'Local with full autonomy': Ogilvy global leaders on their mission in China

When Devika Bulchandani flew from New York to Chicago during the height of the pandemic in 2021, it wasn’t just another business trip—it was a mission to bring Liz Taylor, one of the industry’s most respected creatives, back to Ogilvy. That conversation didn’t just set the stage for Taylor’s return as Ogilvy’s first-ever female global chief creative officer—it also marked the beginning of a partnership that would redefine the agency’s creative culture.

Fast forward to today, and the two women—Bulchandani, Ogilvy’s global CEO and Taylor, leading the creative charge—are leading the creative behemoth through a period of transformation. Sitting down with Campaign during a recent trip to China, the duo reflected on their shared vision for a more human-centric, inclusive, and globally connected Ogilvy. Their chemistry is palpable: they finish each other’s sentences, share a belief in creativity’s ability to thrive in crisis, and are unapologetic about their ambition to push boundaries in a rapidly changing media landscape.

“Every crisis is also an opportunity for creativity,” says Bulchandani, reflecting on the lessons of the past few years. Taylor follows with, “Creativity is a global force.” Their partnership, which began with that Chicago meeting, has grown into a shared vision for pushing boundaries and adapting to the demands of a fast-changing industry.

The changing media landscape 

In China, clients expect Ogilvy to continue to evolve as the media landscape evolves. Brands tend to channel 75% of their investments into performance marketing and 25% into creative innovation.

Since Ogilvy entered the mainland market in 1991, the agency’s client portfolio has remained evenly split between global and local brands. However, the competition with local agencies—more agile and deeply rooted in the culture—has intensified. Bulchandani notes that this challenge isn’t unique to China.

“Our big global clients, when operating in the China market, have the same problems that we have as a global multinational. So we are really trying to figure out how to build our talent, capabilities, and go-to-market strategy from the bottom-up, not the top-down,” she explains.

“It’s very clear that today you need to be more local,” she adds. “We are increasingly looking at all our capabilities within WPP through the lens of one China rather than six different companies.” However, she also acknowledges a key operational challenge: to keep pace with China’s rapid changes, Ogilvy must continuously churn talent and recruit new skills.

In China, Ogilvy collaborates with other WPP agencies at the WPP Operation and Development Hub in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. This hub, staffed by about 100 people, integrates media, public relations, and creativity to provide a cohesive offering. Bulchandani highlights the shift toward performance marketing, noting that it coincides with a broader demand for immediacy and shrinking media budgets.

“Clients today want to act quickly and see immediate results,” she explains. While generating consumer interest remains integral, Ogilvy is increasingly focused on social commerce and leveraging partnerships to create cultural impact. Amplifying KOLs (key opinion leaders) and brand collaborations have become especially important, particularly as the much-anticipated post-Covid economic rebound has fallen short of expectations."

To meet these demands, Ogilvy is building infrastructure that enables real-time responsiveness, helping brands transform into social brands. According to Bulchandani, this approach is critical not just in China but in all markets where agility is key.

Amid geopolitical tensions between the US and China, Ogilvy’s long history in the region works to its advantage. "Because of our history in China, we are seen as a little more Chinese than just multinational. We've been here for over 30 years, so our ability to operate in this market [is strong]," Bulchandani says."

Balancing ‘magic’ and ‘machine’

Ogilvy Asia was recognised as Regional Network of the Year at Cannes last year and secured Singapore’s first-ever Grand Prix in the Glass category with Vaseline Pro Derma Transition Body Lotion. 

Liz Taylor and Devika Bulchandani with the Ogilvy Team at Cannes Lions 2024

Taylor emphasises that Ogilvy’s creative team operates as "local everywhere with full autonomy” while global leadership might offer “a little bit of an outsider perspective”. Bulchandani echoes this by adding that global leadership trusts the local agencies to fully know what they need to do.

Meanwhile, Taylor refers to AI as “another tool in our toolbox for creatives to enhance our magic and improve efficiency.” Using AI has become a daily habit at Ogilvy, as demonstrated by the China team’s recent launch of the Year of the Snake video utilising advanced AI technology.

Bulchandani outlines the top three priorities for Ogilvy in the region: first, to maintain consistent strength and scale in social capabilities across all markets; second, to effectively manage campaign delivery; and third, to place the magic of creativity at the heart of all efforts. In the meantime, Taylor asserts that the agency needs more integration of what they called “the magic” (creativity) and “the machine” (including technology, data and infrastructure) to thrive in the evolving business landscape.

Leading with heart: A female duo

As two women leading a global agency, both Bulchandani and Taylor are candid about the challenges of achieving the elusive work-life balance in executive roles. Bulchandani notes, "There's no easy answer. You have to figure it out moment by moment," adding that the concept of balance itself can feel like undue pressure because, the reality is, “as working mothers, women have to juggle many balls.”

She acknowledges that one of the hardest parts of her role is figuring out how to find her own voice. “To have the courage to say no, that is wrong, that is inappropriate. And then, on the personal working mother side, I don't believe in balance. It puts too much pressure on women to have balance”, she says.

Taylor shares similar reflections, noting that women often approach her with questions about juggling motherhood and leadership. "Time and again, women ask me, 'How do I balance it all? How do you do it as a mom?'" She has nothing but gratitude for the many people—men and women—who have championed her throughout her career.

Taylor describes Bulchandani as "the greatest gift I have ever had in this industry," and the two credit their partnership with balancing compassion and commitment. What keeps them up at night, they agree, is ensuring that Ogilvy’s talent grows alongside the agency.

Bulchandani shared her philosophy for people management, which she calls ‘TRIP.’ “It begins with trust, which is the foundation of collaboration. Progress requires risk-taking and innovation, but the ultimate goal is progress.”

Reflecting on Ogilvy's impactful campaigns, Bulchandani points to their work in Honduras on the ‘Morning After Island’ campaign, which successfully reversed a law banning emergency contraception. “The campaign not only provided women with access to medication that is legal in every other country but also successfully changed the law. It was a proud moment for us,” she said.

The campaign won Honduras its first-ever Cannes Lions award, and the government sent Ogilvy a signed bill thanking the agency for its role in the legal change. “This achievement symbolised the power of creativity at its highest and most potent form,” said Bulchandani.

Taylor highlighted Ogilvy’s decades-long partnership with Dove as another example of impactful, purpose-driven work. “It’s an example of how impactful messaging can shift cultural behaviours,” she said, “ultimately encouraging women to feel more confident and beautiful.”

From a Honduran island sparking legal change to decades of empowering women worldwide, conversations with Bulchandani and Taylor reveal a simple truth: in the age of algorithms, it's human stories, human needs, human connections that truly move the world. And that's the power they champion, both at Ogilvy and beyond.