Campaign Asia

Burson launches healthcare-focused AI service

Decipher Health will predict the impact of communications across six therapeutic areas, the WPP firm says.

The inside story of the Kamala Harris-inspired ice cream from Ben & Jerry's co-founders

The flavour is not from Ben & Jerry’s. But that’s not showing up in a lot of media coverage.

Burson launches healthcare-focused AI service

Decipher Health will predict the impact of communications across six therapeutic areas, the WPP firm says.

Ebay names Gigi Ganatra Duff as new CCO

Duff joins the online marketplace from Nordstrom, where she was VP of corporate affairs.

Summerween: Why Michaels, Home Depot and General Mills are launching fall campaigns earlier than ever

It’s not just you. Everyone is noticing a lot of orange and spooky stuff in stores while it’s still summer. Here’s why.

Report: X brings on Targeted Victory for comms support

X taps Republican consulting firm Targeted Victory, owned by Stagwell Group, to manage the fallout from its suspension in Brazil, according to Wired.

Dow Jones ups Ashok Sinha to chief communications officer

Sinha oversaw communications efforts and media exposure throughout the wrongful detention of WSJ’s Evan Gershkovich in Russia.

Publicis Media dismisses dozens of US employees for violations of return-to-office policy

The job eliminations were focused in the French holding company’s media division.

How content creators can brush up on trademark law to protect their catchphrases

Poaching a catchphrase is not very demure and certainly not very mindful. Here’s how influencers can protect themselves.

JJ Carter to succeed John Saunders as FleishmanHillard CEO

Saunders will become the firm’s chairman in October and plans to move back to his native Ireland.

How these six brands are collaborating with ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

The characters are everywhere, toning down the film’s R-rated humor for brands.

Burson hires Damion Potter as global chair of public affairs

Potter joins from Haleon, where he was VP and global head of policy and government affairs.

What vibes is the Toys 'R' Us AI ad giving you?

The toy brand's short film, which premiered at Cannes and was created almost entirely on OpenAI’s new text-to-video tool, has sparked online backlash from creatives.

X appoints Nick Pickles to lead global communications

The social media platform is expanding Pickles’ role as global head of government affairs to include comms.

Burson launches ahead of schedule

Burson—created from the merger of WPP-owned BCW and Hill & Knowlton, which is due to be formally completed on 1 July—launched on June 13, unveiling its new brand identity and client offerings.

How health influencers Nadya Okamoto and Dr Mike approach social media

Both shared their strategies—and platform likes and dislikes—at the PRWeek Healthcare Awards+Conference.

BCW, Hill & Knowlton warns staffers to brace for layoffs related to Burson merger

The firms have “identified areas in the business where we must eliminate roles, many of which were duplicate,” staffers were told in a memo.

Bumble removes ‘vow of celibacy’ ads following backlash

Bumble said it has heard criticism of the ad and is removing it from a global campaign.

TikTok global comms head exits

Hilary McQuaide says she is leaving the platform for “a new adventure.”

Apple's 'Crush' ad elicits backlash from marketing and PR pros

“This Apple ad is what happens when you try to be ‘edgy’ with no consideration for strategy,” said Lulu Cheng Meservey.

Former and current executives sue top US ad agency Horizon Media alleging discrimination

Horizon Media is facing federal allegations from a current and former executive claiming the company’s claimed dedication to DEI masks a culture of bias, retaliation, and hostile treatment by its senior leaders.

Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis is another reminder for social media managers to think before posting

Brands joked this week about “spotting” Kate, who hadn’t been seen in public for months.

When brands become the villain: Lessons from Coffee Mate's 'White Lotus' collab

The Nestlé product’s team was as surprised as anyone at the HBO show’s season finale. Here’s how brands and their agency partners avoid shocking plot twists involving their products.

Porsche deletes post on Threads that said ‘9.11 is my favourite time of the day’

Some social media managers are defending Porsche’s post, saying it clearly did not allude to the 9/11 attack on the United States.

