“他再度殺回營(yíng)銷行業(yè)了。”  
2018年蘇銘天爵士離開(kāi)WPP，成功收購(gòu)Media.Monks后，不少媒體給出這樣的評(píng)論。 
2024年7月18日，S4 Capital旗下運(yùn)營(yíng)品牌Media.Monks，宣布正式更名為Monks，整合旗下業(yè)務(wù)為“營(yíng)銷服務(wù)”和“科技服務(wù)”兩大板塊。這家數(shù)字至上的營(yíng)銷和廣告服務(wù)公司，正在推動(dòng)服務(wù)向AI驅(qū)動(dòng)創(chuàng)意和技術(shù)的加速轉(zhuǎn)型。 
近期，蘇銘天爵士再次來(lái)到中國(guó)。廣告門借此契機(jī)，邀請(qǐng)到S4 Capital創(chuàng)始人兼執(zhí)行董事長(zhǎng)蘇銘天爵士和Monks摩課士大中華區(qū)董事總經(jīng)理Rogier Bikker，共談全球消費(fèi)市場(chǎng)巨變之下，營(yíng)銷行業(yè)的未來(lái)。

廣告門：您離開(kāi)WPP后選擇收購(gòu)Monks，這是否說(shuō)明行業(yè)正迎來(lái)新機(jī)遇、新變化？  
蘇銘天爵士：在離開(kāi)WPP幾年后，我發(fā)現(xiàn)跨國(guó)廣告公司的傳統(tǒng)工作模式及營(yíng)業(yè)模式已不再符合現(xiàn)代市場(chǎng)的趨勢(shì)，難以匹配目前的科技水平和客戶多樣化的需求。 
因此，Monks以四項(xiàng)原則為圓心，建立了一套商業(yè)模式，力求以更快、更好、更高效、更經(jīng)濟(jì)的方式響應(yīng)客戶需求，同時(shí)專注于純數(shù)字化運(yùn)營(yíng)。 
四項(xiàng)原則：專注數(shù)字化營(yíng)銷；數(shù)據(jù)驅(qū)動(dòng)；更快、更好、更便宜；品牌統(tǒng)一。
我們將專注于數(shù)字化營(yíng)銷。今年，整個(gè)營(yíng)銷市場(chǎng)規(guī)模將達(dá)到一萬(wàn)億美元，這一數(shù)據(jù)不包括阿里巴巴和騰訊在內(nèi)的中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)市場(chǎng)，不過(guò)包括了字節(jié)跳動(dòng)。其中數(shù)字化部分達(dá)到七千億，占比超過(guò)70%。數(shù)字化與營(yíng)銷的相關(guān)性較五六年前顯著增強(qiáng)。 
數(shù)據(jù)驅(qū)動(dòng)型營(yíng)銷解決方案的重要性日益凸顯。數(shù)據(jù)不僅是AI的基礎(chǔ)和驅(qū)動(dòng)力，其價(jià)值也愈加受到認(rèn)可。 
客戶越來(lái)越需要能提供更快、更好、更經(jīng)濟(jì)解決方案的廣告公司，而人工智能的運(yùn)用使得他們的目標(biāo)唾手可得。因此我們也整合了我們的服務(wù)，調(diào)整了市場(chǎng)策略，探尋更快、更好、更經(jīng)濟(jì)的解決方案。 
S4 Capital采用Monks作為統(tǒng)一品牌的重要性在于，此舉能讓客戶能夠輕松觸及我們所提供的全方位服務(wù)這一舉措對(duì)于提升客戶體驗(yàn)至關(guān)重要。
綜上所述，S4 Capital的四項(xiàng)原則在當(dāng)今時(shí)代與現(xiàn)代市場(chǎng)的發(fā)展趨勢(shì)更為契合。邁入數(shù)字化時(shí)代，傳統(tǒng)大型跨國(guó)廣告公司網(wǎng)絡(luò)所采用的傳統(tǒng)代理模式，已逐漸在現(xiàn)代市場(chǎng)中失去其重要性和競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力。 
廣告門：在您首次宣布收購(gòu)Monks時(shí)，許多新聞的標(biāo)題都是“他殺回來(lái)了”。您覺(jué)得自己是重返行業(yè)，還是從未離開(kāi)過(guò)這個(gè)行業(yè)？
蘇銘天爵士：我從未離開(kāi)過(guò)。 
廣告門：AI成為當(dāng)下的風(fēng)口，很多公司都在布局AI，您怎么看待AI呢？
蘇銘天爵士：與其說(shuō)AI是一種工具，不如說(shuō)這是一場(chǎng)革新。正如電腦、互聯(lián)網(wǎng)、web3、5G等技術(shù)革新一樣。它會(huì)改變我們的工作方法，我們的工作模式、參與人數(shù)、工作地點(diǎn)和工作時(shí)間等都會(huì)由此發(fā)生轉(zhuǎn)變。AI將從根本上改變工具本身和工具的使用者。
每一個(gè)新技術(shù)的誕生都是一場(chǎng)技術(shù)革命。從互聯(lián)網(wǎng)開(kāi)始，然后是智能手機(jī)，接著是區(qū)塊鏈和加密貨幣，再后來(lái)是元宇宙、量子計(jì)算、云技術(shù)，還有AI。而AI正是新技術(shù)革命的一環(huán)。  
廣告門：AI在近幾年快速發(fā)展，除了把它視為工具來(lái)賦能營(yíng)銷，現(xiàn)在又有哪些新的發(fā)展趨勢(shì)？
蘇銘天爵士：對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)，AI將從根本上改變所有行業(yè)和服務(wù)的運(yùn)作方式，包括政府職能。這種變革意義非常重大。就目前來(lái)看，這樣的變革體現(xiàn)在五個(gè)關(guān)鍵領(lǐng)域。
1. 視覺(jué)與文案
AI使得創(chuàng)作過(guò)程大幅縮短，過(guò)去需要一兩周的時(shí)間，現(xiàn)在只需數(shù)小時(shí)即可完成。然而，這是一把雙刃劍。我們的業(yè)務(wù)本質(zhì)上是時(shí)間售賣，當(dāng)客戶發(fā)現(xiàn)廣告制作周期顯著縮短時(shí)，我們的收入可能會(huì)受到直接影響，導(dǎo)致?tīng)I(yíng)收下滑。不過(guò)，這一變化也意味著我們對(duì)文案撰寫員、視覺(jué)設(shè)計(jì)師等人才的需求將相應(yīng)減少。
2. 規(guī)?；膫€(gè)性化內(nèi)容創(chuàng)作
在我看來(lái)，這是我目前行業(yè)內(nèi)發(fā)生的最大轉(zhuǎn)變。我將這一現(xiàn)象形象地稱為“超級(jí)加強(qiáng)版的Netflix”，這也意味著我們將Netflix模式推向了一個(gè)前所未有的廣闊舞臺(tái)。這一過(guò)程中，我們充分依托第一方和第三方平臺(tái)數(shù)據(jù)，為消費(fèi)者量身定制獨(dú)一無(wú)二的內(nèi)容體驗(yàn)。這一做法無(wú)疑是開(kāi)創(chuàng)性的。
這一轉(zhuǎn)變預(yù)示著我們將步入一個(gè)品牌作品/內(nèi)容產(chǎn)出量空前龐大的新時(shí)代。以Netflix的營(yíng)銷活動(dòng)為例，理論上我們可以創(chuàng)建約150萬(wàn)種截然不同的作品和創(chuàng)意方案。而借助AI的力量，我們還能實(shí)現(xiàn)更大規(guī)模的個(gè)性化內(nèi)容生產(chǎn)。盡管每件作品的制作成本因此而降低，但總體產(chǎn)出的資產(chǎn)數(shù)量卻實(shí)現(xiàn)了質(zhì)的飛躍。
與上文提及的“視覺(jué)與文案”領(lǐng)域可能面臨的收入縮減情況截然不同 —— 對(duì)于大規(guī)模生產(chǎn)個(gè)人定制化內(nèi)容這一方面，代理商收入有望實(shí)現(xiàn)大幅增長(zhǎng)，進(jìn)而帶來(lái)更高的盈利、激活更多的就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)。我們已經(jīng)觀察到，市場(chǎng)對(duì)于此類定制化內(nèi)容的需求極為強(qiáng)勁。從我們的實(shí)際合作案例來(lái)看，不僅寶馬公司，還有通用汽車、莊臣（SC Johnson）以及谷歌等全球知名企業(yè)，都與我們展開(kāi)了大規(guī)模量產(chǎn)個(gè)人定制化內(nèi)容的深度合作。
