How Communities Power the World
Row one L/R: Andrea Suerez, CEO, Latin America; Arzu Unal, country manager, Turkey, WPP; Audrey Low, president client solutions, China, WPP Media, Averill Sequeira, CSO, India, WPP Media; Crisela Cervantes, CEO, Philippines, WPP Media; Cristina Rey, CEO Spain, WPP Media.
Row two L/R: Fiona Uwagwu, managing partner, First Primus, WPP; Florencia Formica, executive director, client service TCCC LATAM; Helen McRae, CEO SE Asia, WPP Media; Kagiso Musi, CEO Sub-Saharan Africa, WPP Media; Rena Simon, head of strategy APAC, WPP Media; Simge Ayzit, managing director Turkey, WPP Media
Row three L/R: Viviane Vela, head of media Brazil, WPP Open X; Wanrudee Siriwatwechaku, chief client officer, Thailand, WPP Media; Devika Bulchandani, chief operating officer, WPP; Elav Horowitz, chief innovation officer, WPP; Sam Bukowski, global president of commerce, WPP; Rema Vasan, global president social and creators, Open X
WPP leaders from across the globe explain how communities bring colour, life and connection to the everyday.
Including perspectives from Colombia, Turkey, China, India, Philippines, Spain, Nigeria, Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil and Thailand with insight from WPP’s Growth, Innovation, Commerce and Creator chiefs.
Colombia: Andrea Suerez, CEO, Latin America, WPP Media
Communities make everyday life richer, but they also make us stronger. They give us belonging, inspire us to grow, and remind us that very little of what matters is built alone. I have experienced that power in so many parts of my life. In the community of Latina women in advertising, where we have championed each other, opened doors and celebrated each other’s success. In motherhood, where other moms become an invaluable source of advice, perspective and support. In fitness, where shared discipline and encouragement push us beyond what we would do alone. Even in my love for orchids, where a simple shared passion connects people who might otherwise never meet. Growing up in Colombia and living in the US for more than 25 years, I see communities as the engine that connects us as humans. It is how we bring people together, how we care for each other, and how we turn individual passion into collective energy.
Turkey: Arzu Unal, country manager, WPP
The home you are born into is both your destiny and your wealth. I grew up at grand family tables (sofra) enriched by Circassian, Elazığ, Thracian, and Erzurum cultures. Around that table, I learned respect and, above all, how to embrace everyone from my family’s women. Modern society can often be too goal-locked with a hunter mindset, women possess a natural inclusive leadership, leaving no one behind, and guiding through heart-centred meaning rather than force. My grandmothers proved this by uniting different worlds around one table. In an era of polarization, this is the leadership we need: inclusive, empathetic leaders who cherish diversity and unite communities. This spirit is woven into Anatolia’s DNA and belongs to us all. How fortunate we are to inherit such richness and the legendary women who lead it. Today, culture and community returns home. Research shows 82% of Turks find peace behind their own doors. In living rooms, micro-communities gather to share real moments.
China: Audrey Low, president client solutions, WPP Media
China’s communities show how influence is often built in the small, practical moments of daily life. A fitness group becomes more than a place to exercise; it is a support system that celebrates every milestone. A pet owners’ chat becomes more than a place to find lost dogs; it is a lifeline of care when people need it most. These bonds turn the mundane into something meaningful. For brands, the challenge is to show up with care and consistency inside the rituals people already value. When they do that well, they become useful, trusted and woven naturally into the life of the community. That is the true power of community in China: love, distributed and multiplied through everyday acts of support.
India: Averill Sequeira, CSO, WPP Media
To the rational mind, India does not make sense. After all 1.4Bn people, who have no single national language, religion, food or culture would not have, in any other circumstances, identified as a single nation. What binds us are strong community bonds, that are vibrant & celebrated all year round. Whether its Bollywood retro music, IPL city teams, Ganesh visarjans, Diwali card parties, chai lovers, Cubbon Park book clubs or our Bengaluru start up crews, our communities have broken barriers and shaped modern India. They’ve helped small town migrants feel welcome in big cities, encouraged entrepreneurship, given female voices a space & even challenged mighty governments on social issues. Gen Z in India are at the forefront of communities, Instagram being their platform of choice. Brands have played it safe tapping into the sameness of dance, music, travel and cricket communities, however India is at the cusp of original creators truly breaking through making this space potent and progressive.
Philippines: Crisela Cervantes, CEO, WPP Media
For Filipinos, community begins withsalu-salo, the warmth of coming together over a meal, and extends intosaluhan, the instinct to help, support and carry one another’s burdens. That movement from gathering to looking after each other is a powerful source of communal strength. We saw it clearly in the recent Alex Eala phenomenon. Her global victories were not only sporting milestones; they became collective triumphs for Filipinos everywhere, held together by identity more than geography. For brands and leaders, the important point is that scale comes from understanding what people already gather around, not simply pushing a broader message. By respecting cultural truths likesaluhan, brands can create a role that feels useful and genuinely rooted in Filipino life.