Duolingo comms head Sam Dalsimer leads 'wholesome unhinged' strategy

Duolingo killed off its brand mascot and brought it back to life as part of an unhinged social media strategy and more wholesome comms approach.

FleishmanHillard hires Ketchum’s Jim Joseph as global head of brand impact

Joseph previously held roles at Ketchum such as US CEO and global CMO.

Allison Worldwide names Ray Day executive chair as Scott Allison steps back

Vice chair Andy Hardie-Brown is also leaving his role for an advisory position.

Brands were not ready for Taylor Swift's new album announcement

Some tried to get ahead of the announcement and got it wrong.

What other brand should have an edible mascot?

Pop-Tarts allowed their mascot to be devoured as part of its sponsorship of an American college football match.

Jonathan Heit replaces Scott Allison as Allison global CEO

The agency has also formed a new global board with co-founder Andy Hardie-Brown becoming vice chairman with a focus on strategic growth initiatives, and business in Asia-Pacific.

Coca-Cola hires Meta's Katherina Jawaharlal to lead global corporate, brand PR

She previously built and ran Meta’s partnership communications team.

South Australian Tourism Commission names Praytell North America PR agency of record

The agency will share stories about the region’s native wildlife, wine and outback experiences.

Hill+Knowlton Strategies returns to original name of Hill & Knowlton

The firm has also created services that address evolving client needs.

Why every organisation needs a ‘disability guy’

Authentic representation is important for every company, experts said at PRWeek's PRDecoded Purpose+ conference in the US.

How Colgate is getting consumers to confess the lies they tell dentists

For two days in New York City, people can come clean in the brand’s Totally Honest confessional.

How Microsoft is changing its comms function because of AI

The company is also updating its team to keep pace with the speed of news, including bringing in former Twitter APAC comms lead Lauren Myers-Cavanagh to head its Asia comms.

Royal Caribbean Group names Heather Hust Rivera global communications head

Hust Rivera has worked in various comms roles for Disney since 2005.

McDonald’s Grimace ‘pretending not to see’ shake trend

Other brands are lending moral support to the mascot, as TikTokers pretend that drinking the purple shake leads to horrific outcomes.

Edelman launches global B2B marketing group

It aims to create integrated marketing programs aimed at reaching and earning the trust of B2B buyers.

Target ranked as top brand in support of LGBTQIA+ community

The survey took place after Target removed some items from its Pride merchandise following a backlash.

Don’t expect sponsors to flee pro golf after the PGA Tour-LIV merger, say experts

One has a 'gut feeling' most people won’t care about the merger, while others say sponsors will have to make tough decisions.

No, Tony the Tiger and Dylan Mulvaney are not working together

Some conservatives threatened to boycott the brand after its mascot was seen with the trans influencer at the Tony Awards on Sunday night. The brand says there’s no partnership.

Trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney bashes Bud Light for not publicly standing by her

“I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did,” she said.

‘Not a formal campaign’: AB InBev distances from Dylan Mulvaney outreach

The maker of Bud Light also said it will pay a $500 bonus to workers who were harassed over Mulvaney’s video, but will continue to support LGBTQ+ organisations.

Was that toothpaste on the Met Gala carpet? Here’s how Colgate responded

The toothpaste brand joked that it didn’t expect to “be the carpet."

Alphabet’s X hires Impossible Foods alum Jessica Appelgren as it builds out marcomms team

X works to invent and launch breakthrough technologies and businesses to solve major problems.

Coca-Cola-focused WPP Open X names Andrew Keller global chief creative officer

Keller has worked at Meta for the last seven years and at CP+B.

‘One of a kind’: Weber Shandwick New York chief creative officer Angela Mears dies at age 35

Mears started at the agency as an intern in 2011.

TikTok's comms team tweets through CEO testimony to Congress

TikTok’s head of policy comms for the Americas clarified points made by CEO Shou Zi Chew during Thursday’s hearing.

