Marketing Connected

News around the United States imposing sweeping tariffs on numerous countries, including several in Asia, aiming to address trade imbalances and bolster domestic industries, have dominated headlines globally.  These tariffs have led to significant economic worries and ripples across the region. What was clear was that for marketers in Asia, these developments necessitate a strategic reassessment o...

In this final episode of our "Women who lead" series, Eileen Ooi, APAC CEO at media and marketing communications agency PHD, which falls under Omnicom Media Group, reflects on the deep fulfillment she finds in witnessing both business and personal transformation. She also shares her perspective on balancing motherhood and leadership, emphasising that the quality of time and meaningful co...

In this sixth episode of our Women Who Lead series, Julia Wei, CEO at The Atelier & Co., opens up about her transition from leading Edelman Singapore to heading the luxury experiences company. She shares her personal measure of success as a female leader and reflects on the evolving dynamic between brands and agencies. Prior to her CEO role at TAC, Wei was the chief executive officer of Edelma...

In this Women Who Lead episode, Marianne Admardatine, CEO of Burson Indonesia, shares what it takes to be a communications expert as an Indonesian, and the compromises she has made to get to where she is today. She is also the APAC head of innovation and creativity for Burson. Admardatine also opens up about what it has been like to balance managing a crisis with spending quality time with her fam...

This April, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE is continuing its "Women who lead" podcast series, celebrating the powerful female leaders in the marketing and advertising industry across the region. In this episode, Althea Lim, CEO of Gushcloud International shares about her jump from studying biomedical science, to working in her uncle’s bakery, and starting up Barnett Group which would later become...

In this episode, Amrita Randhawa, CEO of Publicis Groupe Singapore and Southeast Asia, opens up about her departure from Mindshare after 17 years, and why it matters to show genuine care for a client’s business.   Before Publicis, Amrita began as a journalist in New Delhi before transitioning to advertising at JWT Media. She later held roles at Mudra Communications and Starcom India before re-join...

Sharifah Menyalara Hussein, better known as Lara Hussein, opens up about her 22 year journey leading M&C Saatchi Malaysia as its CEO and founding partner. Lara first started off as an intern with a RM800 paycheck, and slowly, made her way into Bates Malaysia, then Dentsu Young & Rubicam, before moving on to start Brand Energy on her own.  She also shares about how she honed her knowledge i...

This March, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE is excited to launch its "Women who lead" podcast series, celebrating the powerful female leaders in the marketing and advertising industry across the region. In the debut episode, Anu Gupta takes us on an inspiring journey, starting from her days as a 21-year-old in a student exchange program to becoming the director of the integrated communications age...

Welcome to Marketing Connected, a show by Marketing-Interactive. So far, we’ve been bringing you the latest updates on Asia's advertising and marketing industry via our newsletters and web publication. Now, we’re taking it one step further to bring you conversations with the region’s top marketers, leaders, and creative minds— through podcasts! 

The media landscape has come across big changes in the past year and 2025 will drive towards a fully addressable, shoppable and accountable media ecosystem, marking a shift into the “New Era of Media”. According to GroupM’s 2024 Global End-of-Year Forecast, the global ad industry has surpassed US$1 trillion in total revenue in 2024 and climb 7.7% in 2025 to US$1.1 trillion. Advertising on digital...

In today’s world where budgets and purse strings are being tightened, marketers can no longer waste their marketing budgets. Media veteran Phin Wong, who currently heads content marketing and lifestyle media at SPH, debunks some of the myths around content marketing. He will also be speaking live at Content360 Singapore. Check out the agenda here: https://conferences.marketing-interactive.com/cont...

Last July, Singaporean hip hop artist and rapper Yung Raja received a shoutout from American TV show host Jimmy Fallon in the “Do Not Play” segment of The Tonight Show. Fallon usually roasts songs in that segment and he happened to play a snippet of Raja’s single “Mami”, which was released last March.  As a result, Yung Raja's stream numbers jumped nearly 4,000 overnight to more than 583k. Hi...

NFTs can be seen as a game changer for creators, allowing them to now reach out directly to their loyal fans as well as a wider global audience. So how will NFT transform the creator and influencer marketing landscape?  Hear from Jeffrey Hau, co-founder and director of PRIZM Group Hong Kong; Avery Akkineni, president of Vayner3; Shannon Dix, CMO of Virtually Human; and Robby Yung, CEO of Animoca B...

NFTs are all the rage these days. UK-based consultancy Juniper Research said the number of NFT transactions globally will grow from 24 million in 2022 to 40 million by 2027. Brands that have yet to enter this space would definitely find it exciting.  But what about those that have already made the daring leap into NFTs? What’s next for brands that have entered the scene?  Leaders from Animoca Bran...

Malaysia Airlines put a twist to its in-flight safety video earlier this year by turning it into a star-studded musical. While some consumers praised it for its creativity, others found the seven-minute video too long and distracting. Nonetheless, the airline is proud to have produced something different and eye catching. Group chief marketing and customer experience officer, Lau Yin May, shares w...

Brands these days are under scrutiny to produce timely and engaging content, especially when everyone is fighting for a piece of the consumers’ attention. Beyond just jumping on trending social media platforms, brands need to really think about the type of content they produce and how it can fulfil consumers’ needs and wants.  Aisha Speirs, creative director and executive editor, APAC, The Trust,...

Four years ago, DBS told customers it wanted them to "Live more, bank less". Today, the bank seeks to continue defying the status quo and makes it clear in its latest brand campaign that it is more like a startup, a technie, an eco-warrior and less like a traditional bank. Karen Ngui, MD and DBS head of group strategic marketing and communications, shares how the new positioning will pla...

The pandemic has upended how events and work gets done. Where work is done is no longer a one size fits all; and when work gets done is also debatable since companies have shifted to remote working. Cathy Novelli, CMO at Hubilo, shares how the industry can rethink what events can and should look like in this new landscape.

Last year, Zenyum launched its first-ever pop up experiences in Singapore and Hong Kong as part of its aim to create more extraordinary and unexpected retail experiences. Right off the bat, consumers might associate Zenyum with the dental industry which might not be as exciting as other B2C brands in general. SVP of marketing, Bassam Abdel-Rahman, shares how the team is making the brand fun and re...

With companies battling screen fatigue, production values of events have gone up significantly. Organisations were also sent scrambling by COVID-19 to put together non-traditional event planners such as internal communications departments, HR groups, and DEI councils.  However, do-it-yourself events may still not be enough, and Hubilo’s VP of corporate marketing, Liesl Leary-Perez, shares why.

Being an entrepreneur was never on Yvonne Low's list, but her goals changed when she encountered two very inspirational mothers who became entrepreneurs themselves. Find out how the former OCBC and McDonald's marketer entered the fitness category with her own resistance band brand, Band of Sisters.

Fly entertainment founder and entrepreneur Irene Ang talks about her new global casting platform called TADAA! Casting and bringing Asian talents to the global scene.

Social commerce is the new hot topic. But can brands actually sell well on social? Varun Sharma, Emplifi’s VP, Asia Pacific and Japan, gives us the break down on how brands in Asia can come out on top in this space. 

Just today, the South China Morning Post announced that it will spin-off its blockchain-based NFT business to form a new company called ‘Artifact Labs’. At launch, SCMP CEO Gary Liu will take on the responsibility to oversee the expansion of Artifact Labs. He tells MARKETING-INTERACTIVE why this decision came about and the potential synergies between the NFT business and a 119-year-old company. 

 Shopee's regional marketing lead Pan Hui Yan shares what the future of eCommerce is going to be like and how Shopee is helping brand partners with their full-funnel journey.