Spain: Cristina Rey, CEO, WPP Media
There's something worth thinking about when it comes to what really connects us. It's almost never the obvious thing. It goes beyond age or origin,it's what we care about. Someone recognises something familiar in someone else, and suddenly there are two, then a hundred, then thousands. Because we all have a life that's easy to explain, and another only understood by the people who live it. You can be a lawyer in Madrid and sing louder when your team is winning. A postman meeting the running group at eight on a January morning. A consultant recognising familiar faces at the same art fairs. That's the power of communities - turning affinity into belonging. And that changes the role of brands too. Not to create those connections, but to recognise them, contribute to them and elevate the moments people already choose to share. Relevance was never about reaching millions, it's about understanding what makes millions want to belong.
Nigeria: Fiona Uwagwu, managing partner, First Primus, WPP
In Nigeria, identity and belonging are deeply rooted in ancestral heritage, with ethnic backgrounds such as Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa often shaping how individuals understand themselves and their place in society. This strong sense of identity extends into the digital world, where online communities offer an alternative form of belonging. Unlike many physical communities, which can be hierarchical, political, or influenced by social expectations, virtual communities allow individuals to connect primarily through shared interests, knowledge, and passions. The removal of physical borders has enabled Nigerians to participate in global and locally focused communities that may have little connection to their physical environment. Communities centred on interests such as Formula 1 and anime have grown rapidly, with Nigerian groups attracting thousands of members on platforms such as Discord. As one of the world’s youngest populations becomes increasingly connected, these interest-based digital communities are likely to expand, creating new spaces for identity, connection, and belonging.
Mexico: Florencia Formica, executive director, client service TCCC LATAM
In Mexico and across Latin America, communities sit at the centre of culture, identity and daily decision-making. People are shaped by where they come from: the neighbourhoods they grew up in, the foods they share, the music they gather around, the celebrations they repeat, and the networks of family, friends and colleagues that guide what they trust. As our client often says, “Who you are is where you are.” That makes local relevance more than a targeting exercise; it is the difference between a brand being noticed and being recognised as part of people’s lives. Communities bring people together around traditions, passions and moments that carry real emotional weight. For brands, the opportunity is to understand those contexts with specificity, show up in ways that respect them, and create work that feels rooted in the places and relationships that already matter to people.
Indonesia: Helen McRae, CEO SE Asia, WPP Media
For Indonesians, community is anchored in gotong royong - mutual aid - and kumpul, the cherished act of coming together. Women are often at the heart of this fabric, bringing unity and energy to everyday routines. We see this in Arisan, traditional gathering circles that have evolved beyond micro-savings into hubs for social selling and micro-entrepreneurship. Through trusted kumpul moments, women share products, recommend brands and pool resources, turning social bonds into economic opportunity and neighbourhood support. In times of need, these circles mobilise quickly, proving the resilience created by local trust. For brands, respecting cultural truths like gotong royong and kumpulis the starting point for building communities that feel useful, credible and rooted in Indonesian life.
South Africa: Kagiso Musi, CEO Sub-Saharan Africa, WPP Media
Africa is not one market, culture or audience. It is a continent of many languages, identities, income levels and lived experiences. South Africa alone contains sharply different audiences, but community remains a powerful common currency. It lives in the taxi rank, the township, the shisanyama, the soccer match, the family WhatsApp group and, increasingly, in digital spaces. Africans do not simply consume culture; we create it, shape it and share it. Amapiano is a clear example: born locally, it became globally influential because it was culturally authentic.
Indonesia: Rena Simon, head of strategy APAC, WPP Media
Communities are important in a fragmented and noisy media world. This is why young female leaders like me draw on my own community of female leaders to get support and real conversations on what it is like to thrive while raising a family of my own. Communities operate as an evergreen conversation where cultural exchanges happen. APAC is communal in nature so a lot of trends happen inside these communities and they scale across markets.
Turkey: Simge Ayzit, managing director WPP Media
In Türkiye, one of the simplest expressions of community is the sofra - a table that is rarely just about food. It is where people gather, stories are exchanged, rituals are repeated and ordinary moments take on significance. That feels especially relevant in a world where data can identify audiences and segments with increasing precision. Knowing who people are, however, is not the same as understanding what moves them. A moment becomes powerful when people recognise themselves in it, return to it and invite others in. Data can show who people are. Moments reveal when something matters. Communities explain why it matters.
Brazil: Viviane Vela, head of media, WPP Open X
"In Brazil, passion is lived loudly. As global artists often say, performing here is unmatched because our fandom is unique. We take deep pride in our culture: nearly 100% of the Top 50 most-streamed songs in Brazil are local hits. This intense energy drives vibrant community behaviour, turning a shared love for music, football, and everyday rituals into collective movements. In an era of algorithmic noise, brands cannot rely on distant global templates. By empowering homegrown creators, from micro-influencers to cultural icons, we move from chasing Share of Voice to earning Share of Attention. When a brand speaks through authentic local human voices, it stops being a distant advertiser and becomes part of the community’s collective memory. Ultimately, communities power the world because they transform cultural passion into genuine belonging, unity, and lasting brand love."
