marketing interactive

TEAM LEWIS has expanded its Asia-Pacific footprint with the opening of a representative office in Indonesia, marking its sixth market in the region and underscoring its continued push across Asia. Announced on 6 January 2026, the move sees the global marketing agency establish a presence in Jakarta, complementing its existing offices in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Beijing and Sydney, alongside its regional headquarters in Singapore. The Indonesia expansion follows closely after the agency’s recent opening in Shenzhen, which strengthened its Greater China operations in support of its Beijing hub. The Indonesia team will focus on both established and emerging sectors, including sustainability and energy, enterprise technology, consumer technology and food security. From launch, the office will provide TEAM LEWIS’ full suite of services, spanning public relations, content creation and brand storytelling, as well as influencer engagement. Don’t miss: TEAM LEWIS taps Havas exec to lead new media buying division, expands creative firepower “Indonesia is a critical growth market for many of our clients looking to expand their footprint in the region. With our local team on the ground and our hub in Singapore providing regional integration, we are poised to deliver impactful, cross-border PR and content strategies that combine deep market understanding with measurable business outcomes,” said Pamela Tor Das, VP of Singapore and emerging markets. “TEAM LEWIS’ mindset for creativity, agility and innovation, not to mention our spirit of growth, has served the firm well over the last few years. We look forward to expanding our partnerships current and future client partners in APAC and beyond,” she added. Operating under the agency’s integrated model, TEAM LEWIS Indonesia will work closely with teams across the regional and global network, collaborating on multi-market programmes. The Jakarta team has already begun servicing clients in the finance and enterprise technology sectors, reflecting demand for cross-border communications expertise. Founded in 1995, TEAM LEWIS delivers communications campaigns for commercial and community causes, leveraging machine learning technologies across its operations. The consultancy now operates 26 offices across Asia, EMEA and North America, with Indonesia becoming its latest strategic addition in Asia-Pacific. Last year, TEAM LEWIS strengthened its integrated marketing and corporate communications capabilities through the acquisition of Instinctif’s UK business, adding deep expertise in capital markets, corporate communications, public policy and sustainability reporting while significantly scaling its UK operations and global client base. The deal doubled TEAM LEWIS’ UK presence, added more than 60 staff, delivered 15% group growth, and brought around 200 new clients into its global network, while giving Instinctif clients access to TEAM LEWIS’ 26-office international platform and AI-led communications services. Related articles:TEAM LEWIS Singapore names new directorTEAM LEWIS scores a hat-trick of global technology winsMalaysia Airports extends PR and social remit with TEAM LEWIS source

Nike’s tech tracksuit saw a spike in online searches after photos emerged of detained Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro wearing the gray hoodie and pants during his capture by US forces. This comes as US president Donald Trump posted an image on Truth Social on Thursday (1 January), showing Maduro in handcuffs, wearing an eye mask and ear covers aboard a US ship. In the photo, Maduro is seen wearing a Nike Tech Fleece hoodie and pants in a sleek gray tone, complemented by functional accessories such as goggles and noise-cancelling earmuffs. This caught the attention of netizens, who identified his outfit as Nike Tech, with the full-zip jacket priced at US$140 and the matching pants at US$120. Meanwhile, the ear covers were Flintronic brand and the eye mask Wanme, costing about US$11.99 and US$6.99 respectively. According to media intelligence firm CARMA, there were a total of 32,200 global mentions of Nike and Maduro, with over 70% of sentiments being neutral. The arrest of Maduro and his outfit—specifically the gray Nike tracksuit—triggered a significant surge in online demand for the item, resulting in rapid sell-outs on Nike’s website and various retailers. The Nike Tech Fleece hoodie has become a best-seller on Nike’s website, with many extra-large sizes selling out, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE confirmed. Additionally, several social media platforms are seeing searches and engagement related to the “Maduro outfit”, according to CARMA. The surge was amplified by posts from various social media accounts, including news outlets, sports accounts, and meme pages. On the social media platform X, many netizens are discussing this, with some humorously suggesting they will ask the AI platform Grok to generate images of themselves wearing Maduro’s outfit. The event also highlights how seemingly minor details from high-profile news stories can unexpectedly drive consumer interest and create viral trends on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Google Trends, according to CARMA.  