Campaign Asia

Amid the flood of agency mergers, Ogilvy One is a raft

As personalised comms expand, the industry needs Ogilvy One’s creativity-led one-to-one approach more than it did in 2017.

The & Partnership and MSix & Partners merge to form full-service shop

Agency says bringing media and advertising together will allow it to leverage AI better.

Annette King leaves Accenture Song and steps back from executive career

Moving from Publicis to join Accenture Song in 2023, King's decision comes in the wake of a recent health experience.

OMG WTF is OAG?

Omnicom's new advertising division purports to be something new, so what does it have on offer? Campaign UK's editor Maisie McCabe explores.

MSQ Partners approaches S4 Capital about possible deal

The "combination" could bring together S4 Capital with the owner of The Gate and Walk-In Media.

Droga5 names Tara Ford London CCO as global creative line-up evolves

During her time as CCO of Droga5 ANZ, Ford has led award-winning campaigns including for the Tuvaluan Government and Sydney Opera House's "Play It Safe”—which received the Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix in 2024.

X removes Grok undressing feature following backlash

X says it has a zero-tolerance approach to child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity.

M&C Saatchi and S4 Capital downgrade 2025 growth forecasts

M&C Saatchi revenues hit by US government shutdown while S4 Capital blames 'lower project-based revenue and continued client caution'.

Leo Burnett and Rapp’s double-AOY wins should inspire, not frustrate

Both agencies' success demonstrates brighter days are possible for all shops.

Will advertising agencies survive?

As ad agencies find that they must move on from their traditional roles as creators and strategists and AI makes its presence increasingly felt, is a root-and-branch change to the industry’s long-standing business model necessary?

If your Cannes wasn’t about the work, it’s your own fault

Take responsibility for the focus of your festival.

Brands will benefit if X and Netflix turn their ad sales around

Elon Musk and the streaming giant underestimated the complexity of ad sales, but their platforms could yet be valuable options.

Group M promotes Kelly Clark as Dominic Proctor steps down

Group M has appointed Kelly Clark as global chief executive, as global president Dominic Proctor steps down.

BBDO partners with Mars to launch video crowdsourcing platform

Similar to crowdsourcing specialists like eYeka, Flare Studio is the first such platform to be launched by a creative ad network.

Ex-JWT boss Gustavo Martinez working on WPP projects

Gustavo Martinez, the former global chief executive of J Walter Thompson, is working on projects for the agency's holding company WPP while the ongoing discrimination lawsuit against him and the agency continues.

Jeremy Bullmore dies aged 93

WPP put together an archive to celebrate the former JWT chairman's career last year.

Bloomberg promotes Parry Ravindranathan to global role

GLOBAL - Bloomberg Media has promoted Parry Ravindranathan, the managing director of Asia-Pacific, to the new role of managing director of international, which will include all regions outside of the US.

BBH appoints new global creative chief as Joakim Borgström departs

Former Singapore-based chief creative officer will "explore new possibilities" as mantle passes to Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO creative Alex Grieve.

AITA if I want to WFH?

There isn't a simple solution to the complexities of hybrid working in creative businesses.

Industry pays tribute to illustrious director Ringan Ledwidge

He shot Audi 'Clowns', The Guardian 'Three little pigs' and 'Christmas is for sharing' for Sainsbury's and Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and co-founded UK production company Rattling Stick.

Mondelez concludes global media review

GLOBAL - Mondelez International has finished its media review, selecting Carat in Asia-Pacific as well as the US and Europe.

Bel Group reviews US$217m global media account

GLOBAL - Bel Group, the French owner of the Babybel and The Laughing Cow brands, has called a review of its estimated US$217 million (€150 million) global media planning and buying account.

Arthur Sadoun: Accenture 'doesn't understand marketing enough' to do acquisition like Epsilon

Publicis Groupe was best partner from strategy point of view, despite not being the most compelling on price, chairman and CEO says.

North Face owner to buy Timberland for US$2bn

GLOBAL - The Timberland Company, manufacturer of rugged boots for walkers and hip hop stars, has agreed to sell to VF Corporation, the owner of The North Face and Wrangler, for US$2 billion.

Unilever scraps separate agency relationships

FMCG giant is looking to work across holding companies and develop content partnerships with the entertainment world as it moves away from interruption-based advertising.

Will more clients follow Unilever in adopting a holding company model?

The FMCG giant is scrapping individual agency relationships.

Chris Kay to relocate to UK as Saatchi & Saatchi CEO

Kay is currently the global partner and Asia-Pacific CEO at 72andSunny, based in Australia.

Mondelez calls $1.85 billion media review

Dentsu Aegis Network and SMG will go head-to-head for global media business.