Silicon Valley Bank deletes Twitter page

The move comes after the bank’s collapse.

Why TikTok is not the place to be for brands during the Super Bowl

Before and after the game are a different story as brands “scratch the surface” of what they can do on the platform for big events.

Edelman global revenue up 12.8% in 2022 to $1.1 billion

APAC revenue increased by 4.8% on a constant currency basis to $104.5 million.

‘People got up in arms’: The inside story on A&W’s tweet parodying M&M’s

Who would get mad about a bear mascot wearing jeans? Turns out, a lot of people.

BCW global CEO Donna Imperato to retire

Imperato, who has led the firm since the combination of Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe, will step down once her successor is found.

CCO Alan VanderMolen leaves SC Johnson

The former international president at WE Communications worked at the company since March 2020.

Russia puts Richard Edelman and other global PR CEOs on latest sanctions list

Leaders from APCO Worldwide, SKDK, Brunswick and other firms were among the 200 to be sanctioned.

A break, not a break up: Why agencies are telling clients not to abandon Twitter… yet

Things at Twitter under Elon Musk are weird. Very weird. But not enough for brands to say goodbye to the platform.

Hellmann’s creates hub inspired by viral TikTok recipes

The mayonnaise brand is using social media trends to tout its products.

Twitter to form content moderation council; Elon Musk says no reinstatements until then

The council will determine content decisions and account reinstatements, owner Elon Musk said.

Which candy brand has the best Halloween 2022 invention?

Reese’s, Airheads and Kit Kat are getting creative this Halloween season.

PRSA condemns Twitter suspensions: ‘Journalists should not be penalised for sharing accurate reporting’

Journalism organisations, publications and PR pros are also voicing concern over the suspensions.

Method hires Martin Harkin as global business development head

Harkin started in the newly created role on August 9, reporting to David Parkinson, Method cofounder and CEO.

Hill+Knowlton hires Randa Stephan as first chief marketing and comms officer

She has worked at Weber Shandwick for the past eight years.

HyperSocial’s CEO is sorry for how ‘crying’ LinkedIn post was perceived, but isn’t deleting it

Braden Wallake says good has come from the post, despite the criticism.

Instagram responds to 'precise location' user concerns

Instagrammers are concerned that their location could be made public.

SoulCycle wants Peloton customers to trade in their bikes for 47 in-person classes

Virtual workouts can’t replace the energy of live ones, according to SoulCycle CEO Evelyn Webster.

Dxtra agencies reporting to IPG CEO Philippe Krakowsky after Polansky retirement

The holding company is not planning to replace the recently retired Dxtra CEO.

McDonald’s names new global media relations, leadership comms leads

Artemis Bakopoulos Hiss and Jesse Lewin are switching roles.

PR Lions again dominated by creative firms, Edelman wins Bronze

Edelman won its metal for National Grid’s Green Light Signal campaign in the UK. It also won in the Creative Data and Media categories, and Prime Weber Shandwick won Bronze in the Direct category.

Interpublic, Omnicom CEOs condemn Texas elementary school mass shooting

Omnicom CEO John Wren also said the holding company supports ‘common sense gun legislation.’

Weber Shandwick promotes Angela Mears to global ECD

Mears will lead work on the firm’s Airbnb, McDonald’s and Ingka accounts.

Finn Partners, fischerAppelt, SPRG and Adfactors PR launch four-year scholarship program

The goal of the Future Communicator Foundation Scholarship program is to advance comms skills around social justice.

Uptick in boomerang employees puts spotlight on agency culture

The grass isn’t always greener. Five people share why they left — and then returned — to their previous PR agencies.

How Kraft Heinz is marketing cheese-scented nail polish

Pinkies Out Polish launched on Tuesday morning and sold out just hours later. The brand says it’s part of a lifestyle, not a stunt.

Alopecia organisations, influencers use Chris Rock’s Oscars joke as education tool

Advocates are using social media and traditional media outreach to ensure the public learns more about the disease.

