Programme

While DE&I is a key imperative for brands across APAC, it’s commonly understood that DE&I needs and priorities differ between countries. There is little understanding, however, about the true perceptions of DE&I value by individual market, between generations, and what matters most today to people across such a complex, constantly evolving region.  To help inform brands aiming to strike that optimal balance between commitment and actions on a global scale, and their relevance to individual stakeholders in APAC, FleishmanHillard’s True Global Intelligence unit has conducted research that reveals new insights into the widely varying DE&I definitions, gaps and agendas among specific geographies and population subgroups.  During this session, we will dig into organic market-by-market expectations around DE&I, compare and contrast what DE&I actions are most valued where, and highlight what drives stakeholder engagement most effectively with best-practice examples of these insights in action by leading brands.

The digital world presents an ever-changing array of new ways to engage with our audiences, but with this continual change also comes risk, particularly for organisations operating in highly regulated environments. For communicators, the challenge is staying at the cutting edge, without plunging their business into peril. In this panel, strategic communications and public affairs consultancy, Sandpiper, will lead a discussion with senior representatives from the financial, healthcare, and technology industries about the challenges and opportunities for building reputation in a digital setting in highly regulated industries and avoiding the pitfalls.

Digital transformation has exploded as businesses in Asia-Pacific work to future-proof themselves in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of communications continues to evolve, with technology revolutionizing how communications practitioners ply their trade. From MarTech and CommsTech to Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, many technologies relevant to audience engagement and experience have the potential to be game-changers for our industry.

In this session, we will explore how the role of communications within organizations has changed as a result of digital transformation in the region, as well as the need for communications functions to be made more digital ready, and what challenges and opportunities have been encountered by those on the journey.

What does the evolving nature of communications in Asia mean for the client-agency relationship? 

Communications has changed. Customer touch-points have shifted and omni-channel executions are now the norm. Great story-telling remains at the heart of what we do, but how we do it has evolved. 

And this evolution has accelerated over the past few years as brands have had to pivot their marketing strategies and find new ways to connect to their audiences. In response, agencies have upskilled and restructured to meet their clients’ needs now – and be ready for the future. 

But what does that mean for the client-agency relationship today? Is it stronger than ever, or fractured like never before? 

At the heart of this relationship lies the notion of shared value, where clients and agencies are able to define and measure the impact of their partnership. The most successful campaigns of the future will be defined by the strength of the client-agency partnership. This panel session will discuss how the relationship has evolved, how it will continue to change – and what each side needs from each other to drive future success.