Campaign Asia

Agencies line up for Stoli vodka business

Global creative review understood to have reached shortlist stage.

UK brands and marketers take a stand on climate disinformation

Group urges social network CEOs to crack down on content and ads making ‘deceptive statements’.

‘Carbon neutral’ and ‘net zero’ to come under ASA microscope in UK

The British ad watchdog to update guidance around making environmental claims.

HSBC greenwashing ad ban is example to other banks, UK ad watchdog warns

Ads promoting green projects must not mislead on banks’ overall climate impact.

Domino’s serenades jobseekers with football chants

Recruitment spot illustrates camaraderie with singing staff.

Kate Moss launches beauty and wellness brand Cosmoss

The move invites comparisons to Gwyneth Paltrow venture Goop.

M&C Saatchi and the brutal complexity of (being) bought

Why the hold-up in the takeover process and where are things now? Campaign explains.

Rival threatens to knock out Next 15 bid for M&C Saatchi

AdvancedAdvT now says it will vote against Next 15’s offer – as things stand.

Meta backs drag style to showcase metaverse tech

Three aspiring designers to use VR to create looks for three drag acts.

WPP upgrades forecasts after mammoth hiring spree

Coca-Cola win helped deliver organic revenue growth of 8.9% in the first six months.

Sir Martin Sorrell recruits ex-WPP colleague to tackle S4 Capital tangle

Misfiring MediaMonks owner also appoints chief operating officer.

'It's home': how brands are reacting to England's Euro 2022 victory

England’s Lionesses grab the spotlight after historic Euro 2022 win.

Jellyfish in sale talks with The Brandtech Group

Exclusive negotiations in progress between performance agency and martech group.

JCDecaux on track for 7% organic growth in Q3

China lockdowns partly offset strong recovery from pandemic.

S4 Capital shares plunge on new profit warning as staff costs spiral

Sir Martin Sorrell’s marketing group slices over £30m off EBITDA forecast and plans cost reductions.

Samsung running ad cleared in UK amid ‘victim blaming’ concerns

Showing a woman running alone at night did not encourage ‘unsafe practice’ ASA says, rejecting 27 complaints.

Talon Outdoor secures new backer as it plans global expansion

Outdoor media buyer pursuing growth and acquisitions after climbing out of pandemic doldrums.

Now M&C Saatchi gets punchy with ‘double whammy’ defence against Vin Murria’s AdvT

Agency draws on its 1992 poster for the UK's Conservative Party.

Starbucks pulls brand out of Russia

The American coffee giant follows McDonald’s in exit following business suspension.

M&C Saatchi extends stand-off with suitor for another month

Latest ‘put up or shut up deadline’ passes with no new offer from Vin Murria.

Uniqlo U-turns on staying open in Russia

Japanese clothing brand to suspend operations after initial resistance.

Facebook loses users as 18-year growth streak ends

Parent company Meta under pressure from Apple and TikTok.

Mike Newell directs eight-minute Macallan whisky spot starring Emily Mortimer

Heritage film conceived and produced by brand’s in-house creative director.

Unicef brand campaign puts children at the centre

Creative carries the message that 'The C stands for children'.

Arthur and Maurice ham it up in Publicis Christmas film

French duo have been inserted into famous films and TV from The Joker to Squid Game to promote new Work Your World initiative.

Consumers ‘will want to know environmental impact of ads’, research claims

Dentsu and Microsoft Advertising urge brands to communicate sustainability measures.

Mediabrands sweeps up Dyson global media planning and buying

Account, worth $600 million, will transfer from Mindshare in Q1 2022.

AKQA acquires BrewDog branding agency Made Thought to boost design offer

WPP agency has created a new design group to house Made Thought and two other design agencies it has majority stakes in.

Cannes Lions confirms physical return in 2022

Back to the South of France, on 20-24 June.

Publicis Groupe promotes Magnus Djaba to global chief client officer

UK creative agency leader moves up to global role with management committee position.

M&C Saatchi tightens processes to cope with high-level departures amid restructure

Staff resignations have included Steve Martin and Jamie Wynne-Morgan from M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment.

M&C Saatchi to consider US acquisitions to bulk up creative network

A new leadership team will address the group’s underweight presence in the world’s biggest ad market.

Lego rolls out overhauled brand identity

Design elements of the rebrand are inspired by comic books.

