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? David Mayo on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com Buy David's Book, "Raw: Persuasive Creativity in Asia": a.co Donate to Shanghaizhan: www.patreon.com For everything ShanghaiZhan: zhanstation.com ShanghaiZhan Theme Music: by Bryce Whitwam soundcloud.com Bryce on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com Ali on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com

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. 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? Shane on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com About Stagwell: www.stagwellglobal.com Donate to Shanghaizhan: patreon.com For everything ShanghaiZhan: zhanstation.com ShanghaiZhan Theme Music: by Bryce Whitwam soundcloud.com Bryce on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com Ali on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com

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? About Tripitakka: www.tripitakka.com Jean-Michel on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com For everything ShanghaiZhan: zhanstation.com ShanghaiZhan Theme Music: by Bryce Whitwam soundcloud.com Bryce on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com Ali on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com

如果我们要从零开始建立一家新的代理公司，它今天会是什么样子？ 关于代理商网络模式衰落的新闻层出不穷。在一个由人工智能颠覆、平台主导以及传统控股结构崩塌所定义的格局中，代理公司正被迫迅速重塑自我。 我们很荣幸邀请到我们的好朋友 Jacco ter Schegget 担任董事级顾问和咨询师。他曾担任阳狮集团（比荷卢地区）首席执行官、JWT 亚洲首席执行官，并在 2014 至 2017 年期间担任奥美互动中国区总裁，是我们在中国的同事。本期节目不是怀旧，而是提供关于如何前进的务实思路。 1. 除了人工智能之外，您认为当今塑造营销代理公司未来的最大力量是什么？ 2. 这些变化完全是技术驱动的吗？还是传统的组织结构也会产生影响？ 3. 一个统一的损益表（P&L）是否意味着高层将被裁撤，还是可以更有效地管理？ 4. 代理公司最初为什么会变得如此庞大？ 5. 代理公司衰落与其战略价值丧失之间是否存在关联？ 6. 如果您今天要用自己的资金从零开始建立一个营销服务平台，它会是什么样子？ 7. 鉴于新的 OEM 制造模式的简化趋势，我们是否会看到服务被大幅精简？ 8. 在新的代理公司模式中，您认为策略师的角色在哪里？ 9. 创意领导者的角色又是什么？ 10. 如果人工智能取代了初级执行人员，他们的出路在哪里？新的代理公司是否只会由高层人员组成？ 11. 对于想进入新型代理公司的年轻人，我们应该教给他们什么？ 12. 在新的模式中，您会保留和舍弃旧模式中的哪些部分？ Jacco on LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com About Jacco: hanare.nl For everything ShanghaiZhan: zhanstation.com ShanghaiZhan Theme Music: by Bryce Whitwam soundcloud.com Bryce on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com Ali on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com