Dentsu International appoints global Carat and Dentsu X presidents

Fiona Lloyd and Sanjay Nazerali will lead Carat and Dentsu X respectively.

Jeremy Craigen joins Innocean Worldwide as global CCO

Innocean Worldwide has appointed Jeremy Craigen, the former global executive creative director for Volkswagen at DDB, as its global chief creative officer.

Laurence Green to exit MullenLowe

Executive partner sold former agency 101 to MullenLowe four years ago.

Omnicom and Publicis Groupe confirm merger

Publicis Groupe, the owner of Saatchi & Saatchi and Starcom Mediavest, and Omnicom, the owner of the OMD and BBDO networks, have confirmed plans to merge the two businesses.

Carlsberg calls global media review

GLOBAL - Carlsberg, the Danish brewing giant, has called a review of its global media account, currently held by OMD.

Neil Christie to leave Wieden+Kennedy

Christie had been supporting the agency in Brazil, China, India and Japan as director of growth markets since 2019.

Rob Atkinson to lead Adshel in Australia and New Zealand

SYDNEY - Rob Atkinson, the chief operating officer of Clear Channel UK, has been appointed interim chief executive of Clear Channel's Adshel joint venture in Australia and New Zealand.

Dyson hands $185m global media account to Mindshare

Dyson, the British technology company behind the bag-less vacuum cleaners, has appointed Mindshare to its US$185 million global media account after a competitive pitch.

Mondelez signs global partnership with Facebook

Mondelez International, the owner of Cadbury and Oreo, has signed a global strategic partnership with Facebook.

Omnicom Publicis merger creeps into Q3

Omnicom Group, the owner of the BBDO and OMD networks, has said its merger with Publicis Groupe might not take place until the third quarter of this year, as it reported its pre-tax income increased by less than one per cent in Q4.

Moray MacLennan: 'It's been incredibly difficult but people can see light at the end of the tunnel'

Having been at Saatchi agencies for more than 35 years, MacLennan has waited a long time for the top job. Now, as CEO of M&C Saatchi, he faces the huge challenge of re-establishing a business that was already marred by an accounting scandal when the global pandemic blindsided the industry.

Grey and BBDO to pitch for HSBC global creative

Grey and BBDO are understood to be lining up against incumbent JWT for the £400m HSBC global creative account.

Interpublic moves Freeman to McCann Erickson

GLOBAL - Interpublic has appointed Matt Freeman, chief executive of Mediabrands Ventures, to the position of vice-chairman, global chief innovation officer of Interpublic creative agency, McCann Erickson.

Bombay Sapphire builds on history with Imagination campaign

Bombay Sapphire, the Bacardi-owned gin brand, has launched a multimillion pound global marketing campaign, called 'Infused With Imagination', inspired by the heritage of the product and brand.

Hytner's influence increases in Mediabrands restructure

GLOBAL - Interpublic's media division Mediabrands has restructured its global operations into three 'clusters' and handed more regional responsibility to Jim Hytner, EMEA president of UM.

Aegis Group's pre-tax profits rise 41 per cent over first half

LONDON - Aegis Group, the owner of the Carat and Isobar networks, has posted a 41% year-on-year increase in pre-tax profits in the first six months of 2011 and reported a "good performance" across the UK brands.

Ascential reports revenue decline at Cannes Lions and MediaLink

Revenue at Ascential's marketing division fell 8% in 2018, while Ebitda dropped by almost a fifth.

WPP wins Emirates global account

Emirates has appointed an interdisciplinary WPP team to handle its global branding and creative account.

VivaKi RTB buyers to move into media agencies

GLOBAL - Publicis Groupe is to move its VivaKi programmatic buyers into its media agencies, so that they sit alongside the traders in other disciplines.

Aston Martin appoints WPP to global marketing account

CANNES - Aston Martin Lagonda has appointed WPP to its global integrated marketing account.

OMD tops Gunn Report For Media

GLOBAL - In part thanks to its Singapore office, Omnicom's OMD has been named the most-awarded media agency in the world, ahead of Publicis Groupe's Starcom MediaVest Group and its sister shop PHD, in The Gunn Report For Media 2014.

WPP tops Effie Index for fourth year in a row

GLOBAL - WPP has topped the Effie Index as the most effective agency holding group globally for the fourth year in a row, as Omnicom's BBDO is named the most effective ad network.

Jim Moffatt to leave Engine for role at Apple

Chief executive will work his six-month notice period before moving to tech giant.

Publicis Groupe rebounds, driven by Asia, US and Latam

The holding company recorded organic growth of 5.7% for Q1 across Asia, and China returned to growth at 3.0%.

Publicis CEO on growth and Epsilon's instrumental role

Arthur Sadoun speaks to Campaign after reporting organic revenue growth of 2.8% in the first three months of 2021.