M&C Saatchi reveals strategy shift after revenues drop

Holding company to target regional clients with more integrated offer.

Iris hires global chief people officer

Benita Meswania joins from We Are Social owner Plus Company.

X-rated Musk burns bridges with concerned advertisers: ‘Go F yourself’

Ad chief Linda Yaccarino attempts to clean up after public tirade.

Apple tells children’s story to illustrate new feature

Real user appears in Taika Waititi-directed film.

Friends share joy in Amazon’s Beatles-soundtracked Christmas ad

Gentle in-house spot set to ‘In My Life’ to run in the UK, US and Europe.

‘Golden era’ of subscription streaming growth may be over, says YouGov

Market researcher in UK finds growing proportion of consumers thinking of cancelling.

Global agency groups 2023 report card: Restructuring, freelance cuts and AI plans as growth gets harder

Last year some global agency groups found the going tougher than expected but others came through and are still on their planned courses.

Suzuki parts ways with Iris amid creative and CRM review

Japanese car brand is working with The Observatory.

RocketMill snapped up by US independent agency

Deal for 200-strong UK digital agency brings US media challenger to Europe.

Adidas creates clothing for Roblox avatars

Brand launches shops in virtual world and partners with creator Rush Bogin.

YouTube and TikTok lead marketers’ plans for 2024

Migration to digital channels – except X and Snapchat – to continue, Warc finds.

Performance and staff numbers decline across global agency groups in 2024, as restructures continue

An analysis of key trends from the performance of global holding companies through 2024.

S4 stutters as clients pull back in May and June

Content practice continues to experience weakness.

Majority of creatives worried by impact of generative AI

Study finds technology regarded as viable substitute for human creativity.

Uncommon creates series connecting refugees with YouTube creators

‘We were here’ emerges from a partnership between YouTube and the United Nations.

Publicis’ Working With Cancer campaign wins Lions Health Grand Prix for Good

‘Not only a brilliantly creative idea, but a globally impactful one,’ jury president says.

Second WFA global census shows no improvement on inclusion

Follow-up to 2021 survey indicates lack of progress despite increased awareness of issues.

M&C Saatchi shares drop 9% on downbeat trading update

Group optimistic despite weakness in advertising and media revenues.

Two-way shootout for HSBC global media review

Major bank pits familiar faces against each other.

Twitter’s Linda Yaccarino appointment impresses ad industry though some raise doubts

Adland leaders view Elon Musk’s move as proof the platform wants to win brands back.

Vice Media to keep operating amid sale process

Publisher files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and secures one buyer.

Ads still cast more men than women despite diversity push

A large-scale face-recognition study in the UK finds 60% of people in video ads last year were male.

Martin Sorrell's bonus drops after MediaMonks owner misses targets

S4 Capital pays out lower bonuses after top execs fall short on integration, profit and diversity.

WPP delivers 2.9% organic growth in ‘positive start’ to year

Holding group says it remains on track for 3-5% growth over 2023.

Jellyfish founder Rob Pierre steps down after 18 years

‘It’s the right time for me to step away and focus on other ambitions.’

Is the media agency model moving towards outcome-based payment?

In a progressively splintered media landscape, brands are seeking a simpler, holistic and results-based service from their agencies. But is that too much to ask for from overstretched teams? Performance Marketing World spoke to both sides to ask if the future of brand-agency relations will be performance based.

Mars Petcare brings in first global marketing chief since 2019

Najoh Tita-Reid to join Logitech as chief brand and experience officer.

Dentsu sets out 10 media trends with momentum for 2024

Broad themes of research report are generative AI, platform monetisation and brands’ social impact.

Havas organic revenue growth slows to 1.1%

French group’s first quarter noticeably behind Publicis and Omnicom.

IPA Council divided on AI threat to ad industry

Debate featured deep-fake versions of Paul Bainsfair and Julian Douglas.

Toilet roll dance seeks to inspire bowel cancer action

Your next poo could save your life, NHS England says.

Havas organic growth accelerates to 6.3% in Q2

All regions performing well as parent company praises ad group’s direction.

UK govt unveils online ad taskforce to tackle harms and protect children

Adland veteran Mark Lund will help lead the taskforce.

M&C Saatchi timeline: from takeover target to MacLennan exit

How two years of uncertainty unfolded at the holding group.