Foreign social media accounts noted a spike in Google searches for Nike Tech after the photo, with some calling Nike the “biggest winner” and suggesting renaming the colour “Maduro Gray.” MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Nike for a statement.  Don’t miss: Nike blends sports and Cantonese soup culture with pop-up in Guangzhou  On 3 January, the US launched “Operation Absolute Resolve,” utilising over 150 aircraft and Delta Force to arrest Maduro and his wife in Caracas, Venezuela, and transport them to New York for trial. The US government justified the military action to combat drug terrorism, protect national security, and reclaim “stolen” oil assets, labelling Maduro an “illegitimate dictator.” Trump announced that the U.S. would temporarily “run the country” until a safe and fair power transfer could occur. Meanwhile, Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking, weapons possession, and narco-terrorism on Monday. Photo courtesy: X account @mooncatcherxbt Related articles: Nike blends sports and Cantonese soup culture with pop-up in GuangzhouNike champions HK spirit with star athletes in new campaignNike and LEGO transform Shanghai school playground into modular sports space source

Digital agency LOOP has appointed Vix Chandra as global creative director, tasking him with leading the global Porsche and Porsche Motorsport accounts. In his new role, Chandra will oversee creative across all markets for both brands, working out of LOOP, which holds the global remit for the accounts. LOOP took over the Porsche and Porsche Motorsport accounts from BBDO Germany. Chandra reports to Michael John, CEO and founder of LOOP, and will work closely with fellow global creative director Frederik Celliers and strategy director Anwar Alexandru Khisaf as part of the agency’s creative-strategic leadership team. Don’t miss: Duolingo nabs former Publicis Chemistry ECD as its first APAC head of creative  The appointment marks Chandra’s return to LOOP, where he previously served as creative strategist and conceptualist from 2019 to 2023. He later joined On as global creative lead, before most recently serving as executive creative director at Naga DDB Tribal, where he played a key role in securing new business wins including U Mobile, Proton and Astro. Commenting on his appointment, Chandra said his return to LOOP comes at a pivotal moment for both Porsche and Porsche Motorsport, as the brands undergo strategic shifts under new leadership. He added that having previously worked on repositioning Porsche into a more contemporary expression of modern luxury, he has closely followed how the brand has continued to lean into the culture it helped shape during his time away. “This return to LOOP and Porsche feels excitingly familiar. With Porsche and Porsche Motorsport both making significant strategic shifts, Dr. Michael Leiters’ new leadership in motion, and LOOP being a white room for collaborative creative electricity – it feels like a leap is inevitable for this next chapter,” said Chandra.  Chandra’s appointment comes as Porsche Motorsport enters 2026 with a revised focus, doubling down on global visibility, brand culture, and audience engagement across its factory and customer racing programmes. The carmaker is also investing in talent development, with young drivers and esports competitors serving as brand ambassadors, while new vehicles provide fresh narrative hooks for campaigns. Last year, Porsche took its motorsport heritage to the streets of Singapore, unveiling the finalised concept for its Porsche Experience Centre (PEC) Singapore through a city-wide “Raceborn” activation during F1 week, created in collaboration with Keko Singapore. A highlight was the Volkswagen T1 ‘Kombi’ van dressed in classic Porsche Renndienst or “Race service” livery, touring the island with stops at Guoco Midtown, Orchard Road, and Dempsey Hill. The van distributed a limited-edition Raceborn publication, showcasing Porsche’s racing roots, innovations, and the motorsport stories behind its current models. Related articles:  Porsche’s iconic Raceborn van hits SG streets, teases 2027 experience centre   Porsche puts pedal to lifestyle with new Jewel Changi brand experience store  Dua Lipa writes, co-directs and stars in wildly imaginative new Porsche ad  source