在這一領(lǐng)域，我們正積極轉(zhuǎn)型業(yè)務(wù)模式，將之從傳統(tǒng)的工作時(shí)間計(jì)費(fèi)轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)楦鶕?jù)作品數(shù)量計(jì)費(fèi)的營(yíng)收模式。這意味著，生產(chǎn)的作品件數(shù)越多，代理商收入就越可觀。
3. 媒體策劃和購(gòu)買
過(guò)去，媒介公司在全球網(wǎng)絡(luò)中可能需要約10,000名員工負(fù)責(zé)媒介策劃與采買，而AI將大幅度提升工作效率，從而大幅度減少對(duì)從事此類工作的員工數(shù)量的需求。
Monks目前有約7500名員工，分布在34個(gè)國(guó)家，但尚未建立大型的媒體策劃和購(gòu)買網(wǎng)絡(luò)，AI的賦能為我們?cè)跀?shù)字領(lǐng)域大規(guī)模拓展新能力提供了寶貴契機(jī)。展望未來(lái)，對(duì)媒介采買人員的依賴將被數(shù)據(jù)驅(qū)動(dòng)和AI算法驅(qū)動(dòng)的解決方案取代，從而衍生出更完備、更具競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力的媒介解決方案。
4. 整體效率
目前，Monks正與Nvidia、AWS和Adobe密切合作，共同探索現(xiàn)場(chǎng)直播領(lǐng)域的創(chuàng)新解決方案。當(dāng)轉(zhuǎn)播體育賽事時(shí)，傳統(tǒng)的實(shí)況轉(zhuǎn)播車成本高昂，一輛車的總投入可達(dá)1000萬(wàn)美元，分五年攤銷，每年仍需約200萬(wàn)美元。相比之下，我們可以使用AWS和Adobe的視頻技術(shù)提供遠(yuǎn)程解決方案，其成本僅為約20萬(wàn)美元，實(shí)現(xiàn)了約90%的成本削減。這也使整體工作效率得到了顯著提升。
5. 知識(shí)民主化
這指的是在組織內(nèi)部有效傳播知識(shí)。打個(gè)比方，我們最大的客戶是谷歌，全球約有900位monks參與谷歌相關(guān)的項(xiàng)目。通過(guò)使用一種語(yǔ)言模型來(lái)整合我們多年來(lái)積累的關(guān)于谷歌的知識(shí)，并讓組織中的每個(gè)人都能立即獲取這些知識(shí)，我們就能更高效、更有效地運(yùn)作。 
為了提升團(tuán)隊(duì)協(xié)作效率和工作效果，我們計(jì)劃采用一種語(yǔ)言模型來(lái)整合多年來(lái)積累的關(guān)于谷歌的知識(shí)庫(kù)，組織內(nèi)的每個(gè)人都能迅速、便捷地獲取所需信息。

廣告門: 為什么Monks在中國(guó)上海成立 AI 工作室？
Rogier Bikker: 在中國(guó)我們見(jiàn)證了AI的迅猛發(fā)展，同時(shí)也意識(shí)到，將真實(shí)拍攝與AI制作巧妙融合，能夠呈現(xiàn)出最佳的作品效果。這種結(jié)合帶來(lái)了前所未有的市場(chǎng)機(jī)遇，吸引了眾多品牌的關(guān)注，尤其是運(yùn)動(dòng)品牌。  
目前，Monks上海團(tuán)隊(duì)的AI內(nèi)容工作室擁有一支由約60名成員組成的精英隊(duì)伍，專注于為中國(guó)市場(chǎng)量身定制社交媒體和電商內(nèi)容。這一舉措不僅極大地豐富了內(nèi)容庫(kù)的容量，更重要的是，通過(guò)AI技術(shù)的輔助，我們能夠不斷優(yōu)化內(nèi)容質(zhì)量。
我們與客戶的電商團(tuán)隊(duì)緊密合作，大規(guī)模運(yùn)用AI技術(shù)來(lái)生產(chǎn)個(gè)性化內(nèi)容，旨在顯著提升電商平臺(tái)的點(diǎn)擊率，進(jìn)而優(yōu)化客戶的電商業(yè)務(wù)表現(xiàn)。即使只是小幅提高點(diǎn)擊率/頁(yè)面停留時(shí)長(zhǎng)/銷售轉(zhuǎn)化率，也足以證明投資的合理性。 
隨著全球AI技術(shù)的迅猛發(fā)展，中國(guó)也憑借自身的科技基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施和品牌支持，取得了長(zhǎng)足的進(jìn)步。然而，鑒于國(guó)內(nèi)電商平臺(tái)和媒體平臺(tái)的特性，許多品牌在中國(guó)需要的是更大規(guī)模的內(nèi)容生產(chǎn)。 
廣告門：Monks中國(guó)的AI工作室主要服務(wù)哪些客戶？以及在品牌業(yè)務(wù)承擔(dān)什么角色？
Rogier Bikker: 我們與安德瑪、安踏、始祖鳥(niǎo)、迪桑特和FILA等品牌密切合作，高效拍攝大量?jī)?nèi)容。由于這些品牌有多個(gè)產(chǎn)品系列，拍攝工作量非常大，而通過(guò)AI則能夠以更高效和富有創(chuàng)造性的方式完成工作，這是非常必要的。  
例如，我們?yōu)榘驳卢斶M(jìn)行的工作展示了這一需求。許多品牌在庫(kù)存單位（SKU）較多的情況下，內(nèi)容需求也隨之增加。不過(guò)，單獨(dú)為每個(gè)平臺(tái)拍攝內(nèi)容的成本不具優(yōu)勢(shì)。因此，我們的解決方案是將一定比例的實(shí)拍內(nèi)容結(jié)合AI后期處理，生成AI混合原始拍攝的相關(guān)內(nèi)容。這是我們團(tuán)隊(duì)的主要工作方向。 
除了與安德瑪?shù)暮献魍?，在今年春?jié)期間，我們與始祖鳥(niǎo)攜手推出了一項(xiàng)以AI為主題的項(xiàng)目。用戶通過(guò)掃描掌紋，能夠自動(dòng)生成一個(gè)獨(dú)一無(wú)二的龍鱗圖案，宛若護(hù)身符一般。Monks上海辦公室積極投身此類定制化內(nèi)容的制作，同時(shí)推動(dòng)量產(chǎn)內(nèi)容的持續(xù)發(fā)展。在內(nèi)容量產(chǎn)方面，我們不僅數(shù)量上有所增加，內(nèi)容質(zhì)量也得到了提升。
Monks在電商領(lǐng)域同樣深耕細(xì)作，致力于助力客戶實(shí)現(xiàn)效率的全面飛躍。當(dāng)產(chǎn)品成功入駐電商平臺(tái)，產(chǎn)品展示頁(yè)面（PDP）的轉(zhuǎn)化率、點(diǎn)擊率及最終交易完成率便成為了衡量品牌表現(xiàn)的關(guān)鍵指標(biāo)，對(duì)于大型品牌而言，這些細(xì)微的數(shù)值變動(dòng)都蘊(yùn)含著巨大的商業(yè)價(jià)值。我們深知，即便是細(xì)微的提升，也能在成本控制上帶來(lái)顯著的成效。因此，Monks也專門組建一支專業(yè)的AI團(tuán)隊(duì)，并輔以強(qiáng)大的電商團(tuán)隊(duì)作為支撐。
我們的方式則是利用內(nèi)容的創(chuàng)新與優(yōu)化，以此提升客戶轉(zhuǎn)化率。我們的電商團(tuán)隊(duì)目前也正全力以赴地推動(dòng)著客戶在電商領(lǐng)域的相關(guān)業(yè)務(wù)發(fā)展。
眾多國(guó)內(nèi)外企業(yè)均對(duì)電商領(lǐng)域展現(xiàn)出了濃厚的興趣與熱情，然而許多客戶尚未充分意識(shí)到AI在內(nèi)容量產(chǎn)領(lǐng)域的巨大潛力及其重要性，當(dāng)然也因?yàn)楸容^少的代理商可以真正做到或者有實(shí)際案例佐證。因?yàn)椋@一點(diǎn)也是我們的優(yōu)勢(shì)，在提供實(shí)際案例佐證的同時(shí)，加強(qiáng)關(guān)于AI批量生產(chǎn)個(gè)人定制化內(nèi)容的市場(chǎng)溝通。 
