Inaugural MarketingPulse Opens at HKCEC

21 March 2018 – MarketingPulse, a regional premium conference for marketers and brands organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), opened today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. More than 40 experts in brand management, marketing and advertising from nine countries and regions are taking part in the inaugural event, offering insights, success stories and best practices with corporate executives, marketing and advertising agency representatives and brand representatives.

Raymond Yip, Acting Executive Director of the HKTDC said marketers contribute to Hong Kong’s reputation as Asia’s trendsetter and hub for international brands. “The city’s stylish reputation is in part the result of creative marketers accentuating Hong Kong’s distinctive charisma,” he said. “Hong Kong’s marketers are adept at tapping the city’s East-meets-West characteristics, leveraging the latest marketing technologies, and creating compelling marketing campaigns.”

Philip Yung, Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Commerce, Industry and Tourism) of the HKSAR Government, delivered the opening remarks followed by the plenary session “Recipe for a Winning Brand,” featuring Sara Riis-Carstensen, Head of Global Branding, De Beers; Kei Suzuki, Director, Ryohin Keikaku Co, Ltd (MUJI); and Uri Minkoff, CEO and co-founder, of Rebecca Minkoff.

Prior to joining De Beers, Ms Riis-Carstensen was LEGO’s Director of Global Brand Development, where she led LEGO collaborations with such brands as Star Wars and Batman, helping to turn the educational brand into a much-loved companion for children.

Mr Suzuki has decades of experience in Japanese retail, including more than 20 years with Ryohin Keikaku. Adhering to the minimalist Japanese culture, Mr Suzuki has transformed Muji from a household products company into a brand that epitomises the minimalist lifestyle. He has also expanded MUJI’s business portfolio into catering and hotels.

Launching the fashion accessories brand, Rebecca Minkoff in 2005, Mr Minkoff and his sister have transformed the label into one of the fastest-rising global fashion brands in in recent years. Mr Minkoff specialises in using new technology to provide an omni-channel customer experience, and is seen as the most forward-looking CEO in the fashion industry.

Smart use of new media and new technology
In another plenary session spotlighting social media marketing, the panel featured Maya Hari, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Twitter; and Assaf Tarnopolsky, Director of Marketing Solutions, South East Asia, North Asia & Japan, LinkedIn, to explain the ins and outs of social media marketing and to offer practical strategies. The session also featured Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer, The Recording Academy (The GRAMMYs); Beverly W Jackson, VP of Social Portfolio Strategy, MGM Resorts International; and JiPeng Men, Vice President and Head of Marketing Division, JD.com. The speakers discussed how brands can leverage social media to complement their overall brand marketing strategies and to stand out in information-saturated social media platforms.

The third plenary session gathered several legendary advertising figures, including Joshua Grossberg, Group Creative Director, McCann New York; Peter Lefebvre, Creative Director, Leo Burnett; Kazuhiro Shimura, Creative Director, Dentsu Inc; and Spencer Wong, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, McCann & Spencer, to share their creative journeys and the ways to address the taste and changing habits of the media and different audiences. They also explored using technology to target customers and bolster brand image.

Uncovering market growth drivers and opportunities
The afternoon breakout sessions covered a host of marketing subjects that targetted the different backgrounds, interests and business needs of the participants. At the “The Fine Art of Customer Engagement in Asia” session, moderator Dr Royce Yuen, co-founder and CEO of MaLogic Holdings Ltd, spoke with Gunyarak Piyakhun, First Executive Vice President (Marketing Strategy & Business Intelligence) of renowned Thai retailer, Siam Piwat Company Ltd; Erwan Heussaff, founder of The Fat Kid Inside Inc, an F&B key opinion leader (KOL) with more than 2.7 million online followers; Jennie So, General Manager, International of SINA Corp & Weibo Corp; and Kosuke Sogo, CEO and co-founder of AnyMind Group. The panellists examined brand promotion strategies from the perspectives of brands, KOLs and media and marketing consultants.

At another session, entitled “On the Pulse of the Cool New China,” three Chinese mainland marketing veterans – Viveca Chan, Chairman and CEO of WE Marketing Group; Mia Chen, Head of Marketing of Airbnb China, Chihkai Huang, Brand Director of Pechoin and 3water Li, founder of W – examined mainland consumer behaviour, offering practical strategies to win over mainland online shoppers.

As consumers become immune to hard-sell advertising, content marketing has become an indispensable marketing tool for brand building. The breakout session, “Tell Me a Story . . . About Content Marketing,” featured Sehgeun Choi, Senior Creative Director, INNORED; Tony Chow, Regional Director, Creative & Content Marketing, Asia Pacific, Marriott International; and Vincent Tsui, founder and CEO, Toast Communications Ltd. The speakers offered practical tips on using content marketing to attract customers without overshadowing the brand.

Other types of new technology, including big data and artificial intelligence (AI), are also disrupting the marketing ecosystem. At the breakout session co-organised with the IAB Hong Kong powered by HKDMA, the panellists takes “A Look at the Present and Future of Data-driven Marketing & Advertising,” with several data analytics and digital experts from Asia Miles, Lotame, IPG Mediabrands APAC, Integral Ad Science and Rosewood Hotel Group showing how these tech tools can be used to augment marketing efforts.

Exchange to expand networks
In addition, MarketingPulse organised two “Dialogues with Creative Minds” sessions. “Dialogue with Women Marketers” featured Julieta Leong, Deputy Director-Marketing & Events (HK) of Lan Kwai Fong Group, Sara Riis-Carstensen, Head of Global Branding of De Beers, and Bonnie Chan Woo, CEO of Icicle Group Holdings Ltd, who shared how female marketers can leverage women’s intuition to develop winning marketing strategies. The second session, “Branding and Marketing Tips for Start-ups,” saw “brand doctor” Tommy Li, Creative Director of Tommy Li Design Workshop Ltd, and Billy Chung, Director of Business Development of GoAnimate, a one-stop online animation platform, explore ways for start-ups to raise their brand profile cost-effectively.

Nearly 20 companies engaged in new media advertising and marketing, content marketing, search engine optimisation, data-driven marketing solutions, customer service platforms and AI platforms showcased their innovative marketing strategies, technologies and solutions at the Exhibition Zone, highlighting Hong Kong’s marketing prowess to global visitors.

An on-site business-matching service also offered one-on-one meetings for brands and exhibiting marketing agencies to explore collaboration opportunities, while various networking events allowed brand representatives and marketing companies to exchange intelligence and build networks.

MarketingPulse was organised with support and invaluable advice from leading marketing industry organisations, including the Council of Public Relations Firms of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing, the HKMA Digital Marketing Community, IAB Hong Kong powered by HKDMA, The Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong Advertisers Association.

MarketingPulse website: http://www.marketingpulse.com.hk/

Media Enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC's Communications & Public Affairs Department:

Billy Ng         Tel: (852) 2584 4393                       Email: billy.km.ng@hktdc.org

To view press releases in Chinese, please visit http://mediaroom.hktdc.com/tc

About the HKTDC
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.