Why Burger King put poop on its menu

Well, Poop Emoji Ice Cream…

Ketchum sheds owned operations in Russia

The Omnicom Group agency’s Moscow office will no longer be part of the Ketchum-owned network.

George Bryant elevated to Golin group chief creative officer

He will oversee global creative operations for Golin, The Brooklyn Brothers, Virgo Health and DeVries Global.

How Coinbase stole Pepsi's thunder as the most-talked about brand during the Super Bowl

Even though Coinbase’s website wasn’t ready for its own success.

Adidas defends decision to tweet image of bare breasts

There appeared to be two schools of thought surrounding the campaign: Controversy around the blurring of nipples in the Instagram version of the ad as well as the use of bare breasts as 'titillation'.

Behind the scenes of pharmaceutical giant Sanofi’s rebranding

The France-based company reemerged this week with a new logo — and a new way of thinking about its mission.

TikTok and Nick Tran: What happens when brand stunts miss the mark

Everyone loves a good stunt. But they can get tiresome after a while if they don’t align with a brand’s broader goals.

Chipotle — ahem, make that Chicotle — partners with BTS Twitter stan account to give fans free food

BTS band members professed their love for Chipotle in a viral video over the weekend.

‘Sexy’ doesn’t always sell: M&M’s get positive feedback on mascot changes

The characters’ makeovers spotlight their personalities to reflect an inclusive world.

Peloton halts promotion of Chris Noth ad after sexual assault allegations against actor

The ad was applauded by PR and marketing pros this week for its quick response to Noth’s character dying of cardiac arrest in And Just Like That.

5 questions for Lush brand director Wendy Kubota after the brand ditched social media

Some call it a publicity stunt, but Lush says it is putting ‘people over profit’ in quitting social media.

'A masterclass in reactive marketing': Industry pros applaud Peloton's response to Sex and the City reboot death

The fitness company had some help from Ryan Reynolds and his marketing firm Maximum Effort.

Peloton ride on 'Sex & The City' steers brand into damage-control mode

The premiere episode of the reboot of the HBO show in the US sent the fitness brand trending—and its communications team into action.

Inside the campaign for Reese’s instant sell-out Thanksgiving Pie

Planning for the earned media push for the oversized peanut butter cups in the US started in late summer.

PepsiCo poaches Mars Pet Nutrition CMO Jane Wakely for key marketing role

Wakely worked at Mars for 20 years in various marketing leadership roles.

Longtime Weber Shandwick chairman Jack Leslie to retire in March

Leslie has held the role of chairman at Weber for more than 20 years since the merger of Bozell Sawyer Miller Group and Weber Shandwick in 2001.

Red Havas consolidates Havas PR capabilities, expands globally

PR services that were under Havas Health & You and Havas Creative have been combined into one network under Red Havas, which now expands to China and other markets.

Hotels.com is seeking a 'Bath Boss' to save hotel bathtubs from extinction

Successful applicant will embark on a 'Tour de Tub' of hotel properties in New York City.

Clubhouse signs up Golin as global PR partner

Clubhouse also said it will no longer require invitations to join.

Ben & Jerry’s ends two-month silence on social media

The brand tweeted on Monday morning that it will stop selling its ice cream in occupied Palestinian territory.

Mayoreo? Oreo and Heinz 'intrigued' by the idea

The brands have responded to a photo of a fake condiment circulating on social media.

LinkedIn names Golin global social media agency partner

The Interpublic Group firm said it is helping the platform better understand its members.

Subway dismisses fishy claims about its tuna sandwiches

The sandwich chain contends its tuna sandwiches actually do contain tuna, adding that DNA testing is not reliable.

Spotify hires Taj Alavi as global marketing head

Alavi is a veteran of Uber and Instagram.

Victoria’s Secret ditches Angels: 5 PR pros on the brand’s new marketing direction

The new models include Megan Rapinoe and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

Evian capitalises on Cristiano Ronaldo's Coca-Cola snub

The football star made it clear he is not a fan of the soft drink at a Monday press conference.