Red Bull and Heineken: F1 marketing overhaul is starting to pay off

Beer brand praises sport's new 'accessibility' after end of Bernie Ecclestone era.

Lexus marketer: In-housing boosts creativity through 'corridor conversations'

Brand communications manager Emma Lane says she is sold on in-housing after two years.

Sorrell: I'm going back to the 1990s

S4 Capital is reuniting digital creative and media services, the former WPP chief tells Advertising Week Europe.

Could coronavirus tip the global ad market into recession?

Uncertainty is in the air.

WPP introduces new agency brand Black Ops

Shop is working with SK-II.

Omnicom wary of 'wounded competitors' but delivers 2.6% organic growth

Investors reassured by steady results following Publicis shock.

Twitter reports 23% rise in ad revenue, first full-year profit

Social network to keep adding to US and international sales teams.

Brian Wieser joins GroupM to lead business intelligence

The prominent media and advertising analyst moves to the agency world after eight years at Pivotal Research.

Publicis Groupe to hold company-wide leadership get-togethers

Company also rolls out online courses to all staff.

Bloomberg Media clocks up 16% annual revenue growth

CEO Justin Smith expecting double-digit growth again in 2019.

Diageo CMO presses agencies to speed up hiring of female creative chiefs

'The pace of substantive change has been too slow', agencies told.

Intel hands $300m global media to Dentsu Aegis

Chip giant consolidates media activity with ‘Team Intel’, a bespoke offering uniting talent from Carat, Merkle and Amnet.

WPP merges Y&R and VML under Jon Cook

VML global chief executive Jon Cook has been handed the same role at the new agency being created by WPP through the merger of Y&R and VML.

Snapchat links visual search to Amazon listings

New function is claimed to recognise barcodes as well as products themselves.

Mindshare hires Carat's James Harris as global chief strategy officer

Harris leaves Carat after three years.

Engine lures R/GA veteran Jim Moffatt to lead Europe and Asia

Moffatt took R/GA APAC from 10 employees in Singapore in 2014 to more than 250 in five APAC offices today.

Growing ad revenue is making Amazon more profitable

Ad sales is now a "multibillion dollar business" for the online retailer, which is improving the service for advertisers with greater process automation and more measurement capabilities.

Sorrell 'saddened and disturbed' by resignation at WPP China

Former WPP leader reacts to resignation of non-executive director Hugo Shong.

Google ad revenues surge 24% in latest quarter

Parent company Alphabet reports $3.2 billion in profit even after accounting for the recently announced European Commission fine.

Huawei CMO makes Global Marketer of the Year shortlist

The World Federation of Advertisers has shortlisted six CMOs to compete for its inaugural Global Marketer of the Year award.

Cannes Lions revenue down 9%, but marketers spending more

Revenue from delegate passes and awards entries fell by 15.5% and 13.6%, respectively.

Publicis Groupe shares slide 9% amid fall in organic growth

The chief executive of Publicis Groupe has experienced his first bad financial quarter since he took charge last June, as a drop in organic growth led its shares down 9%

MediaMonks: the lowdown on the company that topped Sorrell's shopping list

If you were unfamiliar with MediaMonks and want to know more about the company that Sir Martin Sorrell has made his first capture, read on.

How hotel smartphone brand Handy is carving out a new market serving travellers

The founder of Hong Kong-based Tink Labs came up with the idea for Handy, a complimentary smartphone that is now installed in 700,000 hotel rooms worldwide, four years ago.

Sorrell: WPP delivering 'less bureaucratic, more creative' teams in response to advertiser demand

At Advertising Week Europe, Sorrell acknowledges the wishes expressed by the likes of Procter & Gamble CMO Marc Pritchard and his Unilever counterpart Keith Weed.

Airbnb to sponsor Olympics and Paralympics to 2028

Accommodation business becomes top-tier partner alongside likes of Coca-Cola and Visa.

15-year old Boohoo acquires 208-year old Debenhams, as Asos closes in on Topshop

Debenhams brand to be relaunched, but not in bricks-and-mortar form.

Cinema predicted to outpace global ad market

China accounts for 47% of global cinema adspend.

Google acquires wearable tech brand Fitbit for $2.1bn

Search giant eyes opportunity of 'Made by Google' wearables.

Kraft Heinz to shake up media spend and cut product launches

New CEO to back flagship brands in turnaround.