Riding on the Stranger Things frenzy, Netflix has teamed up with Google to flip search results upside down for queries related to the series, marking the release of the latest season in a playful nod to the show’s iconic “Upside down” world. As excitement builds for Season 5 Part 1, which premiered on Netflix on 26 November 2025, fans searching for the show were met with a playful surprise: Google’s results page flipped into a stylised “Upside Down” homage, mirroring the show’s eerie parallel universe. The animated effect, noticed by many users, added a fun twist to the buzz surrounding the final season. Typing “Stranger Things” into Google reveals a small, numbered ball on the screen—clicking it triggers a swirling animation that transforms the page into a shadowy, particle-filled version of itself. All the text and visuals below the search bar and category tabs appear flipped upside down, accompanied by a bright red “X” at the bottom that allows users to revert the page back to normal. Apart from the Easter Egg, Google has also rolled out a YouTube video revealing what Stranger Things fans around the globe have been searching for things not of this world. “From the secrets of the Upside Down to the mysteries of Hawkins to all interdimensional questions in between. One last adventure, a lot of questions.” The video has drawn 12 million views, with some netizens saying they love how the ad empowers content creators, while some were touched by the nostalgia shown in the video.  MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Google for more information.  Beyond the above the line initiative, Netflix amplified its promotional push across Asia with a slate of brand collaborations. In Hong Kong, local streetwear and lifestyle brand 8 Degree North launched a Stranger Things-inspired pop-up store, inviting fans to step into the show’s iconic fantastical universe. While in Malaysia, Nestlé Ice Cream launched a limited-edition ‘DRUMSTICK Stranger Things ice cream‘, a collaboration designed to ignite fandom excitement while driving seasonal buzz in the snacking category. Meanwhile, KFC’s Stranger Things collaboration also hit Australian screens and restaurants in December 2025, with the brand’s Hawkins Fried Chicken platform now running across Australia, South Korea and the UK as part of Netflix’s global rollout for the show’s final season. The Australian leg included a two-day “subterranean KFC” pop-up inside Sydney’s abandoned Wynyard Tunnels, recreating an ’80s Hawkins diner and giving fans an early taste of the new Upside Down Double. The activation ran ahead of the product’s nationwide launch on 2 December. Related articles: Step into the ‘Upside down’ with Nestlé’s new Stranger Things DrumstickLOOK Netflix uses Yishun to promote new season of Stranger Things source

Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu is reportedly testing a new feature that will allow creators to offer paid content. The pilot programme is currently accessible by invitation only. The invite-only pilot phase targets two specific creator groups: visual artists, who can charge for high-resolution, watermark-free original files, and long-form writers, who can offer partial content with the remainder placed behind a paywall. To qualify for the beta, applicants must have at least 100 followers, a clean compliance record over the past 90 days, and completed real-name verification. Eligible posts must be public, allow downloads, and be labelled as original. A spokesperson from Xiaohongshu told Sina that the paid feature for long-form notes is currently by invitation only and is not yet available to all users. The platform will gradually increase the number of invitation slots in the future. The move follows similar paid content initiatives already launched on other major Chinese platforms such as Zhihu, Bilibili, WeChat Official Accounts, and Douyin. It also coincides with the platform’s growing influence, particularly in Hong Kong. The 2025 Xiaohongshu User Insights Report indicates that 40% of Xiaohongshu users in Hong Kong search for brand or product information weekly, with over half placing the highest trust in posts from regular users. The report also revealed that fewer than half of Hongkongers (41.5%) have sought advice or help on Xiaohongshu, despite 58% reporting that they use the platform. Among those who did seek help, the most common reason (23.3%) was the high quality of answers provided by other users. In contrast, 58.4% of Hongkongers have never sought advice on the platform. Among them, 28.4% found the comments unhelpful or irrelevant, while 23.6% didn’t consider using the platform in the first place.   MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Xiaohongshu for a statement. Related articles:Singapore consumers trust peers over brands on XiaohongshuXiaohongshu penalised by cyberspace authority over ‘trivial’ and ‘negative’ contentXiaohongshu emerges as key research tool for Hong Kong consumers source