British Airways appoints new ad agency

IAG-owned airline moves its advertising and CRM account from WPP to Uncommon Creative Studio after four years, scrapping its integrated model

HTC appoints OMG to handle $160 million international media

GLOBAL - HTC is understood to have appointed Omnicom Media Group to its US$160 million global media planning and buying business, after a pitch.

MPG and Media Contacts to become Havas Media

GLOBAL - Havas is to rebrand its MPG Media Contacts network as Havas Media later this month, scrapping the 35-year-old media planning brand and aping the rebrand of its creative network to Havas Worldwide.

Creative and media deliver 'stronger performance' for Havas

Organic revenue decline of 7.5% in the last quarter of 2020 puts Havas in the middle of the holding companies to have reported so far.

British Airways owner reviews all global agency relationships

IAG appointed WPP to the full-service BA account in 2017.

Nutella spreads search for global creative agency

Italian chocolate group Ferrero is looking for an agency to work on its Nutella spread brand.

Mother returns furlough cash

Independent shop has paid back the six-figure sum it received under the government’s Job Retention Scheme after bouncing back from the initial financial shock of the pandemic.

Moray MacLennan ascends to the throne at M&C Saatchi PLC

M&C Saatchi PLC is set to promote long-term lieutenant Moray MacLennan to chief executive, as the company’s last remaining founders bow out.

ZenithOptimedia to launch new global network in 2014

GLOBAL – Publicis Groupe has confirmed that it will be launching a new network next year under the ZenithOptimedia media group.

GSK launches US$1.57 billion global media review

GLOBAL - GlaxoSmithKline has opened talks with agencies ahead of a review of its estimated US$1.57 billion global media planning and buying business.

Clive Punter leaves LinkedIn

GLOBAL - Clive Punter, LinkedIn's global managing director of marketing solutions, has left the business-to-business social media site after just 14 months.

Facebook is a lower quality medium than TV: Marketing academic

GLOBAL - Advertisers should pay less to reach people on Facebook than on TV because the former skews mainly towards a brand's heaviest buyers, according to Professor Byron Sharp from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute of South Australia.

Heineken appoints Starcom MediaVest to US$372.5 million global media account

GLOBAL - Heineken has appointed Starcom MediaVest Group to consolidate its global media business, after a head-to-head pitch against part-incumbent Mindshare.

WPP to acquire AKQA for $540 million

GLOBAL - WPP has sprung a surprise deal to acquire AKQA, the major independent digital agency with clients including Nike, Google and Unilever, for a sum understood to be $540 million.

MediaCom snatches global Richemont business

The review for the owner of Montblanc, Piaget and Cartier kicked off in the middle of last year.

YouTube trials live streaming platform

GLOBAL - Google-owned video sharing site YouTube has begun trailing a new live streaming platform over two days from 13 to 14 August, which could lead to it launching a permanent live streaming function for content producers worldwide.

Facebook overtakes Google to become the most visited website in the US

GLOBAL - Social network Facebook has overtaken search giant Google to become the most visited website in the US for the week ending 13 March.

Troy Ruhanen: 'I wouldn't have taken OAG job if it was all about efficiency and smashing things'

The Omnicom Advertising Group chief executive explains the value of bringing various agency brands together within one structure, discusses his working style and insists that reports of the industry's demise are greatly exaggerated.

Maybe Cannes Lions isn't capable of picking all of the best work

Creatives congregate at Cannes for validation, yet the festival can favour the sort of advertising briefs many of them try to avoid.

The creative backlash against Apple 'Crush' missed the point

Apple is diluting its advertising pedigree with low-grade thinking.

Campaign CMO Outlook 2024: Why marketers still want more from video-on-demand

In the second part of the Outlook series, global marketers weigh in on Amazon Prime’s move into ad-tier streaming, how video-on-demand will reshape strategies, and where it's still falling short.

Longtime BBDO executive Jim Moser to leave the network

After a 29-year stint at the Omnicom network, BBDO’s European chairman departs for Australia.

Will (Jo) Bacon get M&C Saatchi sizzling again?

It will be good for the industry—and the UK—if the new chief executive builds a business befitting the agency's legacy, writes Campaign UK editor, Maisie McCabe.

Accenture Song restructures to 'deliver at the speed of opportunity'

Annette King will become the consulting giant's marketing practice lead.

Campaign CMO Outlook 2023: AI supercharges adland

The future possibilities for advertising through the use of artificial intelligence have captured the attention of the industry, but the technology does not come without risks. Part two of Campaign’s 2023 CMO Outlook report unveils the opportunities and concerns that senior marketers anticipate will accompany the use of AI.

Angela Tangas: 'I didn't come here to run an advertising agency'