MAA & WFA Global Marketers Conference

(Marketingmagazine.com.my) – The Malaysian Advertisers Association and World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) have collaborated to bring some of the industry’s leading lights to share brand insights and gearing it for success.

The Global Marketing Week (GMWKL) was held in South East Asia for the very first time and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was the proud host of the event which saw more than 450 marketers from the ASEAN region and beyond attending.

MAA President Margaret Au-Yong acknowledged that the event showcased a truly impressive global line-up of marketers and thought-leaders, probably the best to ever visit KL.

MAA President Margaret Au-Yong

CEO of WFA,Stephan Loerke remarked: “South East Asia is an exciting and vibrant region with great potential for innovation and growth. I was impressed hearing from brands that originate from this region as well as the global brands that have built their presence in these countries.”

Keynote Speaker, Tony Fernandes with CEO of WFA Stephen Loerke (left)

AirAsia Group CEO, Tony Fernandes gave the keynote speech and told the story of building a world-beating brand based on genuine consumer insight and human understanding. Tony also tackled some of the challenges and opportunities in leveraging data analytics to make a company seem more human to 20 million customers.

He said, “Every one of your employees is a marketing person in your company. If they don’t understand the brand, then you are losing a very important source of promoting your company. You can always sell an external brand, but if your people don’t believe in it, then you just sell negative”.

The highest rated speaker from Global Marketer Week in Sydney, BrainJuicer CEO John Kearon, showcased a unique global study entitled, The Future OF Insights. It unveiled the shared aspiration of CMO’s and insights leaders for the insight function to play a strategic consultant role, challenging current thinking and proactively helping R&D, marketing and sales turn human understanding into business advantage.

Suresh Balaji (HSBC’s Head of Marketing in APAC), Smita Gupta (TATA Communications’ Marketing Director in APAC), Miguel de Andrés (Google’s Creative Head of Technology in APAC), Ranga Somanathan (Starcom/MEdiaVest’s COO in South East Asia) and WFA’s Marketing Director for Asia Ranji David were on the ASEAN Accelerator panel to discuss the potential of marketing in South East Asia. The panel discussion was moderated by Emily Tan, Campaign Asia-Pacific Deputy Editor.

In wrapping up the event, David Wheldon, RBS CMO and WFA President, said, “Brands need to act and think like people. In my experience, the people I’ve most admired have a number of traits in common: they are passionate and entertaining, they have a point of view, they show empathy, they are open and transparent in their dealings. Most importantly, you know you can trust them. The successful brands of the future will be those that most effectively embrace these characteristics“.

Margaret summed it up by saying, “It was a wonderful forum on the exchange of ideas, strategies and concepts and also the sharing of what Malaysia and South East Asia has to offer. It proved to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and was indeed an innovative and engaging conference”.

APPIES Malaysia 2016 Marketing Conference open for registrations!

‘2-day MBA’ in Marketing, ‘TED of Marketing’, call it what you will, and come what may, we will see you on May 19 & 20 at the Eastin Hotel.

•        36 latest Marketing Case-Studies  

•        22 marketing leaders as Judges  

•        3 top-notch Keynote Speakers  

*        4 Game-Changing Panel Speakers

Says Chief Judge Adam Wee Abdullah, Group CMO of CIMB Banking Group about judging the entries, “Clarity in the Objective statement is fundamental. If this is not clear, the solutions will not be clear as well. It is also important to juxtapose the expected outcome against the Objective statement so you can gauge if the strategies are aligned. It’s a bit like looking through the scope of a sniper’s rifle.”

Date:           19 & 20 May, 2016 

Venue:          The Grand Ballroom, Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Time:           8.30am – 6.00pm

To register, go to APPIES REGISTRATION.

Download full brochure here.

Or contact Ruby on 03-7726 2588, [email protected]

APPIES Malaysia 2016 judges:

• Abdul Sani Abdul Murad – Head of Marketing, HSBC Malaysia

• Ben Mahmud – Head of Retail Marketing, Shell Malaysia Trading

• Eric Wong – Marketing Director, IBM Malaysia

• Fiona Liao – Chief Brand Officer, Prudential Assurance Malaysia

• Jasmine Lee – Chief Marketing Officer, U Mobile

• Jauhar Munir Shaikh – FVP, Brand Marketing for F&N Malaysia

• Loh Keh Jiat – CMO, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd

• Mark Ng – ASEAN Marketing Director, Castrol

• Martin Soong – Marketing Manager, Fonterra Brands Malaysia

• Matthew Ho – Regional Digital Marketing Director, Huawei Technologies Malaysia

• Nirinder Singh Johl – GM of Strategic Communications, Tenaga Nasional Berhad

• Noreen Sabrina – Head of Brand Communications- Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

• Pan Choi Yen – GM of Marketing, WIPRO-UNZA Malaysia

• Philip Whittaker – Group Chief Marketing Officer, Themed Attractions & Resorts

• Rizan Ismail – Head of Brand Management, PETRONAS

• Santharuban T. Sundaram – Group Marketing Manager, Permanis Sandilands

• Stephane Vilquin – Marketing Director, Campbell Soup Southeast Asia

• Syahar Khalid – Digital Engagement Manager, Nestlé Products Malaysia

• Vincent Chong – Marketing Director of Unilever Malaysia

• Zaki Zin – Marketing Director, Wyeth Nutrition Malaysia

• Zalman Aefendy Zainal Abidin – Chief Marketing Officer, Celcom AXIATA