Thailand: Wanrudee Siriwatwechaku, chief client officer, WPP Media
In Thailand, community is shaped by Namjai, the spirit of generosity, and Sanook, the instinct to find joy together. You see it in the energy around a street-food stall, and that same spirit now carries into digital spaces where people gather, joke, recommend and build circles around the things they love. Thai consumers are not passive audiences; they take part, add their own humour and bring others with them. For brands, real scale comes from understanding that rhythm rather than simply buying more reach. A brand that respects Namjai and creates room for Sanook can become part of the moments people choose to share, turning cultural closeness into lasting commercial momentum.
Growth: Devika Bulchandani, chief operating officer, WPP
Community is the fabric of daily life - an unspoken network of shared resilience and belonging, not just a target audience. We saw this raw power when India’s youth flipped an institutional slur into the 'Cockroach' movement, turning meme culture into a force for real-world accountability and change. Marketers can learn lessons from the movement that formed. It proves that modern communities are self-organizing co-creators who demand shared ownership. In modern brand building, true power doesn't come from top-down broadcasting, but from cultivating local intimacy at scale. When brands respect, empower, and co-create with these highly engaged communities, they stop being mere corporate entities and become engines for both cultural relevance and commercial growth.
Innovation: Elav Horowitz, chief innovation officer, WPP
No penguin survives alone. Every wave of technology creates lonely penguins first, the early adopters standing alone on the ice, ahead of everyone else, unsure if anyone is coming. That loneliness is real. But it is never the end of the story. The moment one penguin finds another, something shifts. A colony forms, and what was isolating becomes unstoppable. I know this loneliness myself. As an immigrant woman in tech, I have been that penguin. Everywhere I moved, every room I entered, I searched for the others, the ones seeking meaning and purpose, willing to break ice ceilings and build new igloos together. My joy has always come from connecting people to build what none of us could build alone. I have started communities and I have joined them: Ladies in Tech, Chief, WPP Innovators, Unmute. Yuval Noah Harari reminds us that humans have always built the world through shared stories. In the AI age, we need those stories more than ever. The local intimacy at scale. The multiplication of connection. The loneliest parts of us, turned into the unstoppable energy of penguins, running together, toward one shared horizon.
Commerce: Sam Bukowski, global president of commerce, WPP
Commerce has always been a local act wearing a global coat. A single purchase, a birthday dinner planned, a first day of school packed for, a cold drink grabbed on the way to see someone you love, is never just a transaction. It's a small ritual of belonging, repeated billions of times a day, in billions of slightly different ways. Our job as commerce practitioners is to find measurable growth, and we do it by sharing our clients' obsession with their consumer. But a consumer is a person first. Understanding the communities that shape them, how they connect, what they're trying to say to each other through the choices they make, is what dimensionalizes that person and makes our work both more empathetic and more effective. It's how we find growth that isn't obvious on the surface, growth that makes a brand stickier and more meaningful while it builds sales momentum today and legacy that lasts.
Creators: Rema Vasan, global president social and creators, Open X
Community isn't built in a boardroom. It's built in the space between creators, culture and technology, in the comment sections, group chats and everyday moments people pass to each other. People aren't waiting for brands to tell them what matters. They're already organizing around the voices, formats and moments that feel useful, entertaining or worth sharing. A community of ten thousand can feel as close and specific as one of ten, if you understand what actually holds it together: the small rituals, in-jokes and shared taste that make people feel like they belong. The work I'm leading at WPP starts there, matching creators to the communities already carrying that intimacy, not inventing it from a media plan. Creators carry that intimacy well because they already belong to these communities, rather than visiting them for a campaign. That's why WPP's role is to help brands earn a genuine place inside them, through the creators people already trust, not louder messages aimed at more people. Get that right, and a brand doesn't just borrow a community's attention. It becomes part of the everyday life it was trying to reach, and the growth follows from there.
Final word: Helen McRae, CEO SE Asia, WPP Media
Look at what actually powers the world - it isn't abstract demographics, it's people. It’s the vibrant subcultures and micro-communities who breathe life, love, and creativity into every single day. If you want true global scale, you have to dive deep into these local human heartbeats. You see it when you look closer at South Africa’s Amapiano dance crews, Nigeria’s alté visionaries, Pakistan’s street-cricket clubs, Taiwan’s night-owl gamers, or Southeast Asia’s indie art collectives and hawker clans. These passionate groups are where unscripted optimism and unity are born. Building local connectivity at scale isn't just a strategy - it's about earning a seat at their table, listening to their stories, and celebrating their world. Because when a brand listens to the pulse of a neighbourhood, it becomes a powerful catalyst for shared joy, seamlessly connecting millions through the creative heartbeat of everyday life.
