Is Asia Really Leapfrogging the West? Breaking the Myth: Krishnan Menon

In this episode of ShanghaiZhan, hosts Bryce Whitwam and Ali Kazmi discuss the evolving landscape of branding and marketing, particularly focusing on the cultural leapfrogging of Asia over the West. Joined by APAC marketing expert Krishnan Menon, they explore the implications of consumer behavior, the role of AI in branding, and the importance of differentiation in a saturated market. The conversation also touches on predictions for 2026, emphasizing the need for brands to adapt to changing consumer expectations and the significance of building meaningful connections with audiences.

We discuss the evolving landscape of social commerce, with a particular focus on TikTok Shop and its impact on brands and consumers. We explore the role of brand accelerators, the importance of creativity in marketing, and the effectiveness of live stream shopping in the U.S. with guest Danni Lin, co-founder of Nextt Group. Danni shares insights on how brands can leverage creators, the significance of branded versus shoppable videos, and the challenges of consumer behavior in a coupon-driven economy. The conversation also highlights a successful case study of Toy Zero Plus, an art toy brand, and its strategies for thriving in the competitive TikTok marketplace.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner, and Asia will be sending eight teams to the biggest tournament in football history — expanded to 48 nations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Qatar, Iraq, and Uzbekistan have all secured their spots, representing a continent where football passion runs deep. But there's one glaring absence from this list: China. The world's most populous nation will once again watch from the sidelines. It's a paradox that becomes more puzzling with each passing tournament — how can a country with such resources, ambition, and a president who personally dreams of World Cup glory, fail so consistently at the world's most popular sport? To help us unpack this mystery, we're joined by Cameron Wilson — a longtime China resident, cultural observer, and arguably the most passionate voice in English-language Chinese football coverage. 1. Let’s start with the basics: What first drew you into Chinese football? 2. You've long argued that football is a reflection of society. What do you mean by that? 3. What role does fandom play in Chinese football today? Is it the same as Europe? 4. What's the difference between basketball and football in China? 5. What's the culture of success for football in China? 4. Is the gap between watching football and building football widening in China? 5. Let’s flip it: What has China done right in football? 6. You also release music under the alias Shanghai Ultra, and your latest album is called Wavering Loyalty. Why that title?

The agency model isn’t just unraveling — it’s turning into a navy full of pirates. As holding companies consolidate century-old brands, AI accelerates production, and CMOs prioritize short-term numbers over long-term brand building, the industry is entering its most radical reinvention yet. The ships are getting bigger… but the real action is happening on the pirate boats circling them. To unpack what this means for creativity, talent, and the future of agencies, we’re joined by David Mayo — veteran strategist, former WPP leader, founder of ADNA/NADA, and long-time provocateur behind some of the industry’s most iconic brand transformations. David’s mantra, “Think like the Navy, act like the pirates,” becomes a lens for everything we discuss. This conversation cuts past nostalgia and into what’s actually changing — how consolidation alters creativity, why small senior “pirate crews” may beat giant fleets, where AI elevates (and flattens) taste, and why brave clients still make the bravest work. This isn’t about mourning the old model — it’s a blueprint for how pirates and navies will coexist in what comes next. 1. Where did this mantra come from, and what does it really mean for how agencies should operate? 2. Has efficiency quietly become the enemy of originality? 3. In consolidation, what are CMOs really buying — governance, speed, convenience, or safety? 4. What gets lost when rosters shrink and risk disappears? 5. Are century-old creative agencies closing because of economics, structure, or culture? 6. Are today’s brands less emotional and more functional — and is that a permanent consumer shift? 7. In markets like China, where consumers hop between thousands of product options, does traditional brand building still matter? 8. How do challenger products (like black toothpaste with gold) disrupt giants such as Colgate — and why do big brands often miss these trends? 9. Will creative differentiation increasingly come from influencers rather than brands themselves? 10. Are small, senior “boutique crews” better positioned than holding companies to deliver breakthrough work? 11. What type of senior leaders are thriving right now — and what skill sets are actually evolving? 12. How will in-house studios, AI tools, and brand-side agency veterans reshape the future creative ecosystem? 13. Are we moving toward generalists powered by AI, or specialists supported by AI? 14. Is the “Uberization” of agencies — on-demand teams assembled per brief — a viable future model? 15. How should marketers think about risk, creativity, and the narrowing “corridors of freedom”? 16. Why do brave marketers still create the best work — and how can today’s CMOs champion creativity amid shrinking timelines and rising pressure?

