In her welcoming remarks, HKTDC Executive Director Margaret Fong said: "As global business exchanges gradually resume and new business opportunities emerge, enterprises must keep abreast of the latest market trends and consumer preferences to rise above the competition. With a line up of heavyweight speakers, the conferences featured more than 60 international speakers - including marketing executives, brand representatives, advertising professionals and e-commerce experts, who shared their success stories and provided insights into the latest marketing trends. Attendees, especially SMEs, received briefings on industry developments and how to capture business opportunities."

Think bigger about marketing and design

Heavyweight speaker Mauro Porcini, PepsiCo's Senior Vice President and Global Chief Design Officer, shared his thoughts on integrating marketing and design. As PepsiCo's first Chief Design Officer, Porcini revealed design insights on building stronger ties with customers through innovation, as well as portending future design trends. "We need to understand how to create something meaningful for people, creating products that are functionally relevant, that create an emotional connection, but that people are also proud about, that they want to share with the rest of the world," he said.

Brands need to grasp Generation Z's new consumer power

Highly connected and comfortable with technology, the values and spending preferences of Generation Z are likely to have significant impact on businesses' bottom line for some time to come. Gaetan Belaud, head of Spotify's global advertising agency, shared the listening habits and values of Gen Z, and dissected what such factors meant for brands. Belaud said: "One in five persons in Hong Kong is streaming on Spotify. Audio has taken the centre stage and people are streaming more, particularly the Gen Z population. For the Gen Z population, brands need to understand the kind of music or podcast they listen to, echo that in the brand message, and engage them in the conversation."

The global phenomenon of ChatGPT and new artificial intelligence (AI) applications

The pace of development in AI has been rapid. With the launch of ChatGPT, it has become a hot topic globally. Keith Li, Chairman of the Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association; Shek Ka Wai, Founder of Online Marketing Player and Ivan So, Digital Marketing Consultant at HDcourse Limited; analysed the multiple applications of this revolutionary technology during a session at this year's conference. Li said: "The main trend we see is with generative AI and applying this to business use. We should focus... R&D on applying AI technology for solving real business problems."

Unique insights from heavyweight speakers

This year's event also focused on other hot global issues, including Web3, virtual idols, data-driven marketing, ESG, happiness and marketing, the future of retail and brand storytelling.

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