Agoda’s 2026 Travel Outlook found that 73% of Gen Z travelers intend to travel one to six times annually and 86% prefer shorter trips lasting one to seven days, demonstrating a lifestyle shift toward more frequent travel that creates year-round engagement opportunities for brands.

These evolving travel habits are also changing expectations around loyalty programmes, as Gen Z consumers increasingly expect travel booking, rewards, and personalised offers to be integrated into a single digital experience, allowing banks, airlines, and financial service providers to keep users engaged while making travel planning more convenient.

Experiences remain the biggest motivation behind Gen Z travel decisions—led by cultural exploration at 32%, outdoor activities at 30%, and culinary experiences at 28%—which presents brands with opportunities to move beyond traditional discounts by offering destination-specific experiences, exclusive member perks, and bundled travel packages that make loyalty rewards feel more meaningful.

Sustainability is also becoming a stronger influence on booking behaviour. Around 38% of Gen Z travellers actively look for accommodation with recognised sustainability certifications, while 23% choose to travel during off-peak periods to reduce their environmental impact.

These preferences create new opportunities for brands to incorporate sustainability into their loyalty strategies, as airlines can encourage off-peak travel through exclusive member fares, while banks and loyalty providers can highlight certified accommodation, reward responsible travel choices, and make sustainable options easier to discover within their platforms.

The findings suggest that loyalty programmes are evolving from transactional rewards into connected travel ecosystems, where booking, experiences, and sustainability are embedded into a single customer journey, meaning that as Gen Z continues to prioritise convenience, personalisation, and purpose, brands that integrate travel more naturally into their digital platforms are likely to strengthen long-term engagement and customer loyalty.

“Gen Z is changing what travel loyalty needs to feel like,” said Damien Pfirsch, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Rocket Travel by Agoda. “They plan around experiences and expect a straightforward path from discovery to booking. The opportunity here is to make travel feel native within the platform’s existing experience, so members can see value clearly, book with confidence and use rewards across the trip.”

“Programs must also be thoughtful about surfacing offers that align with their growing budget and sustainability values. When travel feels like a natural extension of the loyalty experience, partners can increase engagement and build stronger long-term customer relationships,” added Pfirsch. 

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Yri, who most recently served as Vice President of International Marketing, announced her departure in a LinkedIn post, saying she was taking time to consider her next career move after building and leading both the company’s APAC marketing team and, later, its international marketing organisation.

“It’s taken me a while to write this post, because honestly, [it’s] been a hard one to write,” said Yri. “After nearly seven years, I’ve left PubMatic, and feelings are mixed to say the least – [it’s] been an incredible ride and one I’m sad to get off, but excited for what comes next.”

Beyond her departure, Yri reflected on the teams she helped establish across the region and internationally, thanking colleagues for their support over the years.

“I had the privilege of building and leading both the APAC Marketing Team and latterly the International Marketing team – an amazing, hardworking group who made the hard days easier and the good days brilliant,” said Yri. “I am so proud of what we built together, and I’m going to miss working with you enormously.”

She also credited her Manager, Johanna Bauman, for her leadership throughout her tenure.

“I could not have asked for a better manager,” said Yri. “I try to model myself on how you lead. Thank you for the trust you gave me and the team – and for always having our backs.”

The departure closes a chapter that spanned a significant period in PubMatic’s growth. Yri joined the company before its initial public offering, when its business was centred largely on desktop display supply-side technology.

“I joined PubMatic pre-IPO, when it was primarily a desktop display SSP; I leave it an agentic AI advertising platform at the forefront of CTV, mobile and commerce media – and I’m immensely grateful to Rajeev Goel, Mukul Kumar and Amar Goel for the opportunity to be part of that journey,” said Yri.

The move comes as artificial intelligence continues to reshape the digital advertising market across Asia-Pacific, with platforms investing heavily in automation, connected TV, retail media, and commerce advertising as competition intensifies.

For now, Yri said she is taking time before deciding on her next role.

