July 15, 2024
MANILA, Philippines, July 4, 2024 – The Philippine Marketing Association (PMA), in collaboration with Synergy Market Research + Strategic Consultancy and You-Gov, successfully held the Sustainability and AI Symposium at Seda Hotel Manila Bay, Paranaque City. This pioneering event explored the intersection of Sustainability and Artificial Intelligence in Marketing, highlighting opportunities and challenges that marketers face in this dynamic landscape. It convened industry leaders, innovators, and marketing professionals to discuss cutting-edge developments in sustainable marketing practices and AI.
Hosted by Hiyasmin Neri-Soyao, PMA Director of PR and Communications and CEO and Founder of Shoppertainment Live, the program commenced with a warm welcome from PMA President and Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Newport World Resorts, Kathy Mercado, CPM, who underscored the “[commitment] to responsible and ethical practices that promote sustainability” by actively engaging in discussion, sharing insights, and collaborating on solutions to harness the power of AI to create a more sustainable and equitable future.
Opening Remarks by His Excellency, Mr. Dodo Sudradjat, Deputy Chief Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia
Her sentiments were echoed by His Excellency, Mr. Dodo Sudradjat, Deputy Chief Mission from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, who provided opening remarks that set a global context for the discussions and collaborations by stressing the need to “promote ASEAN as a unity of security, peace, and prosperity…and project Asia to the world because the epicenter of growth and the economy now is shifting from the West to Asia.”
Aseana Holdings, Inc., Investor Relations Head Jeffrey Lucero in his institutional remarks also gave the audience a glimpse of how sustainability can look like via the development of Parqal, a 5-star BERDE building in Aseana City in line with their inclusion in S&P Global’s Top 11% when it comes to Corporate Sustainability Assessment.
He shared that the secret behind this achievement lies in how companies look at sustainability in itself: “Good sustainability happens when it’s at the core of your operations and not just an afterthought,” much like how Aseana City incorporates sustainability in the quality of life of its residents.
Keynote Address by Marketing Luminary Pak Hermawan Kartajaya
The highlight of the symposium was the keynote address by Pak Hermawan Kartajaya, a revered figure in the marketing world and founder of the Asia Marketing Federation. Known as the Asia Marketing Guru, Mr. Kartajaya shared insights from his extensive experience, co-authoring influential books with Philip Kotler, the father of modern marketing. His address focused on the transformative potential of AI and creating sustainable marketing practices that benefit both businesses and communities by summarizing the journey of marketing through the perspective of his books, moving from the human spirit of marketing towards technology.
Kartajaya stresses that “Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future generation” and added that “if people are united to [create] sustainability, it can work.” Citing his upcoming book in collaboration with Philip Kotler called “Marketing 7.0: AI for Impact,” Kartajaya presents a possible framework to make this possible. While AI can be utilized to create impact, the burden of sustainability rests on a company’s capacity to make “values for value.”
He illustrates this through an anecdote of a hotel in Bali that not only invests in the luxury of its rooms but also asks its staff to collect the trash from the beach in front of their hotel. In turn, it gained positive notoriety for the hotel—people took notice and even took photos in front of the trash collected, illustrating that when companies have values-based decisions, their stakeholders value it, and it adds value to their company.
Closing the talk, Kartajaya reminded that certain perils come with AI that’s why humans are still critical to control it. In the time where fakes are prevalent due to the technology that we have, we can still be part of the rise of tech for good. All we need to do is to “check and reach out.”
Insights and Learnings
Following the keynote, attendees were treated to a presentation by Synergy Marketing Research + Strategic Consultancy in partnership with YouGov PLC, discussed by its President and CEO, Germaine Reyes, also PMA Director of Research. In this previously unpublished research that they made on June 7-10, 2024, the panel of 3,511 respondents aged 18 and above in the Philippines answered questions about Sustainability, AI, and its intersection. The top insights of the research were as follows:
Quick Facts:
(1) 56% of Filipinos think in the future, AI will help humans in most of their daily tasks
(2) 52% of Filipinos think AI is just the next step in evolution
(3) 69% of Filipinos prefer brands that are sustainable
Varying Familiarity on Sustainability, AI concepts, and its intersection among Filipinos:
(1) Gen Zs have the highest familiarity while Boomers have the lowest “very familiars”
(2) 9 in 10 are familiar with sustainability, AI, and AI’s application, but in terms of quality of awareness, only 4 in 10 claim to be very familiar with these concepts
(3) “AI’s application on Sustainability” has the lowest number of “very familiar”
Attitudes towards Sustainability x AI intersection show Positive Ideas around this:
(1) AI can significantly help sustainability efforts
(2) AI can help ‘bridge’ understanding of sustainable practices to align with consumer preferences
(3) AI can help address environmental challenges
(4) Agreement Rating on AI and Sustainability-Related Attributes (Top Box %)
26% believe AI can help companies better understand and align with consumer preferences for sustainable products or services
(Top contributors: Gen Z)
26% believe AI has the potential to significantly contribute in enhancing sustainability efforts in businesses and industries
(Top contributors: Gen Z)
24% are optimistic about the long-term impact of AI in driving sustainability and addressing environmental challenges
(Top contributors: Gen Z)
Willingness to Adopt AI-Driven Solutions for Sustainability & Likelihood to Participate in Incentivized AI-Driven Sustainability Programs:
(1) 9 in 10 (92%) are likely to adopt
(2) 9 in 10 (93%) are likely to Participate in Incentivized AI-Driven Sustainability Programs
Psychological and/or educational barriers to adoption:
(1) Greenwashing perceived by almost 4 in 10
(2) Only 1 in 10 with strong trust on sustainable companies
Where Brands can help to speed up decisions:
(1) Provide information about the environmental impact of products / services
(2) Educate if there’s low to no risks in AI usage for sustainability efforts
Panel Discussion and Networking
The symposium concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Janette Toral, a seasoned coach and trainer with expertise in digital marketing and business development. Panelists included Germaine Reyes, PMA Director for Research and President and CEO of Synergy Market Research & Strategic Consultancy; Rondell Torres, Philippine Sustainability Lead for Unilever; Dr. Dominic Ligot, Founder of CirroLytix and Data Ethics PH; and Donald Lim, Chief Operating Officer of DITO CME, and the Chief Innovation Officer of the Udenna Corporation. The panel engaged in a robust dialogue on the practical applications and prospects of sustainability and AI in marketing.
The conversation revolved on the resistance of people towards AI and the misconceptions of sustainability as a last point of agenda for companies. Lim stressed that sustainability is integral to business practices and processes, citing his contribution to an SEC policy on sustainability; while Torres provided sustainability practices that they have managed to do in their company. Meanwhile, Reyes provided practical AI applications for sustainability, and Ligot conceptually laid out a variety of anecdotes that prove AI’s usability within and beyond corporate practices.
The event culminated with a message from Ms. Germaine Reyes to inspire everyone to be forward-thinking, especially on leveraging on technology that’s AI for sustainability. Attendees then had the opportunity to network and forge connections, fostering collaboration and innovation in the marketing industry.
The symposium, co-presented with Synergy Market Research + Strategic Consultancy, esteemed partners including Aseana City, Seda Hotel Manila Bay, 360Next Creative Solutions Inc., Ground Zero Lights and Sounds, Newport World Resorts, Strategic Consumer and Media Incites Inc., CreatiVoices, Uniquecorn Strategies, Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment, and Shoppertainment Live, emphasized PMA’s commitment to leading the discourse on the future of marketing.
