B2B marketers seek creativity boost to stand out
Companies such as Cigna, Microsoft, Intel and Unilever have shown how to deliver innovative B2B campaigns. But APAC is just finding its feet in making this shift.
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Inconsistent sustainability metrics plague marketers in Asia
With hundreds of measurement options and widely varied ESG implementation across markets, CMOs in APAC face a rocky road to improve their sustainability scores.
Can VinFast become a global electric vehicle brand?
BRAND HEALTH CHECK: The Vietnamese brand will need to find a niche for itself in the face of Tesla's overwhelming presence and the acceleration of legacy vehicle makers towards electric propulsion.
Publicis Groupe bags Standard Chartered's global creative business
The win follows a competitive three-way tussle and wrests business from incumbent TBWA.
Tencent cuts 5,000 jobs, slashes marketing spend by 21%
Chinese tech platform reports its first revenue dip for the second quarter of its financial year.
Pitch imperfect: Adland struggling to balance hunt for business with sustainable workloads
Talent wellness, resources, time, and cost have pushed agencies to be more viable in their search for new business, but not everyone is agreed on the way forward.
How brands celebrated India’s 75th Independence Day
A round-up of ads from Indian brands including Thums Up, Tata Tea, Godrej Group, and Rage Coffee.
Alibaba cuts marketing spend as it reports first flat revenue growth
Softness in Chinese commerce business offset by growth in cloud computing unit.
Suresh Balaji, Sunshine Farzan land global marketing roles at Standard Chartered
EXCLUSIVE: The two industry veterans will be part of the bank's corporate affairs, brand, and marketing leadership team.
Amazon promotes advertising offerings as business growth slows
AWS and advertising sales were the growth driver for the tech giant.
Project vs retainer: Which is better to manage burnout, creativity, and profitability?
As more clients split up their marketing budgets, it's making way for short-term projects. We ask agency leaders how this affects staff workload, creative output, and business sense.
How Unilever ships Walls ice cream to Maldives, St. Ives moisturiser to Australia and Vaseline lip balm to Mongolia
Unilever International, a billion-euro entity, is the consumer goods giant's in-house 'challenger business' and helps identify new growth opportunities for brands in new markets.
Tottenham Hotspurs rides digitalisation, personalisation to retain fans
With a multitude of entertainment options, the 130-year old club has a fight on its hands to keep consumers—especially millennials—interested in the club, says executive director Donna-Maria Cullen.
Tug appoints Karen Soo to lead new SEA business
Soo, who was formerly head of Reprise, will focus on financial services and tech businesses to drive growth in this region.
Why talent is moving from agencies to tech platforms and startups
While pay is a big draw, other compensation such as stock options and bonuses are a key attraction too.
Entropia’s Prashant Kumar on bridging the gap between new-age and old-world marketing
In his new book, industry veteran and Entropia's founder Kumar details how data is upturning marketing—and what CMOs need to do to keep up.
Cannes Lions 2022: Despite India’s outperformance, APAC’s metal count dives
Creative leaders reflect on why usually-strong markets such as Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand underwhelmed this year.
Andy Ho promoted to Publicis China's first chief growth officer
The former global client partner will have a wide mandate, including managing the recently acquired Wiredcraft team.
Luxury, tech, finance brands rise in Kantar BrandZ rankings
Based on Kantar's annual BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands report, Apple knocks Amazon off its perch as Chinese brands' growth dims.
Publicis China buys digital product consultancy Wiredcraft
With over 100 staff, this deal will help scale the network's digital transformation capabilities in the market.
Heineken takes KOLs on an Alpine adventure for global Edelweiss campaign
For a new global campaign, the premium beer brand aimed to leverage local content creators from its various markets. We speak to the global director of Heineken's international premium beer portfolio about how this was done.
Uneven regulation, tight deadlines catalyse spike in plagiarism
While content creators have been flooded with work recently, they've also had to contend with a flood of copycats. But lax legislation and hesitancy for creators to take action remain pending issues.