“For now, I’m taking a bit of time to think through what’s next – weighing up a few different paths,” said Yri. “One thing I am sure of: there’s never been a more exciting time to be part of our industry, and I’m looking forward to the next chapter.”

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The acquisition strengthens Real Chemistry’s presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing healthcare markets while expanding its ability to support pharmaceutical and healthcare organisations across the region through integrated communications, analytics, medical affairs, and AI-powered capabilities.

With the new Singapore hub, Real Chemistry aims to deliver more connected, insight-led, and locally relevant communications that help healthcare brands better engage healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers throughout APAC.

As part of the acquisition, Emma Thompson, Founder and CEO of Spurwing Communications, has been appointed President, APAC Growth at Real Chemistry. She will continue leading the Singapore business while driving the company’s regional expansion and reporting to Kath Harrison, Group President for International Growth at Real Chemistry. 

Founded in Singapore, Spurwing Communications has built a strong reputation for advising pharmaceutical, healthcare, and corporate clients across Asia Pacific through strategic communications and medical affairs expertise.

The acquisition also enables Spurwing’s clients to access Real Chemistry’s global capabilities, including AI-powered audience analytics, medical communications, advertising, and integrated healthcare marketing solutions.

According to Harrison, the acquisition reinforces Real Chemistry’s commitment to investing in high-growth healthcare markets while helping clients deliver more data-driven and culturally relevant engagement across the region.

“APAC is fast becoming one of the most dynamic and strategically important regions for  healthcare innovation and access to life-improving therapies,” said Harrison. “By bringing Spurwing into Real Chemistry, we’re expanding our presence in the region and deepening our ability to help clients drive measurable impact by delivering more connected, data-driven and  culturally relevant engagement across these key markets.”

“Joining Real Chemistry allows us to broaden what we can offer clients, while staying grounded in the strong regional expertise and senior counsel for which our clients value us,” said Thompson. “I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved as a team and excited for the next phase of our growth as part of Real Chemistry.”

“We will continue to support our existing clients while expanding our APAC presence and adding capabilities — including analytics and AI — to enhance our connected, comprehensive regional offerings,” added Thompson. 

Real Chemistry CEO Shankar Narayanan added that expanding the company’s APAC footprint supports its broader global commercialisation strategy, allowing clients to benefit from integrated support across every stage of the healthcare communications journey.

“We’re continuing to invest in the capabilities and regions that matter most to our clients as they navigate growing global commercialization challenges. Strengthening our presence in APAC allows us to better support clients across the full lifecycle — from strategy through engagement — in one of the most dynamic healthcare markets in the world,” said Narayanan. 

Looking ahead, Real Chemistry plans to expand its regional operations further, with additional hires and market expansion initiatives expected across APAC in the coming months.

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In the role, Turner will oversee the agency’s media operations across the region, including operational management, media execution, and client partnerships. He will also work alongside the agency’s creative, strategy, and analytics teams to develop and execute integrated media strategies spanning digital and offline channels.

Based in Singapore, Turner will report to Tim Lindley, Managing Director for APAC at VaynerMedia. He joins the agency with a decade of experience in media and performance marketing, having led regional programmes across the Asia-Pacific and EMEA markets.

Before joining VaynerMedia, Turner served as vice president of affiliate and partnerships for APMEA at WPP Media, a role he held for more than two years. Prior to that, he spent three years as managing director of Neo Media World Singapore, a GroupM digital media agency, while concurrently serving as the agency’s head of affiliates for APAC.

Commenting on his appointment, Mark said, “What attracted me to VaynerMedia wasn’t simply the opportunity to lead media across APAC, but the way the business thinks. At a time when our industry is evolving faster than ever, VaynerMedia isn’t constrained by what has worked in the past. It’s constantly looking at where attention is today, where it’s moving next, and how brands can adapt to create meaningful growth.”

He added, “Throughout my career, I’ve believed that our industry often makes things more complicated than they need to be. We hide behind jargon, acronyms and complexity when our real job is to make change easier to understand and easier to act on. Whether it’s helping clients navigate emerging channels, embracing AI, or bringing together creative and media in new ways, success comes from breaking challenges down to their simplest form and focusing on what really matters.”

