"Human Creativity of the Highest Level": The Best of Both Independents & Hold Cos?

Why It Matters

Because authentic, high‑impact creativity directly fuels consumer trust and ROI, businesses that master this blend will dominate the fast‑growing APAC advertising ecosystem.

Key Takeaways

• Human creativity remains APAC’s top differentiator across agencies, marketers, platforms.
• Independent agencies and network holdcos each bring unique strengths to campaigns.
• Retail media discussions must address marketer, agency, and platform challenges.
• Emotional authenticity drives consumer trust and improves ROI.
• ATS Singapore panel fosters cross‑market learning for higher‑level creativity.

Summary

The video spotlights human creativity as APAC’s most critical competitive edge, framing it as the linchpin for agencies, marketers and platforms alike. The speaker highlights the ATS Singapore panel, which juxtaposes perspectives from independent agencies and network hold‑companies, probing how each can contribute to “human creativity of the highest level.”

Key insights include the necessity of emotional authenticity to build consumer trust and deliver measurable ROI, and the value of tackling retail media from three angles—marketer, agency and platform challenges. The discussion underscores that blending the agility of independents with the scale of networks can unlock richer, more resonant campaigns.

A memorable quote from the speaker—“human creativity of the highest level”—captures the ambition driving the forum. Participants anticipate robust, cross‑market dialogues that surface best practices and actionable learnings, especially around emerging retail media models.

For the industry, the takeaway is clear: firms must fuse independent innovation with network resources, prioritize authentic storytelling, and leverage insights from panels like ATS to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving APAC media landscape.

Original Description

Rowena Bhagchandani, CEO and co-founder of BLKJ Havas, shares her excitement about attending ATS Singapore 2026, where she will be speaking on a panel about Rewriting the Playbook: How Independents and Hold Co’s Compete and Collaborate.

She reflects on the importance of meaning and authenticity in building consumer trust while still delivering on ROI. With experience in both independent agencies and networks, she shares a unique perspective on how the two can come together to drive human creativity as a key differentiator.

0:00 What is the hottest industry topic in APAC this year?

0:59 What discussions are you looking forward to from your ATS panel?

1:38 What are you hoping to see from ATS Singapore?

#adtech #media #APAC #ATSSingapore #voxpop