Brand Health Check: Is it the end of the road for Uber in APAC?
'Tears were not shed when the brand exited Southeast Asia': Experts weigh in how the ridesharing and food delivery giant can resurrect its struggling business in the region.
Why Heeru Dingra won Woman Leading Change of The Year for a second time
WOMEN LEADING CHANGE AWARDS 2022: Isobar Group's CEO in India has had a strong year, boosting business growth and driving innovation, all while proving to be an empathetic and enabling leader.
Freelancers are busier than ever, but old headaches persist
As agencies and marketing teams increasingly outsource their core offerings, freelancers are being inundated with requests. But issues such as reskilling, timely payments, and burnout are prevalent.
Alibaba posts slowest quarterly growth on record, will review marketing spend
Losses increased because of decline in value of investments in publicly-traded companies; backing for newer businesses such as Taocaicai and Taobao Deals; and the continued impact of Covid.
Publicis appoints co-CEOs in Thailand
The network has replaced long-time leader Songkran "Jod" Sethesompobe with two new leaders under a co-CEO structure.
Unilever's Samir Singh: Sustainability shouldn't burden consumers with guilt or expense
In his first interview since becoming Unilever's global personal care CMO, he details how the consumer goods giant is evolving hygiene products into wellness products and is embedding sustainability in its brands while facing growing local competition.
As borders open, how are travel marketers cashing in on pent-up demand?
Marketers open up about switching to lower-funnel activity as they prioritise conversions.
Customer transformation, digital drive continued resurgence at Dentsu
The group reported 14.9% growth in net revenue at Dentsu Japan Network, and its international business posted a 17.7% uptick in its top line for the first quarter of 2022.
Marketers have to overcome resistance from board on Web3 and the metaverse
CAMPAIGN 360: CMOs need to contend with the inevitability of the rise of the latest form of the web and be prepared for new business models it throws up, say marketers in the region.
Talent platforms &Friends and Cavalry Freelancing to merge
The combined entity will be renamed &Friends, and will become a global content and production entity.
GreyNJ United Bangkok shuffles top management
The agency has promoted Kanaporn Hutcheson to chairwoman and named Thipayachand Hasdin as the new CEO.
As pandemic gains dry up, frugal times ahead for Amazon
Ad sales growth, along with two years of Covid-fuelled ecommerce growth is slowing, shifting the global online retailer's focus toward cost efficiencies.
Apple faces up to $8 billion in losses from supply chain constraints
Despite strong numbers for this quarter, the iPhone maker forecasts growing supply chain pains for its gear and components.
Will an ad-driven model help Netflix reignite growth?
SOUNDING BOARD: Experts weigh in on how the video streamer's move to offer a cheaper advertising-driven plan may help fix its buffering business.
As subscriber numbers crater, Netflix mulls cheaper advertising-driven plans
The video streamer's recent earnings show stress of growing competition, sharing of accounts, and geopolitical tensions.
Tech platforms' losses from IDFA to hit $16 billion in the coming year
Facebook to suffer the worst jolt from Apple's privacy squeeze, which caused four large platforms to lose $10 billion in lost revenue, notes a new report from Lotame.
As war for talent heats up, adland reviews employee engagement
According to agency leaders in the region, employers are battling growing wage inflation, a shift of power in the recruitment process, and a stronger demand for flexibility.
Publicis shuffles leadership in Vietnam
Lukasz Roszczyc has stepped down as CEO and media leader Francois Goddet will return to Europe midyear, to be replaced by Kate Bayona-Garcia and Vineeth Dhruvan, respectively.
AnyMind expands ecommerce capabilities with cross-platform offering
New offering, AnyX, claims to give brands a single view of their online sales across retailers including Shopee, Lazada, Rakuten, Amazon and Shopify.
