Discovering China: MarketingPulse conference 2018

Feel lost in the current marketing landscape of China? MarketingPulse, a conference custom-built for marketers and brands, will debut on 21 March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), and features marketing and advertising agency representatives from China and the APAC region as a whole. The inagural event is organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and will put marketing and advertising experts, world-renowned brand owners and top creative minds in the limelight. The conference itself caters to corporate executives and brand representatives and is open for registration with a limited-time promotion code MPR03D4P.

According to eMarketer research, almost 1.9 billion internet users call the APAC region home, making up more than half of the world’s digital population. These numbers are staggering, but are only set to grow. For instance, by 2021, an estimated 1.81 billion users will be equipped with a smartphone.

Meanwhile, by China Internet Network Information Center’s (CNNIC) estimate, China is now the world’s largest digital market, with over 751 million internet users in the country, and 96 percent of the country’s netizens with mobile internet access.  Delving a bit deeper into this demographic, 525 million internet users regularly stream video, 385 million play games online, and 502 million use mobile payment and 480 million shop online.

When it comes to platforms, these numbers will continue to swing more towards digital and mobile, one eMarketer study cited that 58 percent of time will be spent with digital media (compared to 37 percent with TV media) and 73 percent of digital time will be spent on mobile (compared to 28 percent on desktop/laptop) by 2019.

These statistics blatantly lay out where the digital opportunities are in the APAC region, but making the leap can be a tough task for those new to the market, or running low on innovation. MarketingPulse’s lineup of speakers for the day is chock-full of individuals who have made the leap, and seen success in their venture.

Speakers on the day (from left to right): Water Li, founder, W; Viveca Chen, chairman and CEO, WE Marketing Group, WE Digital and WE Commerce; Mahmoud Salahy, general manager, The North Face, China; Tony Chow, regional director, creative and content marketing APAC, Marriott International; JiPeng Men, vice president, JD.com

Water Li, founder of W, is scheduled on the day. As the pioneer of a self-made agency, Li’s progressive marketing methodology has led to the development of several groundbreaking projects, including the recent O2O “Wild Dog Island” commercial art fair. “Good marketing should be marketing that doesn’t look like marketing at all”, suggest Li. “There should be no mentioning of any brand or even brand owner. In an overloaded, complex media environment, consumers can seek out, match up and even fill in related brand information themselves.”

Also hailing from the agency side, Viveca Chan, chairman and CEO of WE Marketing Group, WE Digital and WE Commerce will be presenting. Since its inception, WE’s has excelled in helping global brands localise and local brands globalisee, combining the best of East meet West. WE has aided international and local brands alike penetrate the China market, including Lufthansa, Estee Lauder and Mercedes Benz.

Brands will also be well-represented at the event. Tony Chow, regional director, creative and content marketing, APAC at Marriott International, will be offering insight. Chow has produced countless award-winning commercials, online videos and TV programs for major clients like McDonald’s, Sony, Canon, P&G, Calvin Klein, Levi’s and StarHub. Chow has also worked with broadcast networks like Discovery Channel, National Geographic, BBC and more.

A regular jury member at awards ceremonies including the Emmy’s, Chow was also previously president of the Singapore Independent TV Production Companies Association. Regarding his forum for the day, Chow said, “I’ll mainly share how companies can make use of content business to please potential consumers, and establish person-to-person connections to that it can be a long-term investment tool for brands.”

JiPeng Men, vice president at JD.com, will also be sharing insider tips on ecommerce, and how one of the two largest B2C online retailers in China stands out from the competition.

For those interested in attending, register for the event now and book your spot for 21 March, or check out the full event programme.