廣告門：Media.Monks為什么更名為Monks呢？ 
蘇銘天爵士：主要有兩個(gè)原因。  
首先，“Media”這個(gè)前綴的含義過(guò)于狹窄，容易誤導(dǎo)外界認(rèn)為我們的業(yè)務(wù)范圍僅限于媒介購(gòu)買這一單一領(lǐng)域。 事實(shí)上，我們的業(yè)務(wù)觸角已經(jīng)延伸至了多個(gè)維度和層面。
Monks從事內(nèi)容創(chuàng)作，重視數(shù)據(jù)分析，包括第一方和第三方平臺(tái)數(shù)據(jù)。正如我之前所提到的，Monks不僅進(jìn)行數(shù)字媒體策劃和購(gòu)買，還致力于數(shù)字轉(zhuǎn)型，這對(duì)公司的三個(gè)核心領(lǐng)域——：營(yíng)銷、銷售和技術(shù)也產(chǎn)生了深度影響。 
因此，我們能夠跨越多個(gè)職能領(lǐng)域，與首席營(yíng)銷官（CMO）、首席銷售官（CSO）、首席數(shù)字官（CDO）和首席財(cái)務(wù)官（CFO）等高層決策者建立聯(lián)系。由此可見(jiàn)，Monks的服務(wù)范圍遠(yuǎn)超傳統(tǒng)意義上的媒體領(lǐng)域，“Media”一詞則顯得過(guò)于。 
其次，這一名稱也容易造成市場(chǎng)對(duì)Media.Monks回歸過(guò)去的誤解。Media.Monks最初在阿姆斯特丹成立時(shí)是一家制作公司，但時(shí)至今日，我們的業(yè)務(wù)范圍不斷拓展，這個(gè)名稱已經(jīng)無(wú)法全面而準(zhǔn)確地反映出我們當(dāng)前的工作內(nèi)容。因此，只取“Monks”，能夠更加精準(zhǔn)地概括我們的工作模式和業(yè)務(wù)范疇。  
廣告門：2024 上半年，Monks上海辦公室的業(yè)務(wù)以及整體情況如何？
Rogier Bikker：我們表現(xiàn)尤為卓越，在整個(gè)行業(yè)中更是出類拔萃。事實(shí)上，Monks今年實(shí)現(xiàn)了規(guī)模翻番。在2024年上半年，我們成功吸納了約60位新同事加入團(tuán)隊(duì)。對(duì)Monks而言，2024年是高效增長(zhǎng)的一年，這很大程度上得益于我們的AI背景。2023對(duì)于許多人而言，是AI元年，但對(duì)于Monks而言，我們已經(jīng)在AI領(lǐng)域深耕多年。所以，對(duì)于了解我們的客戶，他們知道我們是對(duì)的合作伙伴，了解他們的業(yè)務(wù)，也知道如何無(wú)縫整合AI、媒介和營(yíng)銷傳播。客戶對(duì)我們的AI服務(wù)給予了高度贊賞和認(rèn)可，這也是我們?cè)诮衲晟习肽瓿闪I工作室的動(dòng)因所在。
此外，Monks剛剛?cè)蚊艘晃豢萍己腕w驗(yàn)營(yíng)銷新業(yè)務(wù)副總裁，這位副總裁原本是我們技術(shù)團(tuán)隊(duì)的負(fù)責(zé)人，后來(lái)又重新回歸公司團(tuán)隊(duì)。他擅長(zhǎng)將深?yuàn)W復(fù)雜的技術(shù)以深入淺出的方式分享給非專業(yè)人士，并且在創(chuàng)意、商業(yè)和科技的融合中找到良好的平衡點(diǎn)，從而使得我們的客戶能夠更輕松地理解并把握技術(shù)變革所帶來(lái)的深遠(yuǎn)影響。
正如我們之前提到的，“基礎(chǔ)代理機(jī)構(gòu)模式”和“規(guī)模化的個(gè)性化內(nèi)容創(chuàng)作”對(duì)市場(chǎng)而言都是比較新的概念。 
我們前期需要更多的時(shí)間進(jìn)行市場(chǎng)教育，用非專業(yè)人士容易理解的語(yǔ)言進(jìn)行溝通。所以Monks任命一個(gè)人專門從事這一工作，讓更多人認(rèn)識(shí)到，AI技術(shù)不僅能夠顯著縮短編寫文案或制作視覺(jué)內(nèi)容的時(shí)間，更蘊(yùn)藏著無(wú)限可能，尤其是在Monks所提供的創(chuàng)新服務(wù)中。  
通過(guò)這樣的溝通和教育，我們?cè)贏I領(lǐng)域的卓越能力和豐富的服務(wù)將逐漸嶄露頭角，市場(chǎng)對(duì)Monks的信任與合作意愿也將隨之增強(qiáng)。 
廣告門：疫情后，外資品牌對(duì)中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的態(tài)度有哪些變化？中國(guó)品牌發(fā)展有什么趨勢(shì)？
蘇銘天爵士：我們觀察到了兩大趨勢(shì)。首先，外資跨國(guó)公司對(duì)中國(guó)市場(chǎng)變得更加謹(jǐn)慎。 
疫情打亂了這些公司的發(fā)展重心，國(guó)際市場(chǎng)環(huán)境存在諸多不確定因素，整個(gè)全球系統(tǒng)也受到了重大沖擊。尤其是面對(duì)供應(yīng)鏈問(wèn)題，外資跨國(guó)企業(yè)略顯猶豫不決。 
這種市場(chǎng)策略的猶豫態(tài)度確實(shí)可以明確劃分為兩大陣營(yíng)。首先，對(duì)于在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)占據(jù)顯著份額，即其全球銷售額的10%至20%不等的公司而言，它們面臨兩難選擇。像特斯拉、蘋果或?qū)汃R這樣的公司，在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的深耕細(xì)作讓它們不得不慎重考慮，決定是否在這種高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)環(huán)境下進(jìn)一步擴(kuò)展市場(chǎng)。另一方面，那些在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)份額相對(duì)較小的公司，則普遍展現(xiàn)出更為積極的擴(kuò)張態(tài)勢(shì)。
總之，外資跨國(guó)公司依然致力于中國(guó)市場(chǎng)。市場(chǎng)份額較小的公司積極尋求增長(zhǎng)機(jī)遇，而市場(chǎng)份額較大的公司則表現(xiàn)得更加謹(jǐn)慎。 
其次，中國(guó)品牌在后疫情時(shí)代不僅在國(guó)內(nèi)市場(chǎng)鞏固了地位，還積極邁出了國(guó)際化的步伐。這一趨勢(shì)在SHEIN、TEMU等品牌身上尤為明顯，  它們正在全球范圍內(nèi)迅速擴(kuò)展影響力。
中國(guó)品牌的國(guó)際化征程，在西方科技平臺(tái)的增長(zhǎng)數(shù)據(jù)中也得以體現(xiàn)。像Alphabet（谷歌）、Meta（Facebook和Instagram）、亞馬遜和TikTok這樣的公司，在非中國(guó)市場(chǎng)取得的顯著增長(zhǎng)，很大程度上得益于中國(guó)品牌出海。這非常符合典型的品牌增長(zhǎng)戰(zhàn)略，即先在國(guó)內(nèi)市場(chǎng)構(gòu)建起堅(jiān)實(shí)的市場(chǎng)基礎(chǔ)，待國(guó)內(nèi)市場(chǎng)趨于飽和后，便順勢(shì)而為，將目光投向更為廣闊的國(guó)際市場(chǎng)。
因此，這兩大趨勢(shì)定義了后疫情時(shí)代的商業(yè)格局。  
廣告門：中國(guó)品牌在全球化過(guò)程中面臨哪些挑戰(zhàn)？
Rogier Bikker：我認(rèn)為中國(guó)品牌在全球化過(guò)程中面臨三大挑戰(zhàn)。 
