Gen Z perspectives: DBS seeks creative agency, Esquire SG's AI play & Nutella goes cosmic

Happy Friday, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE readers and welcome back to Gen Z Perspectives, your go-to feature where we unpack the week’s top stories and trending topics through the eyes of Gen Z. From the biggest industry moves to viral moments and marketing controversies worth dissecting, we’re bringing the heat with authenticity, awareness and probably a few unfiltered takes.

This week, DBS outlined what it’s looking for in a creative agency, Esquire Singapore addressed backlash over an AI-generated interview, and Nutella made an unexpected leap that was out of this world.

Don’t space out now, it only gets better from here.

Don't miss: Gen Z perspectives: IBM and Ogilvy part ways, Grab in Taiwan & our favourite Raya campaigns

1. DBS marketing team seeks creative agency to cement brand as 'beacon of trust'

DBS has kicked off a search for a creative agency partner to support its next phase of brand and marketing transformation across the region.

The regional creative agency will be responsible for overall brand expression, driving marquee campaigns, and ensuring strategic relevance and coherence across all its markets, especially Singapore, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Taiwan.

Read more here. 

2. Esquire SG responds to AI-generated Mackenyu interview backlash

Esquire Singapore has clarified its editorial decisions behind its February issue featuring Japanese actor Mackenyu, after discussion online about the use of AI in the cover story.

In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Esquire Singapore explained that the piece was originally conceived as a traditional cover interview but was later reworked to align with the issue's theme "Echoes", following scheduling constraints. The magazine said the use of AI was a "deliberate creative decision", intended to reflect the theme exploring the "echo of a persona in the digital age in the absence of the physical subject".

Read more here. 

3. Nutella made a cosmic cameo and social media users can't get enough

Nutella has officially gone interstellar, thanks to a brief but unforgettable moment during NASA’s Artemis II livestream that quickly went viral.

During a routine broadcast of the mission, viewers tuning in were stunned to see a jar of Nutella floating across the Orion spacecraft. The sighting occurred just minutes before astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen were set to surpass the historic distance record established by Apollo 13 in 1970. The unexpected cameo captured the imagination of social media users, many of whom were amazed that a jar of Nutella had made it into lunar orbit.

Read more here. 

Be part of #Content360 Singapore, 22–23 April 2026, where creativity and culture collide. Explore how AI-driven storytelling is shaping the future of content, gain practical insights, discover new tactics, and learn how the best in Asia are creating campaigns that truly resonate. 

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