Luxury fitness brand Equinox has unveiled its 2026 global brand effort, “Question everything but yourself”, created in partnership with creative agency Angry Gods. The campaign uses fully AI-generated visuals juxtaposed against real photographs to reflect a cultural moment in which digital imagery can no longer be taken at face value. The campaign also positions healthy bodies, and the effort behind achieving fitness goals, as something real and trustworthy in an increasingly synthetic world. The rollout began on 1 January on Equinox’s Instagram with a series of surreal, AI-generated videos. The first featured a man celebrating a New Year’s countdown before transforming into an elderly woman covered in blood, who then morphed into a cake. The video was captioned: “Happy new year we are not ok.” On 2 January, the brand shared a video of two toddlers waterskiing while adorned in gold jewelry and sunglasses, alongside the line, “The next generation does not ease in. Take note.” Don’t miss: Coca-Cola seems to have learnt its lesson from the 2024 Christmas ad, but why are audiences divided? Later that day, a runway-style video showed models in absurd costumes, including a cigarette dress and a hotdog outfit, declaring: “The era of restraint is over”. Each video ended with the phrase “Question everything”. On 3 January, Equinox released a compilation of follower comments from previous posts, highlighting confusion and speculation, with some users asking whether the account had been hacked. The post teased a reveal scheduled for 5 January. That reveal arrived as a montage of exaggerated AI-generated clips, including depictions of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dancing and former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau performing provocatively in heels. The montage concluded with a woman in athletic wear and the words “Question everything but yourself”. The post’s caption framed the campaign as a reflection on the erosion of truth in digital culture, emphasising that the human body remains “the last remaining ledger that cannot be photoshopped at scale”. According to Equinox, the creative draws directly from public AI memes and internet culture, intentionally including imagery that may feel provocative or uncomfortable to reflect the volume and intensity of artificial content encountered daily online. Gabe Miller, executive creative director, Angry Gods, said, “A campaign that accurately reflects today’s AI trends and memes has to include things not everyone will like. If we had held back, the campaign would not feel credible.” The project was designed to address a perceived problem in luxury and lifestyle marketing, where imagery has become increasingly uniform and disconnected from real life. True to Equinox’s long-standing approach, the work avoids showing people working out, instead portraying individuals in elevated lifestyle moments to reinforce that what members achieve in the club shows up in how they live outside of it. AI was central both to the campaign’s execution and its meaning, enabling rapid iteration on visuals while reflecting broader shifts in media consumption. According to the agency, research indicates that 70% of people now struggle to discern trustworthy information, and up to 52% of Instagram and TikTok content is estimated to be AI-generated, potentially reaching 90% by 2026. Reaction online has been divided, according to comments seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. Some praised Equinox for tackling themes of AI and authenticity head-on, while others called the campaign “anticlimactic” or felt it “missed the mark”. Several users even speculated that the manifesto text itself was AI-generated. The campaign also reflects a growing trend of brands experimenting with AI-driven, provocative content, a move that can both capture attention and court controversy. Last December, McDonald’s Netherlands attempted a similarly bold approach with an AI-powered Christmas advert. Reimagining the classic It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year as “The most terrible time of the year”, the 45-second spot leaned into holiday chaos, mixing humour, hyper-real visuals, and generative AI. Produced by TBWANEBOKO alongside US production company The Sweetshop and an international team of AI specialists, the ad drew sharp online backlash over its uncanny visuals and AI-generated characters, leading the brand to remove the video shortly after release. McDonald’s framed the incident as a learning moment in exploring AI for marketing, underscoring both the creative potential and risks of such experiments. Related articles: AI tools and innovations that reshaped marketing in 2025   Publicis Groupe marks 100 years with AI-powered New Year film   Coca-Cola’s 2025 AI-driven holiday ad draws mixed reactions source