Wendy’s creates ad within 7 hours based on young fan’s idea

The brand reacted swiftly after Julien Jantos’ mom tweeted his idea for a Wendy’s commercial called The Burger.

What Naomi Osaka's stand means for the future of athlete press conferences

In a watershed moment, the tennis star has received the backing of sponsors and her peers in the sports world.

How four brands are supporting Naomi Osaka as she takes a break from tennis

Mental health organisations are also standing behind Osaka's decision

Mondelez CMO defends calling marketing strategy ‘humaning’

“I am so happy to learn from others. It is a two-way conversation I would love to have,” says Martin Renaud.

McDonald’s purpose was ‘intangible,’ so it unveiled a new one

Fast food chain retained Brunswick, R/GA, Weber Shandwick, Jack Morton and Weiden + Kennedy for the launch.

Twitter fail: Gap deletes political hoodie tweet after backlash

What the retailer thought was “a message of unity” was quickly slammed as “tone deaf.”

Inside the sweet, successful launch of Del Monte's pink pineapple

The communications strategy and challenges of a world-first unique new fruit.

IBM names Carla Piñeyro Sublett as CMO

She’s replacing Michelle Peluso.

Love in the time of Covid: The Knot's CMO on weddings during the pandemic

Dhanusha Sivajee on untangling the new intricacies of celebrating "I do."

FedEx reorganises comms and marketing under Jenny Robertson

The company is also bringing its agency partners together in a blended team.

Udderly brilliant: Why Gen Zers are learning about dairy farming on Minecraft

Dairy Management turns to young interns for inspiration.

Software giant SAP hires Julia White as chief marketing and solutions officer

CMO Alicia Tillman is exiting the company after six years.

How brands should use Fleets, Twitter's new Stories-style feature

Twitter’s Stacy Minero shares tips on the platform’s new function.

Vans hires Kristin Harrer as global CMO

Harrer moves to the footwear and apparel brand from Dollar Shave Club.

Impossible Foods hires Apple alum Steve Turner to lead marketing

The brand launched its first national advertising campaign in the US last week.

Brand beware: This TikTok trend is threatening food businesses

Restaurant workers are dishing on what really goes on in the kitchen.

Garbage Pail Kids pulls ‘BTS Bruisers’ card amid surge in hate crimes against Asians

The card, released on Tuesday, depicted the Korean boy band with bruised faces.

Fernando Machado’s tweets show how Burger King decided to delete its IWD tweet

The Restaurant Brands International CMO has been responding to hate on his own Twitter page.

KFC Gaming tells Burger King to delete ‘women belong in the kitchen’ tweet

Burger King’s top marketer says its meaning was lost in translation but it is ‘learning for the next time'.

MDC’s Mark Penn: “CMOs are in ‘get back to business’ mode”

The holding company reported a roughly 14% organic revenue drop in 2020, but says things are turning a corner from the worst of the pandemic.

How Hyundai Genesis responded when Tiger Woods crashed in one of its cars

The brand’s PR team is stressing transparency about its safety features.

Uber has a new logo, and people are outraged

Twitter users gave the new logo, which Uber touted to several media outlets, a poor rating on Tuesday.

Toyota backs Julie Hamp after drug arrest in Japan

TOKYO: Toyota Motor global managing officer and CCO Julie Hamp was arrested in Tokyo early Thursday on charges of importing illegal painkillers into the country.

WPP merges Cohn & Wolfe, Burson-Marsteller

The combined agency will be called Burson Cohn & Wolfe.

Publicis Groupe restructures into four client-oriented hubs (Updated)

PARIS - Publicis Groupe is restructuring its business model by breaking down its disciplines into four "solutions hubs" with each client led by a chief client officer, effective January 2. The change includes a new role for Jarek Ziebinski, currently Leo Burnett's APAC chairman and CEO.

How Hatchimals became this year's toy craze

Diana Bradley