Research from NYU Stern professor Suzy Welch shows that only 2% of Generation Z possess the core values that hiring managers value most: achievement, learning, and an "unbridled desire to work." Instead, Gen Z emphasizes self-care, authentic self-expression, and helping others—a values mismatch that Welch suggests could "reshape the future of work." However, this clash of generational values occurs at a critical moment for advertising: AI tools are replacing the entry-level roles that once served as the industry's training ground, while agencies claim they desperately need young talent for cultural insights and fresh perspectives. To help us understand this paradox, we're joined by Shane McEwen, Global Talent Acquisition Director at Stagwell—one of the challenger holding companies actively reimagining what a modern agency network looks like. With over 15 years of experience building teams across technology, media, and advertising sectors, Shane is at the center of this generational showdown. At Stagwell, he's responsible for attracting and developing talent across their portfolio of modern marketing agencies, from Assembly to 72andSunny. His role forces him to confront the key question: If young people don't value "workcentrism" and AI can perform their traditional tasks anyway, what is the business case for hiring Gen Z? 1. How has your China experience impact your career now in New York? 2. Are we misunderstanding Gen Z or are they misunderstanding us? 3. How do you establish a corporate culture when everyone is remote working? 4. What about going to clients? How do you establish connections with clients? 5. How do you get feedback from different teams and agencies? 6. How do you keep that junior/senior mentorship that's fundamental to agency culture? 7. Which of the interns will you end up hiring for full-time gigs? 8. How do you maintain the passion after the first 2-year "honeymoon period"? 9. What do you see the skills changing now that the AI is in play? 10. What about displaced senior talent? How can they stay in the industry? 11. Are ad agencies confining themselves to a small part of the marketing mix? 12. Any advice for educators?

The advertising industry's talent crisis isn't coming—it's here. As AI automates junior roles, consolidation eliminates mid-level positions, and holding companies restructure at unprecedented speed, professionals at every level are asking: what's next? We're joined by Jean-Michel Wu, a two-decade talent expert who has held leadership roles at creative and media agencies, including WPP, IPG, and beyond. Now the founder of Tripitakka Consulting, he coaches individuals and organizations navigating this transformation. This conversation isn't about doom-scrolling the industry's decline—it's about the practical shifts happening right now and how to position yourself for what comes next. 1. What shift in the talent market are agencies not seeing yet—and why do talent people see trends before the headlines? 2. Publicis restructured dramatically a decade ago. Were they right to move fast, and what can we learn from that now? 3. What type of senior leaders are successfully evolving their skill sets, and what are they doing differently? 4. From entry-level to executive—what's the one skill that matters most in this new landscape? 5. Are we moving toward generalist roles powered by AI, or specialist experts with AI support? 6. How does the consulting model compare to agencies when it comes to talent structure and compensation? 7. What's the fundamental role of talent management in 2025—and how must it change? 8. Why is psychological safety suddenly a talent function priority? 9. If clients change how they pay agencies, will that finally force the "one P&L" issue? 10. You coach people who've been laid off. What limiting beliefs do you encounter, and how do they break through? 11. The fractional/consulting life—is it actually viable, or just a nice story we tell ourselves? 12. What advice do you have for entry-level professionals when agencies don't know what to do with them anymore?

What would a new model agency look like today if we were going to build it from the ground up? There's been a lot of news about the decline of the agency network model. In a landscape defined by AI disruption, platform dominance and the collapse of legacy holding structures, agencies are being forced to reinvent themselves - fast. We are honored to have our good friend, Jacco ter Schegget, now a board-level advisor and consultant. He was a former CEO of Publicis Groupe Benelux, JWT Asia, and was our colleague in China as President of OgilvyOne from 2014-2017. This episode is not about nostalgia, but provides practical ideas on how to move forward. 1. Besides AI, what do you believe are the biggest forces shaping the future of marketing agencies today? 2. Are the changes all about technology, or do traditional organizational structures impact it? 3. Does a single P&L mean that senior heads will roll, or can you manage this more effectively? 4. What made agencies so big in the first place? 5. Is there a correlation between the decline of the agency and the loss of its strategic value? 6. If you were building a marketing services platform from scratch today—with your own money—what would it look like? 7. Do we see the services stripped down, given the simplicity of the new OEM manufacturing model? 8. Where do you see the strategist's role in the new agency model? 9. What's the role of the creative leader? 10. What will happen to entry-level executional staff if AI replaces them? Will new agencies just consist of senior-level people? 11. What should we be teaching young people who want to get into the new agency? 12. What would you keep and kill from the previous model for the new one?

