The year's most-read Campaign articles

As the year winds down, we look back at the stories that attracted the most eyeballs in 2021.

2021's Most-read news
 

1. Pepsi expands K-pop investment, appoints Blackpink as APAC brand ambassador
2. Accused of harassment, Gigil co-founder files libel complaint
3. Airbnb slashes spend in permanent shift from performance marketing to brand
4. Prudential jumps on K-pop bandwagon with SuperM pact
5. It's Adidas and Nike for Sania Mirza at Wimbledon

6. Nike, Adidas, Burberry, Uniqlo ensnared in Xinjiang cotton controversy
7. Publicis to let employees work abroad for six weeks every year
8. Lululemon launches 'largest ever' global brand campaign
9. Publicis overtakes rivals to be world’s most valuable agency group
10. The top 10 most visited Southeast Asia ecommerce sites

11. Indian sex-wellness brand Skore launches ‘Cliteracy drive’
12. Coca-Cola debuts ‘Real Magic’ global brand platform with emphasis on gaming
13. Watch: Tiny drone peeps into private homes in Singapore
14. These 20 ads were the most effective of 2020: Kantar
15. WhatsApp users flock to Signal, Telegram in light of privacy concerns

16. Libresse pulls campaign with vulva imagery following backlash
17. Amrita Randhawa leaves Mindshare to join Publicis Groupe
18. Omnicom beats Publicis to clinch Mercedes' global agency consolidation
19. Accenture acquires Malaysian full-service agency Entropia
20. L’Oréal handles pricing controversy in China following Double-11 promise

21. Salesforce CMO Stephanie Buscemi exits
22. Wunderman Thompson's APAC CEO Annette Male lands Facebook role
23. WPP wins majority of $4 billion Coca-Cola business
24. Publicis Media brand enters Pakistan after winning $19 million Nestlé account from Wavemaker
25. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter reunite for epic Porsche adventure

2021's Most-read features

1. How NTUC Income's astonishing drone-shot ad almost didn't make it to air

The behind-the-scenes story of how BBH, Freeflow Productions and an ace drone pilot pulled off NTUC Income's impressive single-shot film—and how CMO Marcus Chew had to make a stand to get it on TV.

 

2. Campaign Crash Course: What is the play economy, and how do you unlock it?

The concept of 'play' has become deeply integrated in our day-to-day lives, from how we purchase to how we interact online. This crash course will explain how to capitalise on the play economy, and how best to tap APAC's 1.2 billion gamers.

 

3. Marketing in the metaverse: The biggest opportunities for brands

Brands are rushing to build real estate in the virtual realm before the market becomes bloated, but some are more of a natural fit than others. Campaign speaks with five marketing and innovation experts to figure out which experiments show promise.

 

Perrennial favourites In the interest of creating a list that reflects 2021, we excluded the following annual items from this list of the year's most-read articles. Cannes Lions 2021: All the APAC winners Agency Report Cards 2020: We grade 39 APAC agency networks 40 Under 40 2021: Proven leaders with ample potential in APAC marcomms Women to Watch 2021: Celebrating the torchbearers in the APAC marcomms industry Agency of the Year 2021 Power List 2020: Asia-Pacific's 50 most influential and purposeful marketers Here are your 2021 Spikes Asia Awards winners

4. IBM CMO is taking ‘a completely new approach’ to B2B marketing

Carla Piñyero Sublett talks about her vision for IBM as it spins off its infrastructure services business.

 

5. Sexual harassment 'rampant' in the ad industry and has been ‘covered up’: Philippines women's organisation Gabriela

A surge of new reports from women in the Philippines ad industry—including five against Herbert Hernandez—depict a culture of sexualisation that normalises workplace harassment, a lack of policies to prevent or deal with cases, and alarming reports of agency coverups.

 

6. A peek into the metaverse: How to prevent a virtual world from becoming a dystopian nightmare

As big tech scrambles to build the metaverse, five technology experts prophesy what our lives will look like inside a virtual world, whether privacy and governance will be established, and how brands will occupy the space.

 

7. The top 10 shoe brands in Asia-Pacific

While the top two brands across APAC won't surprise you, read this special report to find out how widely brand preference for shoes and sportswear varies from market to market across APAC—and why shoes are like cars for your feet.

 

8. Head & Shoulders on subverting shampoo ad tropes with new anime campaign

EXCLUSIVE: The P&G brand and creative partner Forsman & Bodenfors talk to Campaign about why it borrowed elements from anime to destigmatise male dandruff in Japan.

 

9. Inhousing drives marketing for TCS, India’s largest technology outsourcer

CMO Rajashree R. explains how Tata Consultancy Services' inhouse team is breaking away from stereotypical B2B imagery of buildings, servers and people, to focus on aspiration and human connection.

 

10. Red light, green light: Did Netflix go too far with this Squid Game promotion?

SPOT SURVEY: A giant doll aside the Sydney harbour evoked an outcry from some parents. But where does a brand's responsibility end, and where does a parent's begin? We want to hear your thoughts on this issue.

See also: Was this Squid Game promo appropriate? Industry opinion is split