The time is now to drive innovation in Asia Pacific, according to Cheuk Chiang, CEO Asia Pacific, Omnicom Media Group.

Speaking at the Festival of Media Asia Pacific in Singapore, Chiang discussed how the APAC media landscape is shaping up in comparison to the rest of the world, and argued now is the time to celebrate the region’s innovation, success and creativity.

“Today we live in a world going through a huge amount of change. Millennials have experienced more change than any other generation in history,” said Chiang.

Chiang cited some of the innovations to have occurred in the past 30 years, such as the launch of Amazon, Google, Facebook and YouTube, which have changed the way we receive and process content.

“What if the focus was no longer on the West and instead we looked at innovation from the East. What if the East could equal innovation?” he said.

Chiang referenced some of the biggest innovations that Asia has experienced in the past, including the invention of paper and printing during the Han Dynasty, of gun powder during the Tang Dynasty, and of the compass during the Song Dynasty.

“What if the East could equal innovation? It’s time for us to put a stake in the ground and re-own that territory again,” said Chiang. “There is more confidence in this region right now than any other time.”

Today, APAC has access to some of the fastest broadband in the world, which is helping the region lead the way when it comes to valuable data and rich content, said Chiang.

“Our infrastructure is changing and allowing us to have more data and quality content,” he said.

Using television as an example, Chiang added: “Our Smart TVs send us content that’s highly relevant. TV is not dead – it’s going through its golden age right now. The reason why we think it’s dead is because it grows slowly, but it still has a huge penetration.

“Mobile 4G – we have a higher penetration in Asia than anywhere else. These devices allow us to access all of this rich content.”

Referencing some of the most successful companies in Asia – Alibaba, Baidu, and WeChat – Chiang said that the one aspect of business that they all have in common is “absolute utility”.

“Utility, utility, and utility – these are the three most important words to drive innovation, and innovation is what will ultimately drive growth.

“Innovation no longer comes from Europe or from the US – it comes from Asia,” he said.