 29th.  Here though, is a sneak peek at the criteria and three members of the list who shared some learnings from their career. 

Nikita Mishra presenting the Top 50 CMO Powerlist

Nikita Mishra, editor, Campaign Asia-Pacific on how the list is chosen: 

"There’s definitely a power factor. The CMOs you see on this list are from some of the brands that have the biggest advertising budgets. But that’s just one of the criteria.  We look for leaders who are risk-takers, who are pushing the boundaries and innovating, not just talking about the future but actively shaping it. Most importantly, it’s how they show up, for their brands and the teams they’ve built.”

Neil Trinidad, chief marketing officer and integration leader, GCash on the big ideas that didn’t happen:

“Marketers are often drawn to the clever, wild and crazy ideas that seem really interesting.  But I realised it should never come at the expense of clarity. And when I look back on the ideas that didn’t make it, they were precisely the clever ideas. On reflection, not all ideas are right for the brand even if they may be a trendy idea for the moment. But if it’s not right for the brand, it’s not relevant for the consumer and it's not going to build the brand over the long term.” 

Stuart Spencer, group chief marketing officer, AIA on a piece of advice to share with a younger version of himself: 

“The power to say no. I look back on my career and I see how dedicated I was to this firm and the sacrifices I made. I probably made too many sacrifices. I took too many calls, went to too many meetings and went on too many business trips. I want all of us to remember our organisations will be here tomorrow. I urge each and every one of us to put our own health and wellness always first before work. I think this has been lost as we want to climb the ladder and do great things...  If I could wind the clock back I’d probably be more humble when younger and say no sooner, knowing it was all going to work out just fine.”

Tu Le-Thanh, chief marketing & sustainability officer, Nestlé Waters Vietnam on adapting to changes:

“To thrive and survive in the changing world, my mantra is ‘be a kid’.  Because if you remember when you were a kid, you weren’t afraid of losing.  You just look forward every day to a lot of opportunities and that’s exactly the kind of culture that I try to build for my team, because all our challenges give us opportunity.” 

False attribution and marketing’s hidden ROI killers
Speaker: Nikki Taylor, Marketing & Communications Director, APAC, Analytic Partners

“I want to challenge you. Stop doing clicks. Clicks do not give you impact. They never have. Start looking at measuring incrementality. Stop relying on last click, first click attribution. Balance your brand and performance. Don’t pick sides in achieving balance. Even just two percent will move you in the right direction. But aim for above thirty [in brand]... Creative drives ROI – it's not just about media. Consistency builds up the brand and stops decay. We have a lot of data that shows consistency builds up the brand. You need to own your own data. Speak commercial, and lead the room.” 

Beyond the brief: Reinventing the agency-brand dynamic for bold results

Sandy Yang, regional director of marketing, Hard Rock International on talent crisis hitting agencies

“Back in the day, we would plan a campaign two years out. But nowadays, that’s a bit risky. If I plan something two years ahead, I don’t know if it will even be relevant. Having a steady, stable team, one that can cultivate the brand and react with current events, is really important.”

“The biggest challenge is the ability of the team at the agency partner side. During the pitch, you get the perfect A-team team, but when the actual work starts, some of them have left or are not on the project. Having to explain and re-explain the brief over and over again to new people can be very draining.”

“As a marketer, bold isn’t necessarily better. I wouldn’t always look for bold campaigns—we know these things can go wrong. My advice to brands will be to hold on to your key values and don’t go away from that.”

SeongEun (Rea) Hyun, senior professional, Global marcom (IMC Strategy), Samsung Electronics on the need for agencies to grasp the business, not just streamline it

"We are seeing a really meaningful shift lately, especially with the rise of AI tools that automate low-value tasks. That gives more space for agencies to take on more of a strategic and oxygen role. Efficiency has become a key driver in the agency-client relationship. And by efficiency I don't mean replacement. Agencies are not getting replaced but need to understand the full spectrum of the business. The retainer model is getting challenged but it won’t disappear. I think a hybrid model is the future."

Sebnem Uner, Head of consumer and market insights, The Heineken Company on deeper collaboration

“We’ve seen the relationship with agencies shift from transactional to more strategic—from being just vendors hired by strategy teams to being true partners.”

“As a consumer company, we need to be agile, and we’re looking for agencies that can understand our consumers, with local nuances and foresight.”

“Relationship with an agency is a two-way street… I’d tell brands to be generous with the background, with the context, data, insights, with your business reality. The more the agency knows about your business, the more they can contribute.”

Elin Sandberg, Head of customer activation and marketing, H&M on why execution is not enough: I agree with Sebnem Uner. Our relationship with our agency moved from executioners to strategic partners. As a brand, we are looking for collaborators.

“Our business model hasn’t changed with the advancements of AI. It’s still a retainer. Retainers matter because deep understanding takes time. We need an agency that is in it for the long term—it is paramount to the business.  However, we do add on project-based work from time to time.”

“We are quite transparent with our agencies on data. That makes all the difference in terms of understanding.”