Earlier in his career, Turner helped establish Tradedoubler’s APAC business in Singapore, where he held the role of business development and client services director for the region.

Throughout his career, Turner has worked with brands including Disney+, Microsoft, Apple, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines, Expedia, Adyen, Essilor, Purina, The Body Shop, Adidas, Uber, and Nespresso.

“VaynerMedia is an agency with the curiosity, agility and entrepreneurial mindset to help brands win attention in a rapidly changing world, and I’m looking forward to working alongside a team that is constantly challenging itself to stay ahead of what’s next,” he said. 

Turner’s appointment takes effect immediately and expands VaynerMedia APAC’s leadership team across its creative, media, and consulting operations.

“Mark’s deep expertise and his strategic approach make him a powerful addition to our leadership team,” said Tim Lindley, Managing Director, APAC at VaynerMedia. “Modern media needs a different type of leadership. I’m excited for Mark to drive innovation, deepen integration with creative and commerce, and scale our rapidly growing media teams across the Asia Pacific region. Mark brings impressive experience across both emerging and established media practices, with a real eye on where business impact is created. He’s perfectly positioned to scale our Social at the Centre, Integrated Marketing in a way that delivers real impact.”

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That simple observation became the starting point for Hayden Scott, Creative Head APAC at VIRTUE Asia, when developing Snabbit’s latest “Make Snabbit a Habit” campaign, which, rather than asking consumers to pay attention to another brand film, was designed to exist across different corners of the internet in ways that felt native to each platform. 

In this exclusive MARKETECH APAC feature, Scott explains why brands should build creative systems instead of isolated campaigns, how internet culture can strengthen brand recall, and why creating habits may become more valuable than simply creating awareness.

Building familiarity via creative ecosystems

For Scott, the campaign was never about simply explaining what Snabbit offers. Instead, the objective was to ensure the phrase ‘Make Snabbit a Habit,’ “impossible to ignore.” 

Scott and his team also questioned whether consumers would willingly spend time watching advertisements for home services.

“We didn’t think so,” he said. “People don’t go online hoping to watch ads for home services. What they do consume, however, is an endless stream of short, strange, entertaining content. Memes, absurd videos, niche internet humour. That is the language people spend hours with every day.”

Through Scott’s creative leadership, Virtue Asia built an ecosystem of short-form content designed to live naturally across different digital spaces, allowing “Make Snabbit a Habit” to feel less like a traditional advertising campaign and more like “a piece of internet culture that people kept bumping into until it became familiar.” 

“Instead of interrupting that behaviour, we decided to participate in it,” adds Scott.

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Why memes and the internet culture matter

Scott believes memes are often misunderstood by marketers because they are treated as a content format instead of a cultural behaviour.

“Memes aren’t just a format. They’re how culture processes ideas today,” he says.

For Scott, this participatory nature makes memes especially valuable for younger brands looking to establish familiarity. Instead of asking audiences to remember an advertisement, brands can become part of the conversations people are already having online.

“The important thing is that brands shouldn’t try to “use memes.” They should understand why memes spread. They’re participatory, they’re timely, they’re usually built on a shared cultural understanding. If you get that right, the brand becomes part of the conversation rather than trying to interrupt it.”

Speaking the language of each platform

Beyond memes, Scott argues that effective creativity today depends on understanding the distinct behaviours of each platform.

“The pace, the humour, the editing style, even the way people hold the camera all become signals that tell audiences whether something belongs there or not,” he shares. 

For Scott, successful digital creativity is less about disguising advertising as entertainment and more about genuinely understanding how people interact with content.

“If someone watches the whole thing because it genuinely entertained them, you’ve earned a few extra seconds of attention. If they see variations of the same idea, that’s where recall begins to build,” Scott shared. 

Stop chasing trends

One of the biggest mistakes Scott sees brands making is confusing participation with imitation.

