2020's most-read stories

It often seemed like it would never happen, but we've arrived at the end of 2020. Well, Campaign Asia-Pacific has anyway. We'll be closing down our offices (by which we mean our laptops) after today and enjoying some much-needed rest. We'll resume publishing January 4.

We'd like to thank you for reading Campaign during 2020. We'll leave you with this: a list of our 20 most-read stories of the year. Happy holidays (for those who celebrate the upcoming holidays). We sincerely hope everyone will spend as much time as we plan to doing absolutely nothing of consequence over the next couple of weeks.

1. Dear client: Thank you for cancelling our work
June 2 | By Ad Nut
Wunderman Thompson's Thailand ECD was bummed that a huge campaign for TCP Group got pulled due to the pandemic. Until he looked into what else the client had been up to. Then he made a video about it. 'Dear client' also earned a spot in our list of 2020's most raveworthy ads, even though it's not technically an ad. And by the way, our post about the video is not only the most-read article of 2020 but also the most-read article of the past few years.

2. Brand-side reactions to the coronavirus crisis in Asia
February-June | By Staff reporters
On February 7, we started a page spotlighting the actions brands were taking to support their communities as the pandemic spread. Such was the outpouring of donations and initiatives that we kept updating the page almost daily with new items all the way into June, and you kept reading. The page now stands as a record of an impressive effort on the industry's part.

3. Major Malaysian publishing house Blu Inc shuts, 200 staff laid off
April 30 | By Surekha Ragavan 
Blu Inc was responsible for titles such as Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Cleo.

4. Google issues clarification on taking down apps from India's Play Store
June 7 | By Campaign India Team
Video app Mitron and an other which removed apps from China were taken down from the Play Store.

5. How brands are positioning their messages during COVID-19
March 25 | By Surekha Ragavan 
Pushing out PR and marketing efforts during the time of a crisis isn't always bad. Here are some examples of brands that are nailing it, and others that should have held back.

6. Unilever achieves 50/50 gender balance across global leadership
March 3 | By Sara Spary
FMCG giant said it has higher representation of female managers than ever before.

7. High-profile marketer Richa Goswami leaves J&J
April 13 | By Robert Sawatzky
The member of Campaign's Power List and nominee for WFA's global marketer of the year, is moving on from the consumer health brand company.

8. Netflix appoints Bozoma Saint John as CMO
July 1 | By Emmet McGonagle
Former Apple and Uber marketer leaves Endeavor after two years.

9. Nick Emery was ousted from Mindshare after video call 'prank'
October 17 | By Omar Oakes and Gideon Spanier 
Last week's incident triggered complaint that led to the long-serving CEO's departure.

10. Mark Read on reopening offices, job cuts and growing competition from Accenture
August 30 | By Gideon Spanier 
WPP chief executive speaks to Campaign about the outlook after Covid-19 hit Q2 results.

11. Why is there a strange human-cat roaming Singapore?
February 21 | By Ad Nut
If you think you've woken up in the middle of the movie 'Cats', you can thank/blame telco Circles.Life.

MAJOR 2020 FEATURES These five major annual features were also highly among the most-read content of the year. Power List 2020: Asia-Pacific's 50 most influential and purposeful marketers Top 1000 Brands 2020 Women to Watch 2020: Exceptional female talent from the APAC marcomms industry 40 Under 40 2020: Top-tier talent transforming Asia-Pacific media and marcomms Agency Report Cards 2019: 43 APAC networks assessed Agency of the Year 2020

12. Maurice Levy and WeWork part ways after three months
April 15 | By Omar Oakes
Lévy was announced in November 2019 as interim chief marketing officer.

13. Why Netflix hired Hans Zimmer to zhoosh up its ta-dum sound
August 24 | Max De Lucia 
The streaming platform understands that even the strongest brand assets need room to evolve to meet new contexts.

14. One of the worst things brands can do right now is go dark: Havas Media
March 20 | By Oliver McAteer  
Havas Media chief investment officer suggests marketers should use this time to reinforce consumer relationships.

15. Sentosa resort re-opens—in Animal Crossing
May 8 | By Ad Nut
Recreation recreation: A virtual version of the Singapore destination debuts in the popular Nintendo Switch game, with help from BBH Singapore.

16. Airbnb launches talent directory to help laid-off staff find new jobs
May 11 | By Oliver McAteer 
Every brand should be doing this.

17. WPP cuts awards, reduces top salaries and freezes hiring in response to COVID-19 crisis
March 31 | By Robert Sawatzky
The holding company also suspends share buybacks, its dividend and financial guidance.

18. BBDO shuts Malaysia office, cuts staff in Hong Kong
April 30 | By Staff reporters 
BBDO Asia CEO says the agency is realigning its operational focus in markets based on future demand.

19. Sorrell: COVID-19 will trigger 'Darwinian cull' of ad industry
April 28 | By Jessica Goodfellow 
In a wide-ranging interview, the S4 Capital chief discusses how COVID-19 presents an opportunity for some businesses, and a coup de grâce for others.

20. 'Go ahead, drink and drive' urges Heineken
February 25 | By Ad Nut
Publicis Singapore campaign puts beer fridges in parking lots. What could possibly go wrong?