How Dhiren Amin plans to use his FMCG skills to transform NTUC Income's marketing
Former Kraft Heinz CMO looks to drive change at the Singapore-based insurer, which has recently undergone corporatisation and is seeking to expand its digital offerings across the region.
Agencies' innovation fervour tempered in 2021
AGENCY REPORT CARD ANALYSIS: Rather than announce splashy new concepts, shops preferred to talk about geographically scaling out and commercialising ideas this year.
Hijrah movement: Brands court newly conservative consumers
The pandemic has given more momentum to a movement that sees young people rediscovering their faith, and brands are rushing to capitalise. But they need to be seen as authentic rather than opportunistic to really connect.
Unilever's oral care brands sink teeth into dental challenges in SEA
The FMCG giant aims to address the chronic shortage of dental specialists in Southeast Asia with a campaign promoting free teledentistry consultations.
Uneven implementation of sustainability efforts across APAC agencies in 2021
AGENCY REPORT CARD ANALYSIS: Industry leaders across the 41 agencies we reviewed agreed the topic was atop their agenda, but their implantation of practices and solutions varied.
How marketers are trying to recast gender stereotypes in ecommerce
Marketers are grappling with how to reach consumers in the categories they spend the most time and money in, while subverting gender stereotypes in their ecommerce campaigns.
Publicis Groupe appoints Ajay Thrivikraman as chief creative officer, Southeast Asia
Thrivikraman was previously chief creative officer for global clients, leading creative work for Publicis Groupe’s dedicated units across P&G and Tiger Beer.
Young Spikes Marketing winners lean on lessons from Ice Bucket Challenge
Farhat Chowdhury and Farah Amira Khan's Click 2 Care campaign sought to use a frugal HK$1000 budget to earn HK$1 million in donations.
How to write clearer, more concise marketing briefs
MARKETING WORKS: Most marketing briefs not only lack both a clear plan of attack and a strategic direction but also are riddled with jargon, contend the founders of BetterBriefs.
Can adland make work-from-anywhere work?
With some employees embracing logging in from wherever suits their fancy, the industry faces a race to keep pace with the desires of an increasingly footloose workforce.
TSLA expands Junk's focus, hires Fabian Tan to lead shop
The Secret Little Agency says the move transforms the unit from a strategic insights bureau into full-service cultural strategy agency.
The year ahead for CMOs: Sustainability, purpose, data, agility top the agenda in APAC
CMOs in 2022 will be challenged like never before with leaders focusing on brand purpose, data insights, sustainability, agility, complexity and the rise of new media, Campaign has discovered.
Private-equity funds boosted M&A deal-making in 2021: Ciesco
EXCLUSIVE: These funds accounted for 45% of all deals made in the year, as activity from holding groups and consultancies was muted, according to this advisory's data.
Fraud-detection firm Human Security gets $100 million in funding
The security specialist previously known as White Ops will use the capital to accelerate expansion into new markets and expand its headcount.
After a challenging 2020, M&A action sprung back to life in 2021
YEAR IN REVIEW: If the theme last year was about consolidation of operations and conservation of resources, a pickup in sentiment saw a surge in deal-making in 2021.
As it rapidly expands, is Lalamove’s brand versatile enough to conquer the world?
BRAND HEALTH CHECK: The IPO-bound company’s bright orange branding is unique in a low-involvement category, but as it considers further expansion beyond its mainstays of Mainland China and Hong Kong, can it continue to stand out?
WPP's Mindshare, Ogilvy and Wavemaker make strong return to South Asia AOY awards
Mindshare bags the top digital- and media-agency awards, while Ogilvy wins the top prize for creative shops in South Asia and Wavemaker wins two people awards.
Is adland in APAC ready to roll on sustainable campaign production?
With plans evolving on building a localised version of Ad Net Zero, brands and agencies in the region are doubling down on their sustainability commitments, but are racing to keep up with peers in Europe and North America.
With mixed travel recovery in APAC, Hilton focuses on shorter, localised campaigns
Campaign sentiment has shifted from dreaming of a vacation to pushing consumers to graduate from weekend trips to weeklong adventures, says Ben George the chain's senior VP and commercial director.