“A lot of brands think internet culture is about using the latest meme template or referencing whatever is trending that week. By the time they’ve done it, the internet has already moved on,” he says. “The second mistake is trying too hard to sound like the internet. People can tell when something feels manufactured.”

Instead of copying trends, Scott believes marketers should focus on understanding the behaviours behind them.

“The better approach is to understand the behaviour behind internet culture rather than copying its surface,” he explains. “Why are people sharing this? Why is it funny? Why does it feel native? Those questions are much more valuable than asking which meme is currently trending.”

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A post shared by Snabbit (@justsnabbit)

From campaigns to creative systems

Looking ahead, Scott believes marketing will continue moving away from isolated campaigns towards continuous creative ecosystems.

“Brands today don’t need one big film every quarter. They need systems of creativity that can continuously participate in culture,” Scott continues. “Attention isn’t won once. It’s earned repeatedly.”

“The brands that will stand out are the ones that understand culture not as a media channel but as a creative medium. They won’t just react to conversations. They’ll create worlds, recurring characters, formats and behaviours that people come back to over time.” 

“Ultimately, culture-led creativity isn’t about chasing relevance. It’s about creating enough distinctive memory structures that your brand feels familiar long before someone needs your product. For a brand like Snabbit, that’s exactly the job awareness should do.”

For marketers navigating today’s crowded digital landscape, the lesson is increasingly clear: memorable brands may no longer be those that shout the loudest, but those that create distinctive creative worlds people naturally encounter over time.

As Scott’s perspective suggests, building lasting brand recall is less about interrupting attention and more about creating ideas that naturally live within culture — earning familiarity long before consumers are ready to participate. 

The post From campaigns to culture: How VIRTUE Asia’s Hayden Scott is redefining brand awareness via habit-forming creativity appeared first on MARKETECH APAC.

The six-part series — created in collaboration with WPPCP, WPP Media, WPP Production, and Ogilvy ANZ — features Asian influencers in place of traditional actors, reimagining familiar K-drama tropes such as awkward blind dates and disapproving relatives.

Across the episodes, Colgate Optic White Purple is positioned as a narrative device within the storyline, with each instalment centred on moments of social discomfort that transition into expressions of confidence. The product is integrated into the narrative and linked to character development throughout the series.

The campaign reflects the brand’s broader push to expand its K-beauty positioning, with a shift towards episodic, social-first storytelling distributed across TikTok and key regional markets in Asia Pacific.

Featured influencers include Andrea Nicole and Evan Tan from the Philippines, Malle Christian Anderson and Siti Khadijah Halim from Malaysia, and Baby Jingko and Cute Kiw from Thailand.

In a TikTok-exclusive activation, the campaign also invites users to create their own storylines to respond to AI-generated antagonists, positioning the initiative as an effort to open up storytelling participation and highlight human creativity in contrast to artificial intelligence.

“We are incredibly proud to unveil the next evolution of the incredibly successful Colgate Optic White Purple franchise with our social-first ‘Purple Café’ K-drama series,” said Samir Singh, EVP Marketing, Colgate-Palmolive, Asia Pacific. “We recognise that the way people consume media and content has dramatically changed, especially on TikTok. Our campaign takes our association with Korean beauty and culture to a whole new level, presenting our product not just as a beauty essential but as a pivotal character that transforms our influencer protagonists’ confidence in fun, cheeky ways.”

The full episodic series is available on the Colgate Thailand, Colgate Philippines, and Colgate Malaysia TikTok channels.

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According to the study, nearly half (49%) of Asia Pacific travellers use AI to discover destinations and travel ideas as its most common use case, while also utilizing it to gather reviews (41%) and discover local tours and experiences (35%), complementing traditional travel websites and social media.

This suggests that travellers are becoming more deliberate in how they plan holidays amid rising costs and global uncertainty, using AI and digital tools to make trips more practical, flexible, and personalised while reducing uncertainty before they travel rather than travelling less.