首先是品牌信任度的構(gòu)建。目前，全球?qū)χ袊?guó)品牌的信任度相對(duì)較低。為了應(yīng)對(duì)這一問(wèn)題，眾多中國(guó)品牌紛紛采取積極措施，例如比亞迪，選擇在歐洲杯等大型賽事上進(jìn)行贊助以提升品牌形象。在歐洲杯的賽場(chǎng)上，中國(guó)品牌成為了主要贊助商，通過(guò)增加曝光率，并與具有廣泛影響力和高度可信度的國(guó)際賽事建立關(guān)聯(lián)，從而逐步改善全球消費(fèi)者對(duì)中國(guó)品牌的認(rèn)知與信任。
此外，中國(guó)品牌在國(guó)際化進(jìn)程中還面臨著獲客成本高的挑戰(zhàn)。數(shù)據(jù)顯示，中國(guó)品牌在Meta（Facebook）、谷歌和TikToK等平臺(tái)上的支出顯著增加。高昂的獲客成本不僅對(duì)品牌的市場(chǎng)進(jìn)入策略和競(jìng)爭(zhēng)策略提出了更高要求，也意味著營(yíng)銷預(yù)算的大幅增長(zhǎng)。
組織結(jié)構(gòu)的復(fù)雜性成為了中國(guó)品牌不得不面對(duì)的另一大挑戰(zhàn)。在中國(guó)本土，品牌往往能夠享受相對(duì)同質(zhì)化的市場(chǎng)環(huán)境，擁有統(tǒng)一的語(yǔ)言和文化背景。然而，一旦將目光投向歐洲等多元化地區(qū)，企業(yè)就必須面對(duì)一個(gè)截然不同的商業(yè)生態(tài)。這里，22種不同的語(yǔ)言、22種獨(dú)特的文化以及22種各異的商業(yè)實(shí)踐方式交織在一起，構(gòu)成了一個(gè)錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的商業(yè)網(wǎng)絡(luò)。
廣告門：中國(guó)的代理機(jī)構(gòu)如何更好地服務(wù)這些中國(guó)出海品牌？
Rogier Bikker：對(duì)于出海品牌而言，適合它們的代理機(jī)構(gòu)應(yīng)具備解決上述三大挑戰(zhàn)的能力。
構(gòu)建品牌信任，離不開(kāi)對(duì)品牌建設(shè)和企業(yè)社會(huì)責(zé)任（CSR）的長(zhǎng)期堅(jiān)守與承諾。CSR是企業(yè)在全球范圍內(nèi)建立品牌信任不可或缺的基石。贊助和娛樂(lè)在這一策略中發(fā)揮著舉足輕重的作用，因此這些品牌贊助了歐洲杯等大型活動(dòng)，以提升品牌的知名度和可信度。 
同時(shí)，管理獲客成本至關(guān)重要。品牌需要尋求一家在全球范圍內(nèi)具備強(qiáng)大實(shí)力、以績(jī)效為導(dǎo)向且數(shù)據(jù)驅(qū)動(dòng)的代理機(jī)構(gòu)。 
Monks在這方面表現(xiàn)出色，它深諳各個(gè)市場(chǎng)中社交、績(jī)效和數(shù)據(jù)等不同領(lǐng)域的專業(yè)性和復(fù)雜性，因此也成為了高獲客成本環(huán)境中，能有效幫助客戶提升效率和績(jī)效的“基礎(chǔ)代理機(jī)構(gòu)”。 
最后，應(yīng)對(duì)組織復(fù)雜性是品牌全球化進(jìn)程中不可或缺的一環(huán)。為了有效管理這一挑戰(zhàn)，品牌需要尋求一家擁有強(qiáng)大咨詢和數(shù)字化轉(zhuǎn)型服務(wù)能力的代理機(jī)構(gòu)。這可以推動(dòng)品牌內(nèi)部組織變革，讓公司成長(zhǎng)為一家真正意義上的全球性公司。
正如戰(zhàn)略代理機(jī)構(gòu)與基礎(chǔ)代理機(jī)構(gòu)所發(fā)揮的作用一樣，執(zhí)行代理機(jī)構(gòu)同樣能夠提供至關(guān)重要的咨詢服務(wù)，助力品牌在國(guó)際市場(chǎng)獲得成功。

廣告門：您多次談到“基礎(chǔ)代理機(jī)構(gòu)模式”，能詳細(xì)說(shuō)說(shuō)嗎？
蘇銘天爵士：例如，我們與通用汽車的合作模式包含兩部分：戰(zhàn)略大創(chuàng)意和內(nèi)容引擎（或基礎(chǔ)代理機(jī)構(gòu)）。 
合作模式的上層聚焦四個(gè)品牌：凱迪拉克、雪佛蘭、GMC和別克。在新的結(jié)構(gòu)中，這四個(gè)品牌將各自擁有一個(gè)戰(zhàn)略代理機(jī)構(gòu)。通用汽車所選擇的這些戰(zhàn)略代理機(jī)構(gòu)均為小型而獨(dú)立的機(jī)構(gòu)。
在這些戰(zhàn)略代理機(jī)構(gòu)的下層，由我們開(kāi)發(fā)所有內(nèi)容，為這四個(gè)品牌提供四大核心創(chuàng)意。與通用汽車的合作模式，我們可以形象地稱之為“基礎(chǔ)代理機(jī)構(gòu)模式”，它就像是一個(gè)內(nèi)容工廠，能夠以前所未有的規(guī)模，持續(xù)產(chǎn)出更經(jīng)濟(jì)、更高效、更豐富多樣的內(nèi)容，也就是“大規(guī)模的個(gè)性化內(nèi)容生產(chǎn)”。
這一結(jié)構(gòu)模式將會(huì)在全球范圍內(nèi)廣泛實(shí)施。與寶馬在歐洲的情況相類似。我們同樣采取了戰(zhàn)略代理機(jī)構(gòu)與基礎(chǔ)代理機(jī)構(gòu)并行運(yùn)作的模式。
廣告門：這兩個(gè)層級(jí)中哪一層的利潤(rùn)更高？
蘇銘天爵士：一般來(lái)說(shuō)，以我們目前所了解到的數(shù)據(jù)，總利潤(rùn)的一半歸戰(zhàn)略代理機(jī)構(gòu)，一半歸基礎(chǔ)代理機(jī)構(gòu)。 
廣告門：隨著中國(guó)本土品牌的發(fā)展，我們觀察到一些外企在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的銷量出現(xiàn)下滑。面對(duì)相對(duì)復(fù)雜的市場(chǎng)環(huán)境，您認(rèn)為外企在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的發(fā)展面臨哪些機(jī)會(huì)和挑戰(zhàn)？
Rogier Bikker：在中國(guó)，全球品牌仍然面臨著諸多機(jī)遇。品牌需要采取兩種主要策略。
第一種，是與中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的增長(zhǎng)領(lǐng)域?qū)樱@要求我們深入洞悉中國(guó)消費(fèi)者的行為趨勢(shì)。后疫情時(shí)代，中國(guó)消費(fèi)者愈發(fā)重視廣義的健康生活方式，因此旅游、運(yùn)動(dòng)品牌、營(yíng)養(yǎng)補(bǔ)充品、戶外活動(dòng)產(chǎn)品及健康相關(guān)產(chǎn)品等領(lǐng)域持續(xù)保持兩位數(shù)的高速增長(zhǎng)。 
這一顯著趨勢(shì)為品牌指明了重要的增長(zhǎng)方向，其影響力已持續(xù)顯現(xiàn)，而在過(guò)去一年中，其增長(zhǎng)速度更是實(shí)現(xiàn)了飛躍。例如，在安踏集團(tuán)中，與戶外活躍生活方式最為契合的品牌正在經(jīng)歷最快的增長(zhǎng)。同樣，快消品公司也紛紛調(diào)整策略，積極推廣更加健康的生活方式。  
第二種策略則是捕捉后疫情時(shí)代中國(guó)消費(fèi)者日益增強(qiáng)的價(jià)值意識(shí)。在這一背景下，能夠提供高性價(jià)比產(chǎn)品的品牌迅速崛起，因?yàn)橄M(fèi)者在消費(fèi)決策上變得更加審慎和理性。這一趨勢(shì)不僅推動(dòng)了高端奢侈品市場(chǎng)（其增長(zhǎng)往往不受經(jīng)濟(jì)波動(dòng)影響）的持續(xù)繁榮，也促進(jìn)了價(jià)值導(dǎo)向型市場(chǎng)的顯著增長(zhǎng)。然而，與此同時(shí)，中端市場(chǎng)卻面臨著市場(chǎng)擠壓。