BBH wrests Mini China's integrated, creative business from Anomaly
BMW's premium compact car brand has enlisted the Publicis shop on a five-year contract.
SCMP ties up with NBA Top Shot maker for NFT foray
Under the name Artifacts by SCMP, the publisher is introducing both an NFT series drawing on its 118-year-deep media archive and a metadata standard that aims to add context to historical NFTs.
Steep profit decline, muted forecast clouds Alibaba Q3 earnings
Chinese technology giant reports heaviest profit decline in five years and slowest revenue growth since it listed in 2014.
Dentsu names global product lead for media
Rohan Philips takes on responsibility for developing the product strategy and roadmap for Dentsu clients worldwide across Carat, iProspect and Dentsu X.
Can brands and the gaming industry collaborate and profit from the metaverse?
GAME CHANGERS: To make a mark, they need to decide on whether their aim is immediate revenue gain or less immediately tangible exposure.
Lazada co-founders' Crea raises $25 million from brand accelerator SuperOrdinary
Aimone Ripa di Meana and Alessandro Piscini expect the investment to help their venture attract new brands to the digital commerce ecosystem by reaching the United States, China and Southeast Asia.
Netflix CMO Bozoma Saint John bats for increased personalisation and nuance in marketing
Shifting away from old rules around catering to the masses, the influential marketer tells attendees at Adobe Experience Makers Asia 2021 to listen to a focus group of one.
Dentsu reports improved earnings, led by its domestic business in Japan
While the Japan business has recovered strongly, its international unit, especially APAC was a drag on third quarter metrics.
Market revival brings talent turmoil to adland
The pandemic-driven 'great resignation', greater opportunities outside of the industry and structural issues within are resulting in unprecedented people challenges in Asia Pacific.
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.
Can agencies keep pace with fintech upstarts?
Flush with funding, companies in the fintech space are more experimental, and shops need to be more agile to keep pace, says Thunes CMO Irina Chuchkina.
Amazon, Cadbury's, RHB Bank, British Airways and more light up Diwali in 2021
Gratitude, love, grit, belonging, family and kindness highlight our selection of campaigns for the festival of light.
Adland grapples with sustainability
Q4 GLOBAL FORECAST: Cop26 is prompting global action on environmental issues, but in the advertising sector, strategies for tackling the problems have so far diverged in different regions, including APAC.
With 'Hidden riches' campaign, Citibank aims to align with changing money habits among Singapore's wealthy
A new wealth-management campaign by MullenLowe highlights how the city-state's residents are looking to manage their wealth differently from previous generations.
Amazon growth slows as consumers return to physical stores
Softness in the firm's core business in Q3 was masked by the continuing surge in AWS, its cloud-services offering. Advertising revenue also continues to grow swiftly.
Why your ad next to trendy pimple-popping, mukbang, and ASMR videos missed the target
A new report from Channel Factory and Magna shows that while consumers are entertained by misguided ads, advertisers will not be amused by the results of content-ad misalignment.
LinkedIn logs out: Is it the end of the road for non-Chinese tech platforms?
SOUNDING BOARD: Industry experts weigh in on the future for LinkedIn and other non-native tech platforms in China, as the business-networking site confirms it will shrink to a jobs board in the market.
Just Egg invites Koreans to an intimate dinner for two
INSPIRATION STATION: To drive awareness of its plant-based egg offerings, the American brand teamed up with MediaMonks serve up a unique dining experience.
The Great Resignation: How a raft of exits is compelling the ad industry to rethink people plans
While employee attrition has always been an industry bugbear, a growing cohort of Covid quitters has pushed companies to rethink the future of work and employment. Although not all are ready to admit there could be a problem afoot.
Kota Murakami promoted to Essence's Japan MD
Murakami moves up from his role leading client services across Japan and Korea.