Travellers are also increasingly carrying out detailed research before booking, checking accommodation, insurance, visa requirements and local developments before departure, with AI simplifying their planning process by making information easier to access and compare.

Alongside AI, payment confidence has become a crucial part of pre-trip planning, with 33% of respondents citing payment security as their biggest travel concern and 27% worried about card acceptance, which reflects a growing reliance on digital payments as 73% of travellers now carry payment cards or mobile wallets during their trips.

The report also highlights that travellers are balancing careful planning with flexibility. Nearly four in five (79%) book accommodation before travelling, while only 51% secure activities in advance. 

Most dining (72%) and transport (65%) decisions are made after arriving at their destination, allowing travellers to adapt their plans based on local recommendations and experiences.

While planning habits are evolving, Asia Pacific travellers continue to favour destinations closer to home. Around 63% travelled within the region, with Japan remaining the most popular destination, followed by Australia, Thailand, South Korea and Hong Kong. 

Beyond familiar locations, travellers are increasingly planning holidays around food, culture and major live events, with 37% prioritising unique local experiences and one in four travelling for sporting or entertainment events.

“The latest Global Travel Intentions study  affirms the importance of travel to Asia Pacific. Travel is not slowing – it is becoming more planned,  purposeful, and intentional,” explained Danielle Jin, Chief Marketing Officer at Visa Asia Pacific. 

“As digital-first travellers seek familiar sights and plan more practically, what  matters is how destinations, businesses, and issuers enable every traveller to explore the places they love 

in their own way, from using AI to help travellers pursue their passions, values, and aspirations to  delivering secure and seamless payment experiences at every stage of their journeys,” added Jin. 

The findings are based on Visa’s 2026 Global Travel Intentions study, which surveyed more than 47,000 consumers worldwide, including over 17,000 respondents across Asia Pacific. 

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The deal marks Carro’s entry into Australia and combines the company’s digital automotive marketplace capabilities with CarPlace’s established retail presence. As part of the agreement, Autoleague will remain a strategic shareholder in CarPlace and join Carro as a strategic investor, reinforcing the long-term partnership between the two companies.

Through the collaboration, Carro aims to deliver a more transparent, seamless, and technology-driven experience for both dealers and consumers by introducing its proprietary digital capabilities across vehicle inspections, inventory tracking, asset management, lead management, customer experience, dealer networks, and lifecycle management.

The acquisition also gives Carro an immediate physical presence across Western Australia and Queensland through CarPlace’s showroom network while expanding its wholesale operations from Victoria, with plans to grow wholesale capabilities by serving the Japan-Australia vehicle import corridor.

The move represents another milestone in Carro’s regional growth strategy, extending its operations to eight markets across Asia-Pacific and reinforcing its position as one of the region’s largest multi-country automotive marketplaces.

“We’re really excited about the potential to grow into a leading business in Australia. We believe the market is ripe for a platform like Carro to transform the used car landscape and deliver a better, convenient, more transparent customer experience that is powered by technology and AI,” said Aaron Tan, Co-Founder and CEO of Carro.

“Carro has a track record of partnering with local dealers to support their growth, and we welcome ‘win-win’ partnerships in Australia. We’re confident in our strong Wholesales capabilities, thanks to our presence in Japan which puts us in a very strong position to bring in popular Pre-Owned and Brand New Japanese models that Australians have grown to trust and love,” added Tan. 

“It’s really a fantastic opportunity to partner and be a strategic shareholder in Carro,” shared Dan Kawai, Managing Director and CEO of Autoleague. “We’ve seen Carro’s technology infrastructure, streamlined operations and unwavering commitment to transparency within the industry, and we’re confident in their goal to become a leading player in Australia and the top choice for customers. We’re supportive of Carro’s ambitions in Australia and are committed to working closely together to achieve that.”

By combining CarPlace’s local market expertise with Carro’s technology platform and Autoleague’s automotive network, the partnership aims to modernise Australia’s used car ecosystem while delivering a more efficient and trusted buying and selling experience for customers.

