The top stories of 2018

2018 IN REVIEW: Throughout December we're looking back at the year in APAC marketing, advertising and communications—listicle-style. 

Today, we present the 2018 top 10: Campaign Asia-Pacific's most-read news stories of the year.

1. The ugly truth about why I left BBDO China after just a year
August 28
Delmus Credle resigned from his role as head of planning at BBDO Shanghai because of comments that he claims related to his nationality, skin colour and sexuality, which he felt were degrading and unacceptable.

 

2. Publicis, VCCP named winners in Cathay Pacific's first pitch in 25 years 
August 31
The airline has chosen the winner of its creative, media and social assignments, an account reportedly worth US$100 million.

 

3. WPP merges Wunderman and JWT
November 26
Advertising network and customer engagement specialist to join forces.

 

4. Confrontation at WPP China offices caught on video
October 25
A public altercation yesterday at the WPP Campus in Shanghai, apparently over a payment issue involving GroupM, has been escalated to the local police.

 

5. Sorrell quits as WPP chief executive
April 15
Sir Martin Sorrell has stood down as chief executive of WPP, the company has announced.

 

6. Spencer Wong tipped to exit via door that bears his name
March 22
McCann & Spencer, named after Wong in 2015, will be "reincorporated back" into McCann Worldgroup Hong Kong.

 

7. Ogilvy Worldwide creative chief fired after internal investigation
July 12
Tham Khai Meng has been with Ogilvy since 1999.

 

8. India and Pakistan at loggerheads over BBlunt plagiarism row
March 21
A BBlunt commercial that has been copied frame-to-frame by a Pakistani beauty brand is causing tension across the border.

 

9. David Mayo resigns from Ogilvy
August 23
The Malaysia CEO says the decision was "less about Ogilvy and more about me", but also has some thoughts about the big-agency model.

 

10. Thoughtful Media fires three senior managers, alleges fraud
April 23
LA-based multinational network accuses Mark Ingrouille, Le Ngoc Linh and Tran Trung Kien of fraud, embezzlement, breach of contract, and breach of duty. Ingrouille refutes allegations.

 

Beyond the news
The above list contains news stories only and therefore excludes the following extremely well-read features: 
 

Women to Watch 2018 revealed
August 16
Meet 40 women whose achievements, we hope, will inspire, delight and astound you—and quite possibly make you realise you're not working hard enough.

Agency Report Card
March 5
We assess 43 regional creative, media and digital agency networks on their 2017 performance.

40 Under 40: Presenting the class of 2018
October 23
The factor that unites all 40 is that they are regularly going beyond their job descriptions, treating these as a starting point from which they can make broader change happen.

 

Here are Asia’s Top 1000 Brands for 2018 
June 4
Google, Amazon and fast-fashion brands feature among this year’s key climbers in our eagerly anticipated annual survey of brand reputation.