因此，在探討中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的增長(zhǎng)狀況時(shí)，我們不能簡(jiǎn)單地以“是”或“否”來(lái)回應(yīng)。事實(shí)上，關(guān)鍵在于識(shí)別出具體的增長(zhǎng)點(diǎn)。這需要品牌和代理機(jī)構(gòu)從行業(yè)趨勢(shì)和消費(fèi)者行為兩個(gè)維度進(jìn)行深入分析，以把握那些潛藏著巨大發(fā)展?jié)摿Φ念I(lǐng)域。
通過(guò)專注于這些領(lǐng)域，品牌可以找到并利用中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的增長(zhǎng)點(diǎn)。這種細(xì)致入微的理解對(duì)于有效應(yīng)對(duì)當(dāng)前的市場(chǎng)環(huán)境至關(guān)重要。 
廣告門：據(jù)我們觀察，這幾年的戛納創(chuàng)意節(jié)上，來(lái)自中國(guó)區(qū)的作品越來(lái)越少，且成績(jī)也并沒(méi)有特別突出。可以結(jié)合你們今年去戛納現(xiàn)場(chǎng)，聊聊你們的感受嗎？
Rogier Bikker：有幾個(gè)原因。宏觀經(jīng)濟(jì)層面，我們不難發(fā)現(xiàn)，西方、中國(guó)乃至全球其他地區(qū)之間存在著明顯的分化現(xiàn)象。這樣的分化也滲透到了戛納創(chuàng)意節(jié)，究竟是因?yàn)槲鞣綄?duì)中國(guó)沒(méi)有興趣，還是因?yàn)橹袊?guó)對(duì)境外市場(chǎng)拓展持保留態(tài)度？我想這并非一個(gè)非黑即白的問(wèn)題，很可能兩者兼而有之。
或許中國(guó)參賽作品數(shù)量有限、評(píng)委人數(shù)稀少以及獲獎(jiǎng)作品不多，其根源可歸結(jié)為實(shí)用主義的影響。
若論及中國(guó)首席營(yíng)銷官（CMO）或中國(guó)品牌所擅長(zhǎng)的領(lǐng)域，戰(zhàn)術(shù)性（tactic）營(yíng)銷無(wú)疑是其強(qiáng)項(xiàng)。他們擅長(zhǎng)大規(guī)模地推出產(chǎn)品，并注重推動(dòng)實(shí)際成果。然而，戛納更傾向于表彰那些致力于長(zhǎng)期品牌建設(shè)、展現(xiàn)非凡創(chuàng)造力，以及對(duì)品牌資產(chǎn)產(chǎn)生深遠(yuǎn)影響的項(xiàng)目。
尤其是在疫情后，人們開(kāi)始極度關(guān)注短期結(jié)果。在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)上，無(wú)論是本土品牌還是國(guó)際品牌，都面臨著巨大的業(yè)績(jī)壓力，這使得它們難以抽出精力去創(chuàng)作那些能在戛納等國(guó)際舞臺(tái)上贏得榮譽(yù)的作品。這無(wú)疑是令人遺憾的，因?yàn)閺拈L(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)來(lái)看，我們可能會(huì)意識(shí)到，中國(guó)品牌可能已經(jīng)錯(cuò)失了一個(gè)構(gòu)建強(qiáng)大品牌資產(chǎn)的寶貴機(jī)會(huì)。
中國(guó)首席營(yíng)銷官（CMO）的需求與戛納國(guó)際創(chuàng)意節(jié)的獲獎(jiǎng)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)之間存在顯著差異。當(dāng)前的狀況與去年相比并未有實(shí)質(zhì)性改善，甚至在某些方面可能更加嚴(yán)峻。

Adquan Talks to Sir Martin Sorrell: I left WPP, but never left the industry
"He’s back." 
 This was how media outlets commented when Sir Martin Sorrell left WPP  in 2018 and successfully acquired Media.Monks.  
On July 18, 2024, Media.Monks, the operating brand of S4 Capital and leading digital-first, data-driven, advertising, marketing and technology services company, announced rebrand into Monks, also strengthened offerings reflecting accelerating industry transition to AI-powered creative and technology. Monks will transition its services into two fully synchronized practices: Marketing services and Technology service, designed to drive sustainable, profitable growth and innovation across their enterprises and the tools to leverage AI and unlock cost-efficiencies accelerating transformation at scale.
Recently, Sir Martin Sorrelll has visited China again. Adquan sat Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital, and Rogier Bikker, Managing Director of Monks China, to discuss the future of the marketing industry amid the drastic changes in the global consumer market.  

Adquan: After leaving WPP, you chose to acquire Monks. Does this reveal new opportunities or changes in the industry?  
Sir Martin Sorrell: After leaving WPP, I realized that the previous working and business models no longer hold the same significance or relevance in today's digital age, especially with the diversification of technology and customer needs.  
Therefore, Monks established a business model based on four fundamental principles to respond to clients’ needs more economically and quickly while focusing on purely digital operations.  

4 Principle:  Focus exclusively on digital media; being data-driven; being faster, better and cheaper; having a unified brand.