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Among the new wins are mandates from Volkswagen Singapore, SGInnovate, Shell Singapore, a leading insurance provider, and a leading banking institution, with appointments spanning creative, performance media, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media, and digital transformation services across multiple industries.

The latest appointments reflect a broader shift in how organisations are purchasing marketing services, with many regional and multinational brands increasingly favouring agencies that can combine strategic leadership with scalable delivery across multiple markets.

GrowthOps said the trend is being driven by marketing procurement teams that are placing greater emphasis on regional efficiency, integrated capabilities and the ability to deliver consistent execution across different countries.

Alongside the new client wins, GrowthOps recently launched two digital platforms for semiconductor and electronics manufacturer Kulicke & Soffa, which included a multilingual corporate website and a customer software portal covering UI and UX design, Sitecore development, analytics and SEO.

“Singapore remains the strategic centre of gravity for regional marketing decisions. But the era of funding a brief entirely out of a Singapore cost base is ending,” said Shaad Hamid, General Manager and Regional Head of Performance Marketing at GrowthOps Singapore. 

“Clients are far more sophisticated about where strategic thinking needs to happen versus where execution can be delivered, and they’re choosing partners whose model reflects that reality.”

GrowthOps currently operates across Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Hong Kong, allowing the agency to combine local market knowledge with broader regional execution capabilities.

“The model positions the agency directly against a growing procurement preference for regional capability without single-market overhead,” added Hamid.

The agency also noted growing demand for AI-driven search and discoverability services, including GEO, as brands prepare for a search landscape increasingly influenced by generative AI platforms and tools.

Chris Greenough, General Manager and Regional Head of Creative Services at GrowthOps Malaysia, shared, “They want integrated partners who can connect the full customer journey and they want that integration delivered at a price point that makes commercial sense across a region, not just in one market.” 

The latest appointments mark another step in GrowthOps’ regional expansion strategy as brands continue to prioritise integrated, scalable marketing solutions across Asia-Pacific.

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Based in Singapore, Fairil will play a key role in helping the agency expand its AI-enabled services, strengthen strategic partnerships and create new growth opportunities for clients and the wider business, reflecting  TEAM LEWIS’ continued investment in combining technology, creativity, data and communications to deliver measurable business outcomes.

In his new role, Fairil will focus on three key priorities: driving AI-led revenue growth across the agency, helping clients unlock opportunities created by artificial intelligence, and accelerating AI adoption and capability development throughout TEAM LEWIS’ global network.

Fairil returns to TEAM LEWIS in what marks a boomerang appointment, having previously spent seven years with the agency, including serving as Senior Vice President for Asia-Pacific. Most recently, he held leadership positions at Accenture Song and Mastercard, bringing more than 20 years of experience across marketing transformation, digital acceleration, customer engagement and growth strategy.

Throughout his career, Fairil has worked with organisations across Asia-Pacific to modernise business capabilities, drive innovation and deliver commercial growth through the strategic use of technology and data.

Commenting on his appointment, Fairil shared, “At TEAM LEWIS, we see AI not as a feature, but as a fundamental operating advantage. AI should not sit on the sidelines as a specialist capability. It should be embedded into how we think, create, collaborate, and grow.”

“I’m excited to work alongside our talented leaders and specialists around the world to help clients unlock new opportunities and shape the future of growth through the combination of human imagination and machine intelligence,” added Fairil. 

Yvonne van Bokhoven, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at TEAM LEWIS, explained, “We are delighted to welcome Fairil back to TEAM LEWIS in this new global role. His track record in client  leadership, combined with deep experience across consulting and innovation, makes him  uniquely positioned to help accelerate our AI ambitions worldwide.”

“AI is reshaping how brands compete. Fairil will play a crucial role in scaling our AI-enabled services offering to deliver measurable value for our clients,” added van Bokhoven. 

Through the appointment, TEAM LEWIS aims to further strengthen its global growth agenda while helping clients navigate the evolving AI landscape and unlock new opportunities through the combination of human creativity and machine intelligence.

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