Red Cross creates choose-your-own Twitter adventure

Twitter users get to step into the shoes of a Red Cross negotiator.

Huawei's global brand chief on cultural challenges at the Chinese tech giant

Andrew Garrihy spoke about 'how to reinvent an Eastern brand for the West', but said Huawei's culture was just as much of a learning curve for him.

MediaMonks expands with $150m acquisition of US digital agency Firewood

Silicon Valley shop favours embedded service for clients including Google, Facebook and Salesforce.

Martin Sorrell: Group M alone is worth as much as WPP's stock market value

Former WPP chief seeks to justify retaining his shares in ad giant.

Instagram adds alerts to ecommerce trial

Brand followers can get reminder when new products go on sale.

Havas recovery continues with return to growth in sight

Q1 revenues dropped 0.8% on an organic basis.

John Hegarty: Agency craft is in decline

Writing skills are "deplorable" and the best work in the last 18 months came from the in-house team at Oatly, according to the 'H' in BBH.

John Hegarty invests in freelance matchmaking service Genie

BBH co-founder says AI interface that matches briefs to creatives is "the answer" to the ad industry's need to "access the growing freelance workforce with speed and effectiveness".

Ikea names agency veteran Linus Karlsson as chief creative officer

Former McCann creative boss to work across marketing and product development.

Ferrero unwraps global media review

Nearly 100 markets believed to be up for grabs.

UM unveils ‘Futureproof’ positioning

IPG media agency to prize speed, diversity and ethics.

Women's World Cup spots score terribly on branding and sales measures

Public found the ads involving and emotional but weren't sure which brands they were for.

Haagen-Dazs awards global creative to Forsman & Bodenfors

Business moves from Saatchi & Saatchi, which did not repitch.

Adobe buys video ad tech firm TubeMogul for $540m

Adobe has agreed to buy TubeMogul, which makes software allowing brands and agencies to plan and buy video advertising, for US$540 million.

Trump shock puts politically engaged marketers in introspective mood

Marketers on each side of the Atlantic have reacted in different ways to Donald Trump and the Republican Party winning power in the US.

McCann out of global HSBC pitch

GLOBAL - McCann Erickson is out of the pitch for HSBC's US$636 million global advertising business, which it said was due to pitching for another unnamed global bank.

China is last hurdle for Aegis-Dentsu deal completion

CHINA - Dentsu's takeover of Aegis may not complete until next year, rather than before Christmas as originally envisioned, due to the slow process of Chinese regulators examining the deal.

Microsoft appoints global marketer

GLOBAL - Microsoft has appointed Chris Capossela as its new global marketing chief and put him in charge of its consumer channels business.

Tribal DDB picks up global Flora/Becel digital business

GLOBAL - Unilever has moved the global digital account for its Flora/Becel brand from Ogilvy to Tribal DDB.

WPP and Publicis swoop on Asian agencies

ASIA-PACIFIC - WPP is expanding east with the acquisition of a full service digital agency in Vietnam, while Publicis Groupe is taking a majority stake in an India-based healthcare ad agency.

WPP acquires full-service digital shop in Vietnam

HO CHI MINH CITY - WPP is expanding east with the acquisition of full service digital agency Who Digital in Vietnam.

Tribal DDB nets Reebok global digital business

GLOBAL - Fitness brand Reebok has appointed Tribal DDB New York to handle its global digital account.

WPP overtakes Omnicom as biggest marketing group

GLOBAL - WPP last year registered the largest revenue for a global publicly listed marketing services company, pushing Omnicom out of the top spot.

KFC drops 'Finger Lickin' Good' in health-focused revamp

GLOBAL - Kentucky Fried Chicken is to replace its 50-year-old 'Finger Lickin' Good' slogan with 'So Good', as it introduces a healthier focus, which will include displaying calories alongside prices on menus.

Initiative promotes Ireland MD to global role

GLOBAL - Initiative has appointed Chris Rayner, the managing director of its Ireland office, to the newly created role of director of global accounts.

WPP and IMG launch global licensing unit

GLOBAL - WPP and IMG, the sports and entertainment company, are joining forces to launch a new unit aimed at providing licensing opportunities for the advertising giant's roster of clients.

