Weekly roundup: Publicis Groupe forms Leo, MY's controversial tourism campaign and more

Happy Friday MARKETING-INTERACTIVE readers, and welcome back to the weekly roundup. If last week wasn't crazy enough, this week, the talk of the town was Publicis Groupe's unveiling of Leo, Visit Malaysia's 2026 campaign controversy and foodpanda's neighbourhood-wide festive party. 

If you need a quick summary, welcome to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's weekly roundup, a podcast and article feature in which we take you through the biggest stories of the week and take a deep dive into trending topics we've seen in the industry.

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1. Publicis Groupe merges Leo Burnett and Publicis Worldwide to form Leo

Publicis Groupe is kicking off 2025 by combining Leo Burnett with Publicis Worldwide and calling it Leo. According to the company, this comes as global brands and challenges “require outsized creativity” to drive scaled transformation, personalised content and connected brand experiences.

In a statement, Publicis adds that the combined entity Leo will see an expansion and redesign of the Leo Burnett logo, and unites the firepower of one of the most iconic first names in advertising with the roar of a lion. It will have a global creative force of 8,000 creative minds from Leo Burnett and 7,000 from PWW.

Leo is led by Marco Venturelli and Agathe Bousquet who will act as co-presidents, and chief strategy officer Gareth Goodall.

Read more here.

2. Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign stirs up controversy around places featured and mascot origin

Tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing has reportedly called for a redo on the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VM2026) promotional video after netizens commented that the launch video did not include mosques, sparking controversy.

The new promotional video, said the minister, will include more details to effectively promote each state and will be aired in a week's time. It will also be divided by zones so that travellers can understand what attractions each state offers.

Tiong has also asked all state governments to cooperate and supply the ministry with information regarding their tourism destinations, products, tour packages and signature dishes, so that it may be highlighted in the promotional video.

Read more here. 

3. foodpanda hosts neighbourhood-wide party in Tampines to celebrate CNY

Food and grocery delivery platform foodpanda is ushering in the year of the snake with a month-long celebration featuring festive treats and delectable delivery. Titled "Pau ga liao" ('cover everything you need'), the campaign will see a community event aimed at bringing delicious reunion dinners to 1,000 households in Tampines.

The campaign was done in collaboration with Tampines Changkat grassroots leader, east Abdullah Abdul Rahman. Abdullah is part of the People's Association (PA) and is a recognised member within the community.

As part of the campaign, east-side households received a complimentary reunion steamboat bundle of items available on pandamart, which includes fresh vegetables, condiments, soup broth, and canned beverages to kickstart the lunar celebrations. In tandem, Abdullah's neighbours in block 117 Tampines street 11 received bundles delivered straight to their doorsteps, while other residents in Tampines will have to redeem their own bundles at SAFRA Tampines on a first-come, first-served basis starting 11 January.

Read more here. 

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