Stagwell has launched “The Machine”, a marketing platform designed to make existing tools more intelligent and predictive. Developed by its digital transformation agency Code and Theory, the platform integrates with tools such as Figma, Slack, Teams, Adobe, and performance dashboards, turning disconnected workflows into a unified system that learns from every campaign. According to Stagwell, “The Machine” allows every brief, creative asset, and media plan to feed into a system that adapts over time, making subsequent campaigns faster and more effective. The agency said it does not replace existing tools, but enhances them with AI agents and shared intelligence across creative, media, and strategy teams. “The launch of ‘The Machine’, combined with our recent release of newvoices.AI and strategic partnerships with Palantir and Gradial, marks another milestone in cementing Stagwell as a leader in marketing AI,” said Mark Penn, chairman and CEO of Stagwell. “This moment underscores Stagwell’s ability to deliver best-in-class solutions for clients and lead the industry through the AI era.” Don’t miss: We. Communications rolls out AI platform to help brands stay visible in generative search  “Our growth in APAC has been fuelled by connecting creativity, data, and technology across the region’s most dynamic digital economies. ‘The Machine’ takes that momentum further — infusing intelligence and seamless integration into every stage of marketing; empowering brands to scale at speed, without compromise,” Connie Chan, chief growth officer at Stagwell APAC, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE exclusively. Early adoption is already underway with Code and Theory clients, and Stagwell will showcase the platform at CES 2026, highlighting how it connects brand strategy, creative production, and media performance into a single source of truth. Michael Treff, CEO of Code and Theory, said the platform responds to client demand for a system that unites people, content, data, and technology, allowing marketing teams to work more efficiently while building on prior campaign learnings. “We’ve turned marketing operations into a unified system rather than a collection of tools to enable marketers to embrace the next phase of AI transformation,” added Treff.  Stagwell’s launch of “The Machine” comes as the network continues to expand its presence in Asia Pacific, with Singapore as its springboard for AI-driven marketing innovation. In November last year, the company announced a new APAC headquarters at Solaris, a campus in one-north, slated to open in Q1 2026. The hub will bring together Stagwell’s Singapore agencies, including ADK, Allison, Assembly, Forsman & Bodenfors, HarrisX, Ink Global, and Locaria, under one roof, with flexible layouts, tech-enabled collaboration zones, and community spaces designed for hybrid work. In addition, the agency partnered with Palantir to develop an AI and data platform that provides marketers with a single source of targeting information, unlocking new opportunities for ROI. The Singapore hub is positioned as the network’s nerve center for creativity, data-driven strategy and AI-powered growth across the region. Related articles:  Stagwell sets up Singapore hub to house its APAC agencies  Backlash over Stagwell’s Israel work puts PR ethics in the spotlight  Allison Worldwide, Stagwell nabs MSL APAC CEO to lead growth and innovation  source

Scoot has rolled out the second edition of its “Scoot with heart” campaign, continuing its focus on human connection and emotional storytelling beyond travel. Launched in December, the campaign introduces the theme “What if?”, inviting audiences to reflect on relationships that may have faded over time and the moments that shaped them, from childhood friendships to missed family connections. To bring the idea to life, Scoot partnered The Smart Local (TSL) to develop a series of social-first assets, anchored by reunion films featuring Scoot employees. The content is being distributed across Scoot’s and TSL’s Instagram and TikTok channels. Don’t miss: Why Scoot’s multi-airline platform play will deliver more than just cheap seats One of