Yahoo suffers 28 per cent drop in net income

GLOBAL - Yahoo has reported first-quarter net income of US$223 million, down 28 per cent year-on-year, after a 24 per cent drop in revenue to US$1.2 billion, which the company blamed on the method it uses to account for its search tie-up with Microsoft.

Philip Morris sues over Australian anti-branding laws

CANBERRA - Tobacco giant Philip Morris has started legal proceedings against the Australian government's passing of legislation to make plain packaging mandatory for cigarettes.

Volvo appoints Arnold as lead global creative agency

SHANGHAI - Volvo has moved its UK and China creative business out of SapientNitro and into Arnold Worldwide without a pitch.

Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia make their mark at QPR

GLOBAL - English Premier League football club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) on Monday wore shirts featuring new home game shirt sponsor Malaysia Airlines, marking the first outward sign of the commercial deal between the club and its new majority shareholder Tony Fernandes.

Warc chief executive Olins steps down

LONDON - Rufus Olins, the chief executive of Warc, has resigned with immediate effect after nearly three years at the marketing intelligence group.

More tablet users pick up video habit : KPMG

Lévy could stay to 2016 after retirement age adjustment

GLOBAL - Publicis Groupe shareholders yesterday gave Maurice Lévy a run at five more years at the top by voting to raise the retirement age for management board members from 70 to 75.

Paypal sues Google over mobile payment trade secrets

GLOBAL - Google has been slapped with a lawsuit relating to Wallet, its new mobile payments service, by Ebay subsidiary Paypal, which alleges the theft of its trade secrets.

WPP first-half profits jump to US$546 million

LONDON - WPP has unveiled a 37 per cent year-on-year increase in first-half pre-tax profits to US$546 milllion, after a strong performance including "surprisingly" high growth in the UK.

JWT and MediaCom land $200m global US tourism account

NEW YORK CITY - JWT New York is to lead a global marketing campaign for the US after winning a pitch against two undisclosed agencies.

WPP acquires US digital agency Rockfish Interactive

GLOBAL - WPP Digital, the digital arm of WPP, has agreed to acquire the assets of US digital agency Rockfish Interactive for an undisclosed sum.

APAC drives revenue for Yahoo despite drop in EMEA

GLOBAL - Yahoo's EMEA revenue dropped 6.6 per cent year-on-year to US$133.1 million in the third quarter, although its net income doubled thanks to the sale of HotJobs.

Interpublic profits surge as revenue bounces back

GLOBAL - Interpublic, the holding company behind McCann Erickson and Universal McCann, has produced a 76 per cent rise in third-quarter net income to US$45.6 million.

Sorrell bullish on WPP's 2011 performance

GLOBAL - WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell has indicated his group is experiencing stronger growth than the three to four per cent expected by its operating companies for 2011.

Usain Bolt extends contract with Puma for 2012 Olympics

GLOBAL - Puma has held on to its star brand ambassador Usain Bolt for the London 2012 Olympics, by extending his contract to the end of 2013.

Unilever makes US$3.7bn swoop on personal care brands

Unilever is to buy Alberto Culver, the owner of personal care brands including Tresemmé and Simple, for US$3.7 billion in cash.

Google drops direct approach for Nexus One

GLOBAL - Google is to stop using its direct-to-consumer online store to sell its Nexus One smartphone, admitting the approach was a mistake, and has opted to bring in retail partners.

Facebook teams up with PayPal

GLOBAL - Facebook has brought in PayPal to offer advertisers and users a way to make payments to the social media giant and its developers.

Google chief claims 60,000 Android phones shipping per day

GLOBAL - Google chief executive Eric Schmidt has revealed that 60,000 phones using the company's Android operating system are shipping each day.

Cadbury and Kraft shake hands on US$19.4 billion deal

LONDON - Cadbury has announced it is finalising the terms of a takeover by Kraft after the US food giant raised its bid to US$19.4 billion.

Mars named Cannes Advertiser of the Year

GLOBAL - Mars, the confectionery, petcare and food giant, has been named Cannes Lions Advertiser of the Year, previously won by the likes of Unilever and adidas.

P&G chief lays out $1 billion marketing efficiency vision

GLOBAL - P&G's chief executive Bob McDonald has promised to deliver $1 billion (£632 million) in savings throughout the next five years with more efficient marketing, while stressing "we are not looking to make significant cuts in marketing support behind our brands".

Daniel Farey-Jones