In-Depth

Google to retire Dynamic Search Ads in favour of AI Max

Users of several legacy search tools will be automatically upgraded to AI Max by the end of September.

Havas Media Network India appoints Archana Aggarwal as chief growth officer

She was mostly recently vice-president - media at Airtel where she led integrated media strategies aligned with evolving consumer behaviour.

Omnicom Advertising assembles Asia leadership team to strengthen regional integration

S Subramanyeswar (Subbu) takes on expanded mandate as chief knowledge officer, in addition to his role as chief strategy officer of Omnicom Advertising India.

Pinterest’s Coachella strategy: Prioritising presence over pixels

A phone-free activation with E.l.f. Cosmetics taps Gen Z’s growing appetite to unplug.

Digital has changed what gets measured and what gets optimised: WARC study

In a market with a long tradition of building loved brands, effectiveness is increasingly defined by immediate, measurable impact.

Publicis Groupe India appoints Diwaker Chandani to lead Influential rollout

With this rollout, the agency aims to enable brands to move beyond fragmented execution towards greater precision and more measurable outcomes.

Titan launches Divers, expands Zero Hour into multi-sport watch lineup

Probing into serious horology, Titan plans to balance engineering credibility with storytelling to compete with global players

Cannes Lions announces 2026 jury lineup

A total of 13 jurors from India, including two jury presidents, will judge the work at Cannes Lions this year.

Secrets from a timeless voice: What today’s creators can learn from Asha Bhosle’s success

Conventional digital wisdom says pick a niche and stay there. The legendary singer built a brand on defying that advice.

The Publicis-Microsoft partnership and the rise of a closed-loop economy

In a closed-loop economy, the stakes are higher and the margin for error thinner. Microsoft’s choice of Publicis challenges the idea that tech will make agencies obsolete.

Bisleri turns hydration into RCB behind-the-scenes film

Bisleri collaborates with Royal Challengers Bengaluru on a digital-first campaign that reframes hydration through a humorous behind-the-scenes storytelling format.

Havas grows 2.5% in Q1 as acquisitions make initial impact

Yannick Bolloré says the group has started the year “on solid footing”, organic growth slipped across APAC and Africa.

Mind share is the new market share: David Shing

The Australian-born digital futurist and marketer suggests that the industry may be over-engineering what was once a straightforward craft: building human connection.

Adidas reviews £377 million global media account

WPP Media’s EssenceMediacom is the incumbent.

The Times of India named #2 brand in WARC’s ACT Good Report 2026

Two of its campaigns – ‘Ink of Democracy’ by Havas Worldwide India and ‘#UnPlasticIndia’ by VML – was named in the top 20 most impactful campaigns globally.

Dentsu bags integrated marketing mandate for Hell Energy Drink

The mandate was awarded following a multi-agency pitch and will be managed by dentsu’s Mumbai office.

Why brands avoid a reset, right when they need it the most

A successful brand leans into change at the right time.

Publicis grows 4.5% in Q1 as Arthur Sadoun pans “squeeze to please Wall Street”

The Publicis Groupe chief executive described Publicis' strategy as the "polar opposite" to WPP and Omnicom.

The Mahi method: Trading swagger for assurance

INSIDE THE AD: BHIM’s ‘Mahi Way’ featuring MS Dhoni shifts from spectacle to simplicity, targeting transaction hesitation over noise in India’s competitive UPI market.

Everyone needs partners in era of tech hyperscalers

Coming age of agentic AI is forcing more collaboration between “frenemies” across the advertising and tech ecosystem.

WPP hires advisors for potential Burson sale

WPP has started a potential sales process for its PR division, which includes communications agency Burson, according to reports.

Suhayl Limbada joins KFC India as CMO

Limbada jumps from KFC Thailand, where he spent just over four years.

When AI "borrows" public figures' faces: Creative experiment or manipulation?

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.

49% of Gen Alpha turn to AI to solve their ‘what to watch’ dilemma

As younger consumers navigate an increasingly fragmented media landscape, chatbots are helping them find programming and content that is relevant to them.

