Ogilvy Thailand names Mettipapan Tongton as new Ogilvy lead. 0 19 3 minutes read adobo Creative Awards Ogilvy Thailand today announced the appointment of Mettipapan Tongton as Ogilvy Lead, succeeding Chief Executive Officer Jiravara Virayavardhana, who is retiring after more than 31 years with the company, most recently leading Ogilvy Thailand. Effective August 2026, this strategic appointment arrives at a pivotal moment as WPP drives a simpler, faster, and more connected operating model. Ogilvy's strong global leadership and reputation. A part of the world's #1 Creative Network of the Year, Ogilvy Thailand continues its outstanding momentum, highlighted by its iconic, award-winning campaign for "Thai Life Insurance" at the Cannes Lions 2026. Furthermore, Ogilvy was recently ranked the #1 global agency network for combined creative excellence and marketing effectiveness in the WARC Rankings, named the 2026 Network Agency of the Year for the fourth consecutive year at the Clio Awards 2026, and recognized as the Most Effective Agency Network at the Effie Awards. These accolades underscore Ogilvy's unparalleled capability to harness the power of creative excellence to drive real business results for clients. VisualArt & Design Collaborating with the current leadership team to drive success. In her new role, Mettipapan will work closely with Ogilvy Thailand's senior leadership team, as well as regional and global leaders across the network, partnering closely with the agency's Chief Creative Officer (CCO) in Thailand, Pete Thasorn Boonyanate. Together they will reinforce Ogilvy Thailand's commitment to pioneering creative excellence and driving seamless growth for client brands and businesses both in Thailand and across the region. Mettipapan brings more than 18 years of experience in the marketing communications industry, having grown within the organisation to serve on Ogilvy's executive board before being appointed Managing Director of Ogilvy One and T&Pm, a WPP agency that partners with Ogilvy across Asia-Pacific. Her expertise spans modern brand management, online-to-offline (O2O) communications strategy, customer experience, and marketing technology-enabled customer relationship management. In her new role, Mettipapan will focus on driving creative excellence and accelerating innovation through WPP Open, WPP's shared AI-powered operating system, while scaling integrated capabilities across brand strategy, communications, experience design and public relations. Reflecting on her three decades with the agency, Jiravara Virayavardhana said: "My time at Ogilvy Thailand has been both the greatest challenge and the greatest privilege of my career. This is not simply an advertising agency, it is a family of exceptionally talented people who believe in the power of creativity. The work its teams have created for its clients and their brands is a source of enormous pride, built on the distinctive foundation that is uniquely Ogilvy. That strong foundation will be the driving force that carries Ogilvy Thailand forward with confidence and effectiveness. BrandManagement I am fully confident that Ogilvy Thailand will reach even greater heights of success, while continuing to deliver outstanding creative work and maintain enduring client relationships." Mettipapan Tongton said: "I am deeply honored to step into this leadership role. While the agency landscape is changing faster than ever, Ogilvy Thailand's mission remains constant: to deliver creative excellence and drive growth for our clients. In today's complex economic and marketing environment, brands need an agency that acts as a true partner, one that can advise closely and in depth, while bringing strategic capability, creativity and the reach of a global network. Working closely with other WPP agencies gives us the very best of that network to elevate the creative work our clients have long trusted us to deliver, supported by world-class technology." Laurent Ezekiel, Global CEO of Ogilvy, said: "On behalf of everyone across its global network, I want to pay tribute to Jiravara for an extraordinary 31 years of service to Ogilvy Thailand. Her leadership has been defined by an unwavering commitment to creative excellence, to its clients, and to the people around her, and she leaves behind a legacy that will shape this agency for years to come. Adobo Magazine is enormously grateful for everything she has built. At the same time, I could not be more excited about what lies ahead. Mettipapan is exactly the kind of leader Ogilvy Thailand needs for this next chapter - ambitious, forward-thinking, and deeply connected to its clients' needs. As Adobo Magazine continue to bring the full strength of Ogilvy's Borderless Creativity to markets around the world, working hand-in-hand with WPP Creative, I have every confidence that under her leadership, Ogilvy Thailand will continue to build on its remarkable legacy and deliver outstanding creative and commercial success for its clients." 'Borderless creativity' Ogilvy Thailand has long been recognized as one of the strongest creative agencies in the network across Asia. Guided by its "Borderless Creativity" strategy, the agency solves complex business challenges at speed, combining highly effective strategic counsel from its specialist teams with WPP Open, WPP's world-leading AI-powered operating system. This elevates research and puts timely, actionable data to work in campaigns that generate maximum impact for every brand - building the competitive strength to stand out powerfully on the world stage. This is the core of how Ogilvy Thailand drives communications that deliver success for its clients