the films follows Scoot pilot Vanessa Khaw, who reflects on family and motherhood as she listens to messages recorded by her husband and daughters. The story culminates in a reunion moment, after which Scoot arranged for her family to join her on a flight to Nanjing, which she piloted. The second film centres on Asmidar Hamedon, section manager in Scoot’s ground operations team, who revisits her childhood memories in the kampongs (village) of Pulau Ubin. Unbeknownst to her, her cousin Ismali listens in from another location before surprising her, with the pair spending the day reconnecting on the island. Beyond the films, the campaign also includes a digital photo series featuring 20 individuals in Singapore. Each participant shares a personal “What if” moment through handwritten message boards, ranging from a sister wishing for one more conversation with her late brother to a young woman hoping to visit her childhood helper in the Philippines. According to Scoot, the campaign aims to encourage audiences to reframe “What if” moments as opportunities for growth and reconnection, reinforcing the airline’s broader commitment to celebrating meaningful human stories. “’What if’ is a question we all ask ourselves at some point in our lives, whether it relates to the people we miss, the words we did not say, or the time we wish we had made. Through this year’s ‘Scoot with heart’ campaign, we want to remind everyone that meaningful connections can be renewed. Sometimes, all it takes is a single step,” said Agatha Yap, director of marketing, communications and loyalty at Scoot. She added, “Scoot has always believed in connecting people to not only places, but also to each other, and we hope these stories inspire our community to take that first step to turn their own ‘What if’ into moments of reconnection.” The latest iteration builds on Scoot’s inaugural “Scoot with heart” campaign launched in 2024, which centred on reuniting families separated by distance amid rising social isolation and increasingly digital-first relationships. Developed in partnership with TSL, Lions Befrienders and the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST), the campaign enabled in-person reunions across Scoot’s network. One such story featured centenarian Wee Chin Choon, who had not seen his family in Indonesia since the pandemic. After Scoot came across a video of Wee shared by TSL, the airline flew his grandnieces to Singapore for a reunion, complete with a family outing and professional photo shoot. The reunions were documented and shared on Scoot’s and TSL’s social channels, garnering close to 800,000 views at the time. The campaign also invited the public to share their own stories of connection via a dedicated microsite. Related articles: Scoot and Tourism Malaysia team up to fuel regional travel to Malaysia   Scoot strikes a chord with live music to launch Singapore–Vienna route   Clear Channel takes to the skies with new Scoot partnership source

Lazada has unveiled a new membership programme designed to move beyond traditional points-based rewards and elevate the online shopping experience across Southeast Asia. The Lazada membership programme, rolled out across Lazada’s six markets, introduces a four-tier system including ‘Classic’, ‘Silver’, ‘Gold’, and ‘Diamond’ and rewards members based on spending, platform engagement, and participation in key sales events. Tier status is recalibrated monthly, with higher-tier members gaining access to premium lifestyle perks, priority delivery, and VIP-level after-sales support. A Lazada spokesperson said the programme reflects the company’s focus on long-term customer engagement. “This addresses the shift in customer loyalty and engagement within the industry. Thus, we are moving away from the sales-driven playbook to create a loyalty framework anchored in service, trust, and value,” the spokesperson said. Don’t miss: Re-writing a contract of trust: Why SIA’s KrisFlyer overhaul feels personal Beyond discounts, the membership programme emphasises end-to-end customer support, including smoother dispute resolution and enhanced buyer protection. Members can also accelerate their progression through gamified platform interactions, encouraging engagement beyond transactional purchases. Moreover, Lazada has partnered with brands including Hugo Boss, Marc Jacobs, Chloe, Calvin Klein, Philosophy, and Lancaster to offer up to 10% off on more than 1,000 products in Singapore. In addition, lifestyle partnerships with Grab and iQIYI provide members with entertainment and mobility perks, such as free GrabUnlimited trials and iQIYI VIP subscriptions in select markets. “As the digital economy matures, membership is no longer about