Credibility begins with the product, and must be earned there first: Jayanti Khan Chauhan

Bisleri International’s vice chairperson believes that perception of premium brands shifts slowly, and then, all at once.

Droga5 UK’s Ananya Varma joins Enormous

In her previous role, she played a pivotal role in building brands that shine not only in campaigns but are also rich in culture.

Exclusive: Former Digitas India COO, Sonia Khurana, joins SuperStuff.ai as COO and partner

Khurana’s remit is to bring precision, enabling the online marketplace to scale 35,000+ expert matches within 72 hours.

Pets move from niche to marketing mainstream

On National Pet Day, brands mixed utility, experiences and storytelling to tap rising pet ownership and shifting consumer priorities.

'Innovative' is the most overused word in the award season

AI has made it easier than ever to build something that looks innovative at launch. So why, asks Publicis' Maurice Riley, are we still not asking what happens beyond the case film?

Martin Sorrell continues to fire shots

Now in his 9th decade, the S4 Capital founder is still ragging on WPP and thinks PR is just an extension of advertising that doesn’t need to exist on a standalone basis.

Pitch update: Microsoft, IBM, Volkswagen, DBS, Polestar, Wipro and more

Fortnightly round-up of adland’s latest account pitches, reviews and wins.

Proof over promises: Traya bets on radical transparency

INSIDE THE AD: Swapping scripted marketing for creator-led storytelling, the haircare brand hands narrative control to customers in its #ProofHaiBoss campaign.

Curation cuts through adtech’s fragmentation problem: Gavin Buxton

Magnite’s VP and MD for Asia explains how retail media offers control, while live sports delivers scale without predictability.

Havas CEO Yannick Bolloré earned £6 million in 2025

The chief executive received a base salary of £1.3 million.

OpenAI CMO Kate Rouch steps down

Rouch joined OpenAI in 2025 from Coinbase and has previously held positions at Meta and The Bridgespan Group.

India's e-commerce market to expand from $90 billion today to $250 billion by 2030

A 220-million-strong Gen Z cohort is projected to command 45% of online spend, according to a Google & Deloitte report.

Volkswagen appoints global social media agency

New agency won car brand's business after a multi-stage pitch.

Exotel acqui-hires Dubverse to strengthen enterprise CX ecosystem

Ex-Dubverse founders Anuja Dhawan and Varshul Gupta will lead voice AI and conversational intelligence

It’s so easy to be lazy with AI, that it’s dangerous: Laurent Thevenet

The head of creative technology at Publicis Groupe APAC explains why AI still needs human rigour.

DBS calls creative agency review across six markets

The remit spans Singapore, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

2 in 3 Gen Zs say AR decides what they buy

A new study from Snap Inc and Kantar India shows how augmented reality is reshaping the purchase journey amid Gen Z ad fatigue.

Indē wild reframes Ayurvedistry for Sephora global aisles

Amid legacy players and influencer brands, its founder Diipa Büller-Khosla reframes competition, moving from product differentiation to philosophy-led storytelling and experiential retail.

'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.

Creativeland Asia takes charge of Realme’s social game

The move comes as the brand looks to build a more consistent voice across platforms in a highly competitive smartphone market.

Veritas Reputation wins PR mandate for Bandhan Group

The mandate was awarded following a competitive multi-agency pitch involving several leading PR firms in the country.

A brand’s true litmus test is how well it’s connected with consumers: Kunal Sharma

KRBL Limited’s vice president for marketing and organised trade maintains that the biggest challenge for marketers is creating a distinct brand identity in a cluttered FMCG space.

Publicis Groupe acquires 160over90 to “disrupt” sport sector

Campaign speaks to Arthur Sadoun, chief executive of Publicis Groupe, and Suzy Deering, CEO of Publicis Sports, about sports marketing being the network’s “next big bet”.

WPP Media’s global chief strategy officer retires

Damian Blackden leaves ad industry after 37 years in media.

WPP launches AI editor for media clients’ YouTube ads

New tools co-developed with Google as part of WPP’s $400m AI partnership with YouTube.

X advertiser boycott lawsuit dismissed

The case claimed brands including Unilever and Mars and the WFA had worked together to withhold advertising on the platform.