Mullenlowe Mishra consummates pact with condom-maker Karex in Vietnam
The agency will work with the condom manufacturer to drive social conversation and consumer engagement in the sex-shy market.
Thai consumers upend brand choices as they seek comfort in year two of Covid
Despite a stable top three, consumers in this southeast Asian market disrupted their brand preferences in the past year.
Can Grab, Singha's rise inspire more local Thai labels to break out in brand-conscious Thailand?
The omnipresent agriculture-to-telecom CP remains atop the local brand ranking in Thailand once again, but can more homegrown emerge from the shadow of MNC rivals to shine?
WarnerMedia consolidates six Asia offices with Singapore hub
Media giant houses 300 people in the new hub that consolidates the operations of legacy businesses including Warner Bros, HBO and Turner and will serve as the region HQ for its streaming service HBO Max.
Thunes hires Irina Chuchkina as first CMO
She joins from another fintech player, Rapyd, and has had stints with Grab and Visa previously.
Happiness Saigon wants to make you miss your physical office a little less
INSPIRATION STATION: What started out as a metaverse passion project by a junior designer has helped connect remote working colleagues and could be a template for other companies to emulate.
Ampverse acquires Thailand's Mith esports team
Mith will join Bacon Time and SBTC Esports as part of Ampverse’s portfolio of owned and operated esports assets.
CMOs will find it challenging to continue to virtually engage with customers: Salesforce's Wendy Walker
Salesforce's senior director of marketing in APAC holds forth on an explosion in data sources, saturation in virtual marketing and the re-skilling required for marketers as pandemic changes to the market turn permanent.
Despite age limit, 50% of children in Asia have a Facebook account: TotallyAwesome
The firm's research also reveals that 44% have Instagram, when legally they are meant to be over 13 to sign up for both.
Marketers struggling for traction with media strategies
The biggest gaps, according to research from the World Federation of Marketers, are in the segments of ecommerce and shoppable media, with no respondents satisfied with their performance.
China's Nantou City taps Superunion for modern makeover
Remit includes includes strategic brand, experience and communications planning, alongside a total revamp of the visual identity.
Insurance CMOs seek to erase segment's rep for middling creative
CMOs and agency leaders agree the insurance industry isn't known for electrifying creative work. What needs to happen to change that?
Tag acquires digital agency MoniMedia
Deal will enable shop to add ecommerce and omni-channel solutions offerings and win a bigger chunk of business from clients.
Not a game: HP's high-stakes bid to win gamers over with Omen
CMO Siew Ting Foo explains how HP is working to lure console gamers to the PC platform and build legitimacy for its Omen brand across APAC.
Convenience economy rises as Filipinos embed themselves at home
ASIA's TOP 1000 BRANDS: Led by packaged-goods brand CDO, a raft of brands that have eased the burden of successive lockdowns have prospered in this year’s listing of the Philippines' top 100 brands.
Mobile services brands benefit as Filipinos seek local comfort
While Jollibee continues to rule the roost as the strongest local brand in the Philippines, according to our exclusive survey, consumers are seeking comfort in familiar, homegrown brands in the second year of the pandemic.
Unmasking a Covid cause of marine pollution
INSPIRATION STATION: Alibaba, WWF and F5 collaborated on highlighting the tremendous damage caused by 1.5 billion masks finding their way into the oceans.
Phil Adrien's top priorities as Dentsu's CEO, Creative for APAC
As the network continues to recover, he will work with heavy hitters such as Fred Levron and Merlee Jayme, reach out to key clients and try to build a borderless creative offering at Dentsu.
Lululemon launches 'largest ever' global brand campaign
Designed by Droga5, the campaign aims to target its growing men’s user base, international markets, and younger Gen Z audience.
As business improves, Kraft Heinz boosts marketing focus
As the company returns to operating profit, it is focusing on expanding the capabilities of 12 in-house agencies serving 30 locations worldwide to improve the quality and efficiency of its marketing activities.