just driving conversions. It’s about creating a high-trust environment where shoppers feel recognised, rewarded, and retained,” the spokesperson added. “Our membership programme is designed to reward our most engaged shoppers with differentiated experiences that build long-term trust. Going forward, this programme will play a central role in shaping our user operations and partner strategy.” The launch marks Lazada’s latest move to strengthen loyalty and engagement as Southeast Asia’s eCommerce ecosystem continues to expand, with the platform now linking roughly 160 million active users to over one million sellers across the region. Most recently, Lazada strengthened its lifestyle and brand partnerships with global toy brand POP MART, stepping up its Southeast Asia presence through Lazada’s LazMall platform. The collaboration includes unboxings, creator-led content, and community events aimed at engaging collectors. From SKULLPANDA to DIMOO, POP MART is tapping into rising demand for designer collectibles, leveraging Lazada’s ecosystem to reach fans online with hyper-personalised experiences. According to a statement seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, the brand has grown more than fivefold on LazMall since joining in 2023, becoming one of the platform’s fastest-growing toy brands. Related articles: Beyond discounts, what’s driving Southeast Asia’s Singles’ Day surge?  Malaysia’s 11.11 showdown: How Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop are engaging shoppers Lazada doubles down on SEA affiliate marketing with US$100m investment source

Publicis Groupe’s long game in data, AI and creator economy integrations is paying off, said Amrita Randhawa, CEO for Singapore and Southeast Asia, as she outlined how the region is shaping the organisation’s most ambitious growth bets. Speaking on Marketing Connected’s Agency Agenda, Randhawa contextualised Publicis Groupe’s headline statistic that eight out of ten media dollars are now driven by AI. She clarified that the figure reflects the connected media portion of the business, which she described as “Identity (ID) powered media and the intersection of that with customer relationship management (CRM) influenced commerce to build one single view of customer and one view of exposure to outcomes.” For Southeast Asia, she said this shift is even more pronounced as eCommerce, social and influencer-led channels continue to surge. “Doesn’t matter which data you look at that confluence is exploding in Southeast Asia,” she said, adding that clients expect “simplicity and sustainability of solutions” that leapfrog legacy models rather than retrofit them. Don’t miss: Thank you for tuning in to In Conversation Season 1  Randhawa emphasised that Publicis’ advantage in AI does not lie in shiny tools, but in a decade of foundational investment. She said:  If you want to build an advantage for an AI world, AI is nothing without data. “It cannot work with subpar data. You will get subpar results because AI hallucinates with poor quality data.” She pointed to the Publicis’ 10 years of investment in data and technology as the backbone of its current pace of innovation. Talent remains the second pillar, where Randhawa described the region’s teams as exceptional talent who can harness the network’s infrastructure to build future facing solutions. On acquisition strategy, she was candid that Publicis prefers acceleration over ego. The recent acquisition of creator agency Hepmil was shaped by long standing collaboration and shared clients. “I do not think clients will wait for us to build and that has been a predominant philosophy,” she said. Hepmil’s strengths in “authenticity of connection and understanding of what really works” made it a strategic fit. She added that acquisitions only work when they fill real gaps. “It is always about where client growth is coming from and whether we have the capability to match that growth or not.” Looking ahead to 2026, Randhawa believes this period of industry consolidation presents a clear opportunity. “It is an incredible time for Publicis to go after market share,” she said, noting that the region still has “loads of market share left in the tank” for the Groupe to pursue. Also tune in to the full conversation on Spotify: Tune into the rest of this conversation on your favourite podcast platforms, by searching up Marketing Connected. For all the visual people out there, we’ve got your back as well, with our vodcasts on YouTube. Related articles: Agency agenda: Ogilvy ASEAN CEO Kunal Jeswani on his 3 big bets for 2026Agency agenda: Sir Martin Sorrell says ‘Data is not the enemy of creativity’ Publicis Groupe to acquire SEA influencer agency HEPMIL source