What is innovation? MarketingPulse 2019 asks

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How do brands cut through the noise to reach their targeted audiences? How can agencies make use of AI? How should brands capitalise on digital and influencer marketing trends while staying true to their DNA?

All of the above will be asked and answered at MarketingPulse 2019.

Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), MarketingPulse is a premier conference in Asia for brands, agencies, platforms and the media.

Held on March 20^th at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the 2019 edition of the event will focus on innovative brand experience, the latest digital and influencer marketing trends, eSports, China Gen Z, and the rise of artificial intelligence.

One of the issues on the top of everyone’s mind will be: what is innovation in today’s increasingly competitive landscape?

According to Marcelo Pascoa, Burger King’s head of global brand marketing, “great marketing is the result of fearless creativity and bold brands willing to bring them to life”.

Speaking at the Dear Brands, let’s sail to the future! session at MarketingPulse 2019, Pascoa will share tips on how marketers lead the pack in innovative campaigns and in enhancing brand experiences.

And Burger King appeared to have it all figured out with the Whopper Detour, an irreverent campaign that racked up two million Burger King app downloads in 48 hours – the campaign’s main objective.

Also speaking during the session is Bozoma Saint John, chief marketing officer at Endeavour.

Endeavour is a US-based agency that organises over a hundred events per year, including Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo, Taste of Hong Kong, Caterpillar, HSBC, and the Miss Universe competition in Asia.

“People want unique experiences that connect them directly to their passions—from art to fashion, sport to music—and if you as a brand can facilitate that connection, you’re golden,” notes Saint John when asked how brands should cut through the noise to reach their target audiences.   

Take Endeavour’s work with Luzhou Laojiao’s at the 2018 Australian Open as an example. Aside from creating off-court content, the agency also curated a series of on-site ‘experiences’ to mark the Baijiu brand’s partnership with one of the world’s most well-attended tennis events, including a Baijiu tasting, VIP dinner and Chinese calligraphy showcase.

With Gen Z being an increasingly important market segment, brands need to understand what it is that they want, and draw up content that speaks to them.

“We are seeing [young] generations gravitate toward brands with purpose. They want to know: what does a brand stand for and how long have they stood for it? Brands must know and live their purpose and build their consumer base from there. They need to have a point of view,” Saint John says.

One campaign to have a very strong point of view is Endeavor’s Beauty Mark Initiative campaign for CVS. The campaign saw CVS remove all retouched photography from its beauty marketing,

Jonathan Mildenhall, co-founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, echoes this sentiment, “amazing things happen when you listen to the customer.”

Formerly of Airbnb, Mildenhall will be speaking alongside Saint John and Pascoa at Dear Brands, let’s sail to the future!

When it comes to creating – and curating – innovative content, TBWA\HAKUHODO appears to be hitting the mark with THE_, a bilingual (Japanese and English) online content channel that offers bite-sized insights into Japanese culture.

The Tokyo-based agency has also appointed content extraordinaire Kohei Ikeda to drive its social media content.

Shuhei Tsuji, creative director of TBWA\HAKUHODO, says, “his [Ikeda’s] expertise and sharp cultural insights are uniquely suited to social media and have seen him produce internet gold for over six years.”  

“By working with [Ikeda], we’re hoping to get Gen Z involved with TBWA\HAKUHODO,” adds Tsuji, who will be discussing the challenges in this new marketing battleground at the Agencies in the Era of Transformation session.

For those interested in attending, register for the event now for an exclusive 40 percent off discount with the code MPR01F4P. In the meantime, save this page for updates on more speakers and event highlights.