In the influencer economy, it has become increasingly common for influencers to go beyond promoting other brands and create their own. There are several challenges. Product quality could backfire, the product itself may not be the right fit. Given the risks of product sales and influencer reputation, are influencer brands worth the investment? We are joined by Dr. Majid Bahi, Global CEO of Socially Powerful, a global, award-winning, social-first marketing agency powered by technology and creativity. Founded in 2017, the agency operates across the UK, US, Europe, UAE and China. Majid has a PhD in Bioelectronics. 1. Majid's journey & Harry Styles' Sex Toy Brand 2. How do influencers handle sensitive topics? Is it important to find someone who's squeaky clean to represent your brand? 3. Where do you still see brands/agencies failing at creating effective influencer marketing? 4. How do we measure expectations with established influencers who still may not understand the power of influencer marketing? 5. When is the time when influencers decide to launch their own brand? 6. What's the insight process that helps influencers decide to go into the branding business? 7. Can small, niche brands actually compete with big companies that have massive R&D departments? 8. What's your POV on synthetic or virtual influencers? Does it conflict with authenticity? 9. Do you think China is still important in terms of seeing global trends? 10. What recommendation do you give to those who want to be influencers?

Special treat this week! We're sharing an interview Bryce made with Wenchi Yu on Perspectives. Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Bryce Whitwam, a seasoned marketing professional with extensive experience in Asia, including 17 years in China, where he led major advertising agencies and founded his own. Bryce highlights the "seismic shift" in marketing and consumer behavior brought about by the rise of multifunctional digital platforms such as WeChat, Taobao, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu (also known as Red Note). The conversation also covers the rise of Chinese domestic brands, a phenomenon known as "Guo Chao 国潮," like Luckin Coffee, which have challenged foreign brands such as Starbucks. Whitwam argues that while consumers may sometimes boycott foreign brands like H&M for nationalistic reasons, they generally base their purchasing decisions on product quality and trust. Despite tariffs and the closure of the "de minimis" loophole, Whitwam predicts an increase in direct-to-consumer sales from Chinese manufacturers to the U.S.. He views these tariffs as a "failed policy" that will lead to higher prices for consumers. Bryce Whitwam contributed a chapter, MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA: Staying Ahead of the Most Dynamic Market on Earth, for Ker Gibbs' Selling to China: Stories of Success, Failure, and Constant Change. Bryce Whitwam is also a co-host of ShanghaiZhan, a podcast about all things China marketing, advertising, tech and platforms. 00:00 The Digital Revolution in China 02:46 Bryce's Journey in Marketing and Advertising 05:40 E-commerce and Social Commerce Transformation 08:38 The Shift in Advertising Strategies 11:40 The Rise of Short-Form Video and Influencer Marketing 14:32 Understanding Chinese Social Media Platforms 17:42 The Impact of Domestic Brands and Guo Chao 20:08 Navigating Geopolitical Tensions and Consumer Preferences 23:12 The Future of US-China Business Relations 25:43 Conclusion: The Competitive Landscape Ahead

We bring back ShanghaiMailbox! Thanks for your questions. Here are the questions you submitted that Ali and I answered on today's podcast. 1. If you had your own money, what’s one Chinese startup or trend you’d invest in right now that most foreigners have never heard of? 2. Learning Mandarin used to be the rage, but now it’s less popular. With all the powerful apps and AI is it still worth learning a second language? 3. How do you think of online dating in China? That is, the online “Relationship-shopping” culture. 4. What differentiates agencies if everyone is using the same AI tools or platform? 5. What lessons have been learned from the latest and successful Coca-Cola + Pop Mart Labubu collaboration?