We focus exclusively on digital. This year, the global media industry is projected to reach approximately one trillion dollars. Although excluding the domestic Chinese market, such as Alibaba and Tencent, it does include ByteDance. The digital segment accounts for 700 billion of this trillion, which is over 70%. This indicates a significantly stronger correlation between digitalization and marketing than five or six years ago.  
The importance of being data-driven is also increasing, as data forms the basis and engine for AI, making the value of data more recognized.  
The principle of being faster, better, more efficient, cheaper and more solutions. With the power of AI, agencies can accomplish more than before, prompting us to adjust our market approach accordingly.
The significance of having a unified brand that provides clients with simple access to our services is becoming increasingly vital.
In conclusion, S4's four principles align much more closely with modern market developments today. In the digital age, the old agency models, especially those I experienced at WPP and Saatchi & Saatchi, have gradually lost their importance and relevance in the modern market. 
Adquan: When you first announced the acquisition of Monks, many news headlines read "He’s back." Do you feel like you are returning to the industry or have you never left it?  
Sir Martin Sorrell: I've never left.  

Adquan: AI has become a hot trend, with many companies investing in AI. What is your view on AI?  
Sir Martin Sorrell: Generally speaking, AI is not just a tool, it fundamentally changes how we work, including work modes, participant numbers, locations, and times. AI will fundamentally alter both the tools themselves and their users.  
For example, if you look at revolutionary changes in technology, you can start with the internet in the 1990s, then move to smartphones, followed by blockchain and cryptocurrency, and then to the metaverse, quantum computing, the cloud, and, of course, AI. Each of these represents a technological revolution, and AI is part of this revolution.
Adquan: Apart from viewing AI as a tool to empower marketing, what new development trends are emerging from AI?  
Sir Martin Sorrell: For me, AI will fundamentally change how all industries and services operate, including governmental functions. This transformation is highly significant. We have identified five key ways so far.  
1. Visualization and Copywriting
The creative process has been dramatically shortened. what used to take a week or two can now be completed in just hours. However, this is a double-edged sword. Because we sell time, clients will notice that the time required to produce an ad has decreased, which may lead to reduced revenues for us. Additionally, the number of people we need, such as copywriters and visualizers, will also decrease.  
2. Mass Personalization
This, I believe, is the biggest shift currently happening in the industry, is personalization at scale. I refer to it as "Netflix on steroids," where we apply the Netflix model on a massive scale. This involves using first-party data and signals from platforms to create individualized content for consumers, which is groundbreaking.
This shift means we will produce an even larger number of assets. For instance, in a Netflix campaign, we could theoretically create about 1.5 million different assets and creative approaches. With AI, we can scale this even further. While the cost per asset decreases, the total number of assets produced increases significantly.
