Program

Surveys show that more and more employees and customers around the world have rising expectations of companies and brands incorporating sustainability as a concept and in practice across their value chain. For brands and advertising companies who work with them, this is an opportunity to attract and retain top talent, gain loyalty of their existing customers and attract new ones. They stand to achieve market growth, a long-term return on their investment by protecting the environment in which they operate.

Business leaders are told by campaigners, consultants and sustainability teams that committing to sustainability is both the right thing to do and a business imperative. However, without articulating the case in financial terms it can be hard to make a definitive case for action. Based on research from 150,000+ respondents across the globe, covering 5000+ brands, the Brand Finance / IAA Sustainability Perceptions Index quantifies the value of sustainability perceptions for the first time. Coming just 1 week after the launch of the 2024 study, David Haigh will reveal the leading (and trailing brands) and will illustrate that even for individual businesses, there can be billions of dollars of financial value to be gained from enhanced action and associated communication.

Ghana has since 2017 aggressively pursued digitalization initiatives, including national ID cards, address, tax payment, e-justice, paperless import regimes and drone deliveries for medicines. The objectives have included improving service delivery, deepening data driven solutions for citizens as well as reducing corruption. Globally acclaimed in the 2022 Global Innovation Index, Ghana's success is a model for brands pursuing impactful digitization, emphasizing efficiency and transparency. My presentation will delve into Ghana's digital journey, results and prospects and will seek to encourage global brands to pursue digitalization as means to deliver grater value to clients while injecting more efficiency into their operations.

Current challenges to humanity demand people-centered transformations that can shape our society for a better world, better life. Climate change, biodiversity and inequality are causing exponential disruption and citizens are calling for change. Business and brands are under pressure to respond. At Dentsu we believe that combined power of creativity, skills, technology and fusion of data, will definitely create a brighter, more sustainable future for everyone. Our experience confirms that through shared actions we can build value for society, as well as a profitable, sustainable and inclusive business.

Purpose-driven companies seek purpose-driven partners. Aligning values and purpose enhances collaboration and mutual success. Many agencies are embracing corporate social responsibility by integrating sustainable practices, ethical decisions, and community engagement into their strategies. This shift towards holistic responsibility involves agencies going beyond traditional roles to actively consider the broader impact of their actions. The benefits of a purpose-driven approach can lead to increased brand loyalty, improved employee morale, and positive public perception, which in turn results in more resilient, more valuable long-term relationships.

Dive into the minds of consumers to better understand their actions and expectations that ultimately shapes culture, markets, and businesses. From the proliferation of Al tools to demand in experiences that make us feel alive and part of a community-brands are well positioned to be part of this journey. 79% of people globally agree that the role of a brand has changed over the past five year, find out what a brand's role should be and the key trends shaping that vision.

Sustainability presents the biggest opportunity, of our time, for Marketing. The extractive growth model has been the dominant approach, where the primary focus is on maximizing profits and resource extraction without considering the long-term consequences on the environment, society, and future generations. Rupen Desai provokes the need to move from extractive growth to a different value creation model, one where people, the planet and prosperity, all thrive together, never one at the cost of one another.

COP28 sent a clear signal that the world is serious about accelerating efforts on sustainability that will have a profound impact on business and society. In response, the Global CMO Growth Council now calls on marketing leaders from around the world to convene a special agenda at the IAA World Congress in Penang that will elevate the role marketing must play in delivering these desired outcomes that were promised at COP28. Until now, marketing’s role related to sustainability has been largely overlooked or misunderstood by corporations. However, more and more companies around the world have unlocked substantial growth from sustainable innovation that is marketing-led. So, it is important that we come together now, as the global community of chief marketers to exchange best practices, insights, and thought leadership that will help all marketers accelerate their progress toward our collective sustainability objectives while tapping into new streams of business growth and innovation.

Leslie Beckman, Founder of The Eco-Marketing Project, has been at the forefront of building sustainable, regenerative brands. Join Leslie and her panelists as they discuss the often-overlooked, systemic and, thus, supersized role B2B businesses have in the drive to sustainability at scale.

David Haigh and Brand Finance, together with IAA and Stein IAS, launched the first-ever Global Most Valuable B2B Brands Index in 2023. The second annual index is being released this year in April. Stealing a march, David will reveal the most valuable B2B brands in Asia, including endemic brands and global brands focused on the region. A panel discussion will follow addressing the progression of B2B in-region.