AD Agencies
Agencies need to start leading and stop lagging: Dentsu Creative’s CMO report
Mumbai: Dentsu Creative has released the results of its annual survey of CMOs in the UK, US, China, India, and Brazil. The survey, called “The Power of Modern Creativity: Insights for Today and Tomorrow,” identifies eight key themes that define the future of modern creativity and what clients most want from their agencies .
According to the report, 85 per cent of clients agree that while consumer behaviour has undergone rapid changes in the last five years, the agency model is yet to adapt. 78 per cent say that the silo-ed agency model is no longer fit for purpose in today’s world. Clients are seeking a new agency model where creativity is a horizontal not a vertical, with 82 per cent agreeing they want to see creative solutions across every aspect of their business-media, commerce, and CXM-just as much as in campaigns.
India is the market where CMOs are most likely to have invested in creating their own TV programming.
China and India dominate the creation of branded entertainment and intellectual property (IP), with 53 per cent of CMOs in these markets investing here, and China is the global leader in creating branded characters and IP.
Dentsu International global chief creative officer Fred Levron said, “We introduced Dentsu Creative to the world in the belief that clients want something new and different. That they are tired of artificial silos and complexity and are seeking modern, integrated creativity. This survey showed that today’s CMO’s are with us all the way on that. They don’t want creativity to stay in its swim lane; they want to see creativity across every aspect of their business-across media and CXM just as much as campaigns and content. That’s why we designed Dentsu Creative not only to bring together our amazing capabilities in entertainment, experience, storytelling, and innovation, but to integrate seamlessly with our media and CXM businesses. Clients are asking agencies to create culture, to invent new possibilities, to help reshape society and we care ready to deliver this.”
Dentsu Creative chief strategy officer Patricia McDonald added, “Today’s CMOs are asking agencies to stop lagging behind and start leading again. Our study confirms that today’s CMOs believe in the power of modern creativity to engage a new generation of consumers. They are asking their agency partners to think beyond legacy silos and bring the right talent around the table to deliver ideas big enough to live anywhere, bold enough to chart new executional territory and rich enough to make personal connections with millions of customers around the world. That requires us to connect our core skills in strategy and brand building with the ability to execute anywhere from gaming to entertainment, culture to commerce.”
Dentsu Creative chief executive officer Amit Wadhwa commented, “We all know that the business landscape is rapidly changing and so are the expectations from agencies on how and what we deliver. It’s extremely essential for all of us to be in tune with the requirements and expectations in this changing environment. With this very objective, the CMO survey was conducted. What really excites me is that the responses augur extremely well for the direction we took when we launched Dentsu Creative based on the philosophy of modern creativity. Excited with the way we are moving ahead.”
Eight key themes identified and unpacked in the report:
From complexity to simplicity: Today’s clients reject artificial divisions and binaries, seeking simple but powerfully integrated solutions to their problems.
73 per cent of marketers agree that the modern comms landscape, and by extension their roles, have become increasingly complex.
Inventing the future: Investment in gaming, virtual technologies and social commerce continues as clients believe the online space is where their most meaningful customer interactions take place.
84 per cent agree that an online store should feel as immersive as an offline store.
Big ideas, boldly executed: The big organising idea is more important than ever but today big ideas must be executed in bold new ways, to connect in personal, contextually relevant ways.
84 per cent agree that modern creativity creates culture, it doesn’t just interrupt.
Radical collaboration: Delivering modern creativity means rejecting traditional silos and traditional definitions of scale, using data and technology to nimbly connect the right talent around the right brief.
76 per cent want agencies to connect the right talent around the right brief, wherever it sits in their networks.
Creating Culture: CMOs across the globe are investing in content marketing, entertainment and IP as never before, building their own audiences and creating their own properties.
84 per cent of respondents are implementing or have implemented entertainment platforms and IP as a strategy.
Horizontal Creativity: To thrive in the modern world, networks must embrace creativity across every touchpoint; content to commerce, media to CXM. Creativity is no longer a vertical or discipline but a horizontal.
82 per cent want to see creative solutions across media, commerce and CRM, just as much as in campaigns.
Changing society: CMOs speak with one voice on the vital importance of using their platform for good and the imperative to pivot their business model in response to the climate crisis.
84 per cent agree that real change is only possible through sustained collaboration between businesses, consumers and policy makers.
Embracing difference: Designing for the modern world means investing in teams that reflect the modern world. Today’s agencies must embrace difference as the only true way to deliver work that makes a difference.
95 per cent agree that it is a brand’s responsibility to change behaviour and change society.
AD Agencies
WPP appoints Hephzibah Pathak CEO of WPP Creative India
Ogilvy India chair takes charge of unified creative model in key market
NEW DELHI: WPP has appointed Hephzibah Pathak as chief executive officer of WPP Creative India, putting a local leader at the helm of its newly created creative operating model in one of its most important growth markets.
The move brings clarity to how WPP’s global restructuring will play out in India, weeks after the group unveiled WPP Creative as part of its Elevate28 strategy. The unit sits alongside WPP Media, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions, and is designed to simplify what the company previously described as an overly complex structure.
Pathak, who continues as executive chairperson of Ogilvy India, will represent all agencies under the WPP Creative umbrella in India. Her role centres on driving integration across brands, expanding capabilities and ensuring clients can tap into the network’s full talent pool without friction.
WPP said Pathak will work closely with agency brand CEOs to “enhance integration, expand capabilities, and ensure seamless client access”, while maintaining the distinct identities of its agencies.
The portfolio under WPP Creative includes leading networks such as VML, Landor, AKQA and Grey, along with Burson and its affiliated firms. Leaders across these agencies will now report into Pathak, even as each brand continues to operate independently within a unified system.
The appointment also formalises a dual-track strategy in India, preserving agency identities while accelerating collaboration. Pathak is expected to work closely with media leadership to align creative and media capabilities, reflecting growing client demand for integrated, multi-market solutions.
WPP Creative global CEO Jon Cook has described the unit as “not an agency” but an operating system that helps creative, design and PR brands work together more effectively. The group has been clear that it is not merging or phasing out legacy agency brands, instead aiming to reduce complexity on the client side.
Pathak brings nearly three decades of experience within the network, having joined in 1997 and held roles ranging from Mumbai office head to chief client officer. She made history in 2024 as the first woman to lead Ogilvy India in its 95-year presence in the country.
Her expanded mandate positions India at the centre of WPP’s Asia-Pacific strategy, with a focus on strengthening brand presence, deepening client relationships and unlocking growth in a fast-evolving market.
The appointment signals WPP’s intent to move beyond the traditional holding company model towards a more integrated, AI-enabled structure. With Pathak now steering WPP Creative India, the group appears set to test whether simpler structures can indeed deliver sharper creative outcomes.
