A landmark California ruling and Australia’s under‑16 social media ban have forced the ad industry to confront funding addictive platforms. But will the industry lead the shift to healthier digital spaces?
TODAY'S EDITION
04/10/2026
Latest
The ethics of AI borrowing public identities
The use of a person’s likeness in promotional materials without their consent is not a gray area. It is a matter of creativity that crosses ethical and legal boundaries.
Campaign Global Agency of the Year Awards: shortlist revealed
Entries from Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore each have multiple nods.
The Knowledge
Australia and Malaysia lead APAC charge in first indie league of 2026
While US shops dominate, Bench Media and Bastion represent Australia in the global top 10, with Malaysia’s Trapper Media narrowly missing the cut at number 12.
Chinese pitches up in 2025 as brands eye efficiencies with contracting media budgets
Publicis Media led China's media agency market in 2025 for the second consecutive year, with Omnicom and Dentsu also gaining as WPP Media records a net loss in Ebiquity China's latest analysis.
What the Oatside backlash in Vietnam reveals about how brands misread local markets
Misalignment occurred when an audience responded based on trust to a stunt designed for reach.
Publicis wins Microsoft media account without a pitch as part of expanded partnership
Two companies “will leverage each other’s expertise to embed agentic AI”.
How AIA's 'Rethink Healthy' is challenging body image pressures shaping Asia's next generation
CMO Stuart A. Spencer breaks down the insurer's latest campaign film and why he believes shifting consumer attitudes towards health is key to making a lasting brand impact.
Stagwell appoints Lena Petersen as chief brand and communications officer
Petersen spent 16 years with Publicis Media, where she was Starcom MediaVest Group's EVP, global product and partnership.
The Information
Havas CEO Yannick Bolloré earned $8 million in 2025
The chief executive received a base salary of $1.75 million.
DBS calls creative agency review across six markets
The remit spans Singapore, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, and Taiwan.
China’s new marketing test: Can global brands thrive by going glocal?
As more global brands like Starbucks and Burger King sell key stakes in Chinese operations to local partners to speed up digital, product, and cultural localisation, what lessons are multinationals learning?
What PR Awards APAC judges are eyeing this year
Two of this year's jurors, DHL's Amanda De Silva and Nomura's Ross Rowbury, weigh-in on how technology is being used to navigate more complexity in comms today, and explain what they're looking for in winning submissions.
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AI is a marketer’s best ally: how to win by harnessing human creativity
The remarkable data-crunching power of AI has rewritten the rules of marketing. But as two of the region’s most celebrated marketing leaders explain, it leaves the profession with a critical quandary – how to avoid just doing more of the same, faster, and instead practice the sort of ‘creative bravery’ that leads to outstanding results
OPINIONS
Woolley Marketing: Why adland is trading magic for a faster milk cart
Allowing new AI technology to become the dominant consideration in choosing a partner means you value ‘more and faster’ over capability and performance.
The Renaissance: Why the age of AI will be accompanied by a rebirth of human wisdom and re-connection
CULTURAL RADAR: As more people push back on technology, in-person gatherings are starting to reinvigorate how we approach work, says our columnist on culture.
Stop feeding the machine: Why APAC's content arms race is making platforms rich and brands invisible
The brands that win in culture to commerce won't be the most reactive. They'll be the most intentional, the most curious about culture, and the most willing to experiment says Dentsu APAC's head of insights and intelligence.
'Trendslop': when your AI strategy is just averaging the internet
Marketers are getting coherent, well-structured, completely generic thinking from AI. The problem isn't the technology, writes Brainwaves co-founder Ben Crawford.
Be more punk: Why design needs to get messy again
Brands must embrace counter-culture, RGA APAC's Ben Miles opines. As AI takes over the predictable, the creative industry's greatest asset is its humanity.
Women’s sport has arrived, the brands haven’t
Women’s sport in APAC has outgrown its untapped potential tag with explosive viewership and year-round fandom, yet brands haven't caught up, says We Are Social's Suzie Shaw.
In an age of direct buying, what exactly is a DSP for?
The spat between Publicis and The Trade Desk is an overdue reckoning with misaligned expectations between auditors, agencies and adtech platforms, as direct buying becomes cheaper and easier.
Why the ChatGPT uninstall wave is a brand story, not a tech story
When a defence contract determines whether people will use that AI, we have moved beyond features. Something deeper is happening, opines Sanat Sinha.