This will lead to higher revenues and more employment opportunities. Unlike the first category, where revenues may shrink, in personalization at scale, revenues are expected to rise dramatically. We are seeing strong demand from clients, exemplified by our work not only for BMW but also with General Motors, SC Johnson, and Google.
In this area, we are shifting our business model from revenue based on time spent to one based on asset pricing; the more assets we produce, the more revenue we generate.  
3. Media Planning and Buying
In the past, holding companies might require around 10,000 employees across global networks. AI will significantly reduce the workforce needed for such networks.  
At Monks, we currently have about 7,500 employees in 34 countries. However, we do not have a large media planning and buying network, presenting a major opportunity for us to develop these capabilities in the digital realm at scale. In the future, the reliance on 25-year-old media planners and buyers will be replaced by algorithms that determine the best plans and purchases, resulting in more sophisticated outputs.
4. Overall Efficiency
We are collaborating closely with Nvidia, AWS, and Adobe on outside broadcasting. When broadcasting a sports event, a traditional outside broadcasting truck can cost about $10 million, amortized over five years, resulting in approximately $2 million per year. In contrast, we can provide a remote solution using video technology from AWS and Adobe for about $200,000, representing a cost reduction of around 90%. This illustrates general efficiency gains.
5. Democratization of Knowledge
This involves spreading knowledge effectively within the organization. For instance, our largest client is Google, and we have around 900 people working globally on Google projects. By utilizing a language model that consolidates all the knowledge we’ve accumulated about Google over the years and making it instantly accessible to everyone in the organization, we can operate much more efficiently and effectively.
Adquan: Why did Monks establish an AI studio in Shanghai, China?  
Rogier Bikker: We saw that AI developed rapidly in China and we realized that the best-case scenarios involve combining real-life shooting with AI production. This offers a unique service in the market, attracting a lot of attention from various brands, especially sport brands.  
In our AI content studio, we currently have about 130 well-trained members who are able to produce content at scale for social media and e-commerce specifically for the Chinese market.  I believe this approach significantly uplifts not only the volume of content but also its effectiveness.   
We are collaborating with the e-commerce teams of our clients to enhance their e-commerce performance. Just a few percent increases in, let’s say, click-through rates would already justify any investment.
As the process of AI development accelerates abroad, China continues to make progress in AI with its own tech infrastructure and brand support. However, due to the different characteristics of domestic e-commerce and media platforms compared to those abroad, many brands need larger-scale content production in China.
Adquan: Who are the main clients served by Monks' AI studio in China? What roles do they play in brand business? 
Rogier Bikker: We work closely with brands such as Under Armour, Anta, Arc'teryx, Descente, and FILA to efficiently shoot large volumes of content. Since these brands have multiple product lines, they still need to conduct extensive shooting, and accomplishing this more efficiently and creatively through AI is necessary.  
For example, our work with Under Armour demonstrates this need. Many brands, when faced with numerous SKUs, see content needs increasing. However, shooting each platform's content separately is not cost-effective. Therefore, our solution involves combining a certain proportion of live-action content with AI post-processing to generate AI-mixed original footage. This is the main direction of our team's work.  
In addition to Under Armour, during this year's Chinese New Year, we collaborated with Arc'teryx on an AI-themed project where users could scan their palms to automatically generate a custom dragon scale pattern, much like an amulet. Monks' Shanghai office actively produces such customized content while promoting ongoing development of mass-produce content. Regarding mass-produced content, we have increased not only in quantity but also in content quality.  
Monks is also dedicated to work in the e-commerce field, helping clients improve overall efficiency. Once products are listed on e-commerce platforms, the conversion rate, click-through rate, and final transaction completion rate of the Product Display Page (PDP) are crucial for major brands due to significant traffic. Even minor improvements can significantly reduce costs. Therefore, we decided to establish a dedicated AI team equipped with a powerful e-commerce team.  
For example, Baozun shows strong performance in the creative field but is relatively weak in content mass production. They mainly rely on algorithms to improve conversion rates, while we focus more on improving conversion rates from a content perspective. Our e-commerce team of about 60 people has become a key area for Monks’ business in the Chinese market.  
Many domestic and foreign companies have shown strong interest in the e-commerce field, but due to a lack of full awareness of AI’s importance in content mass production, many clients remain weak in the concept of mass producing personalized content. We believe market communication needs strengthening in this area to help more clients realize AI’s potential value.  
Adquan: Why did Monks decide to rebrand now to Monks?  
Sir Martin Sorrell: There are two primary reasons.  
Firstly, the "Media" prefix was too narrow. It made people think we were solely focused on media buying, while in reality, we are involved in many other areas.  
Monks engages in content creation and emphasizes data analytics, including first-party and third-party platform data. As I mentioned before, Monks doesn't just perform digital media planning and buying but also focuses on digital transformation, impacting the company's three core areas: marketing, sales, and technology.  
Thus, we can reach high-level decision-makers such as Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs), Chief Sales Officers (CSOs), Chief Digital Officers (CDOs), and Chief Financial Officers (CFOs). Therefore, Monks’ service range far exceeds the media domain, making "Media" seem too limiting.  
Secondly, this name could cause market misinterpretations of Monks reverting to the past. Media.Monks was initially founded as a production company in Amsterdam, but this name no longer fully describes our work. Thus, just “Monks” better encapsulates our working model and business scope.  
Adquan: How did the Monks Shanghai office perform in the first 2 quarters of 2024?
Rogier Bikker: We have performed exceptionally well, especially compared to the industry as a whole. In fact, Monks has doubled its size this year. In the first half of 2024, we recruited about 60 new colleagues to join the team. For us, 2024 is a year of efficient growth. This is largely due to Monks’ AI background; clients greatly appreciate and recognize our AI services. That’s also why we established an AI studio in the first 2 quarters of this year.  
Recently, Monks appointed a new Vice President of Growth Technology, who was previously the head of our tech team and has now returned to the company team. The reason is his ability to effectively share complex technology with non-professionals, finding a good balance in the integration of creativity, business, and technology, making it easier for clients to understand and grasp the impact of technology.  
As we mentioned before, the "foundation agency model" and "mass personalized content creation" are relatively new concepts to the market.  
We need more time for market education initially, using language that non-experts can easily understand. So Monks appointed a person dedicated to this work, allowing more people to understand that AI shortens the time for writing copy or creating visual content and offers more possibilities, especially in the services provided by Monks.    
Through such communication and education, the market will gradually recognize our outstanding capabilities and extensive services in the AI field, further enhancing trust and willingness to cooperate with Monks.  
Adquan:Post-pandemic,what changes have foreign brands made to their attitude toward the Chinese market? What trends are developing in Chinese brands?

Sir Martin Sorrell: We have observed two major trends. Firstly, foreign multinational companies have become more cautious about the Chinese market.  
The pandemic disrupted the focus of these companies, and the international market environment remains uncertain, significantly impacting the entire global system. Especially facing supply chain issues, foreign multinational companies exhibit some hesitancy.  