The 2026 Bookmark Awards announces winners. 19 Aug 2026 15:00 Marketing 81 The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has announced that The Philipstown WireCar Foundation was named Digital Brand of the Year at the 2026 Bookmark Awards, the result of a dominant run that saw its work claim the black pixel, South African digital marketing's highest honour, in category after category. Working with agency Accenture Song, the Foundation turned The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix into the most decorated idea of the evening at The Campus in Bryanston, adding the Pixel for Purpose black pixel and a shared Best Marketer honour to a tally that ran deep into the craft and strategy categories, says the awards. The night's most watched title, Best Digital Agency, ended in a rare draw. Accenture Song and Ogilvy each walked away with a black pixel, a result that captured an industry where the gap between its two biggest players has all but closed. The black pixel winners. Pete Case, CEO and Creative Chairman at Ogilvy, was named Best Creative, recognition for a career and a body of work that has shaped how a generation of South African creatives think. Andrea Quaye, Marketing Director at Heineken Beverages, took Best Individual Contribution to Digital Marketing, a reminder that behind every brave campaign there is usually a brave marketer. Previdar was named Best Publisher, and Lucid Ventures took Best Direct Brand or Online Business for Jasper and Jute, adds the awards. "It's such a privilege to win this award, and it's really humbling because this kind of work, you don't win by yourself. It's with my team, it's with my amazing egancies and I want to give a big shout out to the Bookmark Awards" says Quaye. "I couldn't have done this on my own over the past 10 years without my amazing team, and my incredible business partners. We started something with a dream and passion. We really are trying to change and shape the way people see art, to let it be accessible and still be something special," says Katy Ward, Owner of Jasper and Jute. Ogilvy and Volkswagen earned the Localisation and Cultural Relevance black pixel for 'Forever Golf'. Gregory Leigh Booysen of Accenture Song was named Digital Rising Star, and Vega School at Emeris produced two Best Digital Student winners in Arielle Marinakis and Chad Gaddie. Marinakis credited the long hours and sacrifices for the win. "This is crazy. This is the dream as a young creative. I came into this industry super young. I didn't know much, but I get to work every day with guys who are super talented," says Booysen. "To those guys, I love and respect you." Haydn Townsend was honoured with the black pixel for Outstanding Individual Impact in Digital, awarded in memoriam, says the awards. "Tonight we celebrated the people who refuse to settle," says Chris Borain, Executive Director of IAB South Africa. "To every winner across every pixel this year, from bronze to black, you have raised the bar for all of us. And to the family, friends and colleagues of Haydn Townsend, thank you for sharing him with our industry. His impact will outlast every award ever given." "None of this happens on its own, and it certainly does not happen without the partners who choose to stand behind it," adds Borain. "To Bmedia, our headline partner, thank you for believing in the Bookmarks and in the people who make this industry what it is. Thank you to Media24, DStv Media Sales, Unilever, MTN Ads, Futureborn, and Yarneigh Studios. Your support does not just fund an awards show. It tells every entrant, every agency and every young creative in that room that this work matters, and that someone is willing to back it." Gold across every theme. The black pixels are the summit, but the climb runs through eight themes, and this year the gold pixels told a story of range and craft. In Build, MakeReign took gold for Khula in Software, Services and Platforms, a product built with real people in mind. Accenture Song's The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix landed gold in Games, turning a serious idea into something people actually wanted to play, says the awards. In Communicate, Joe Public earned gold for Nedbank's Hardworking Professionals in Online Video Series. Accenture Song added another gold for Integrated Digital Campaign. In Connect, Ogilvy took gold for Unilever's '#VaselineVerified', a campaign that used the internet's own instincts against it in the best way. The Odd Number won gold for Previdar's Show Ghana Love, and Clockwork earned gold in Influencer Marketing for The Salvation Army's Escape It, adds the awards. In Innovate, Ogilvy claimed gold for Audi's TikTok Test Drive in Channel Innovation, taking a car showroom and rebuilding it inside a feed. In Impact, the strategists had their say. VML SA won gold for Vaseline's Mntana Ka Gogo in Break Through on a Budget. Ogilvy took gold for Google in Search Engine Optimisation with If the fits, circle it, while Accenture Song and Ogilvy both earned gold in Digital Campaign Strategy for The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix and '#VaselineVerified' respectively, says the awards. In Craft, MakeReign's Khula was a repeat winner across Strategy, Software, Coding and Tech Innovation and Interactive Design, while Accenture Song's The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix collected gold in Online Video, Interactive Design and Excellence in Craft, concludes the awards. *Image courtesy of contributor Bookmark Awards 2026 The Interactive Advertising Bureau Adrian ephraim. No information available