This hesitance can be divided into two categories. If a company holds a substantial market share in China, accounting for 10%, 15%, or 20% of its global sales, they face a dilemma. Companies like Tesla, Apple, or BMW, focused on the Chinese market, need to decide whether to further expand in such a high-risk environment. On the other hand, companies with smaller market shares tend to expand aggressively.  
Overall, foreign multinational companies remain committed to the Chinese market. Companies with smaller market shares are eager to grow, while those with larger market shares behave more cautiously.  
Secondly, Chinese brands are not only consolidating their domestic market post-pandemic but actively venturing into the international market. This trend is particularly evident in brands like SHEIN and TEMU, significantly expanding their global influence.  
This international expansion reflects in the growth data of Western technology platforms. Companies like Alphabet (Google), Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Amazon, and TikTok have seen significant growth outside China, mainly driven by the overseas expansion of Chinese brands. This aligns with a typical brand growth strategy: establishing a solid foundation in the domestic market and once saturation is reached, expanding internationally.  
Thus, these two trends define the post-pandemic business landscape.  
Adquan: What challenges do Chinese brands face in the globalization process?
Rogier Bikker: I believe Chinese brands face three major challenges in globalization.  
First is the issue of brand trust. Currently, there is relatively low trust in Chinese brands globally. To address this, many Chinese brands, such as BYD, choose to sponsor events like the UEFA European Championship. Most sponsors of the European Championship are Chinese brands, aiming to solve the brand trust issue by increasing exposure and associating with credible events.  
Secondly is the high cost of customer acquisition. Data shows significant increases in spending by Chinese brands on platforms like Meta (Facebook), Google, and TikTok. The high customer acquisition cost requires these brands to enter new markets and compete, involving expensive marketing budgets.  
Lastly is the complexity of globalization concerning organizational structure. In China, brands deal with a relatively homogenous environment with unified language and cultural backgrounds. However, expanding into regions like Europe requires tackling 22 different languages, 22 unique cultures, and 22 different ways of conducting business, adding a layer of complexity that should not be underestimated.  
Adquan: How can Chinese agencies better serve these outbound Chinese brands?
Rogier Bikker: It requires an agency that addresses the three major challenges mentioned above.  
Building brand trust requires a long-term commitment to brand building and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which can foster trust across global societies. Sponsorship and entertainment play important roles in this strategy, hence the sponsorship of major events such as the European Cup to enhance brand visibility and credibility.   
At the same time, managing customer acquisition costs is crucial. Brands need a strong, performance- and data-driven agency globally.  
For example, Monks excels in this regard because it understands the complexities of social, performance, and data across different markets, becoming a "foundation agency" adept in managing high customer acquisition costs.  
Finally, dealing with organizational complexity is critical, and an agency with strong consulting and digital transformation services can help. This can facilitate organizational change within brands, enabling companies to grow into global entities that actively operate across multiple country markets.  
Just as with strategic agencies and a foundation agency, an implementing agency can provide consulting services to help brands implement necessary transformations, making them adaptable and achievable in multiple international markets.  
Adquan: You often mention the "foundation agency model." Could you elaborate on that?
Sir Martin Sorrell: For example, our collaboration model with General Motors comprises two parts: strategic big ideas and content engines (or foundation agencies).  
In the upper tier of the collaboration model, four brands are involved: Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick. In the new structure, each of these brands will have a strategic agency. For General Motors, these strategic agencies are small, independent agencies.  
Under these strategic agencies, we develop all content and provide four big ideas for these four brands. Our cooperation with General Motors is an example of a foundation agency model, akin to a content engine or content factory producing content on a massive scale. We call this hyper-scale personalized content production. 
This structural model will be implemented globally. The situation with BMW in Europe is the same. A strategic agency and foundation agency, or implementing agency, work simultaneously.  
Adquan: Which layer has higher profit margins in these two tiers?
Sir Martin Sorrell: If you add up all the strategic profits, the aggregate equals our profit. So I would say half of the total profit goes to the strategic agencies, and the other half to the foundation agency.  
Adquan: With the development of local Chinese brands, we observe a decline in sales for some foreign companies in the Chinese market. In the face of a relatively complex market environment, what opportunities and challenges do you think foreign companies face in developing within the Chinese market? 
Rogier Bikker: There are still plenty of opportunities for global brands in China. I think two main ways exist to address this issue.  
One way is aligning with growth areas within the Chinese market, which involves understanding Chinese consumer behavior. Post-pandemic, Chinese consumers increasingly focus on a broad sense of a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, domains like travel, sports brands, nutritional supplements, outdoor activity products, and health-related products continue to exhibit double-digit growth rates.  
This trend represents significant growth areas that brands can seize. This trend has been present for some time, but growth has accelerated notably in the past year. For example, within the Anta Group, brands most aligned with an outdoor active lifestyle are experiencing the fastest growth. Similarly, FMCG companies are also turning towards promoting healthier lifestyle choices.  
The second method to identify China’s growth points is recognizing post-pandemic, Chinese consumers are increasingly value-conscious. This means brands offering better price-value propositions are flourishing as consumers become more cautious with spending. This trend indicates growth in both high-end luxury markets (unaffected by economic uncertainty) and value-oriented markets, while the mid-range market is being squeezed.  
Thus, when people ask about China’s growth situation and whether the market is still growing, the answer is not simply "yes" or "no." Instead, it requires identifying specific growth points. Brands and agencies need to understand where these growth opportunities lie, whether from an industry perspective or from consumer behavior.  
By focusing on these areas, brands can find and capitalize on China’s growth points. Such nuanced understanding is crucial for effectively handling the current market environment.  
Adquan: We've observed fewer entries from China at recent Cannes Creative Festivals, and the results aren't particularly outstanding. Can you share your insights from attending Cannes this year?  
Rogier Bikker: There are a few reasons. On a macroeconomic level, we see a divide between the West, China, and even other parts of the world. This divide can also be seen in places like Cannes. The real question is whether it’s because the West has no interest in China or because China has no interest in overseas markets—I don't have a definitive answer, but it may be both.  
Perhaps the reason for so few Chinese submissions, judges and winning works is due to pragmatism.  
If there's something Chinese CMOs or Chinese brands are particularly good at, it’s tactics. They excel at launching products on a large scale and driving results, with a strong focus on results. However, works recognized at Cannes are not about the best tactics; the award categories don't include "Best tactics" Cannes primarily supports projects focused on long-term brand building, creativity, and those having enduring impacts on brand assets.  
Especially post-pandemic, everyone is focused on short-term results, such focus hasn't changed. Performance pressure on both foreign and domestic brands in China doesn’t currently allow them to create works that can win at Cannes. It's unfortunate because, in a few years, we might find that Chinese brands possibly missed a huge opportunity to build strong brand assets.  
Chinese CMOs demand differ from Cannes’ award standards. The current reality remains the same as last year, if not worsening, and Cannes still lacks a "Best tactics" category. If there were a "Best tactics award," Chinese winners would dominate.

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