World Marketing Forum 6.0 explores responsible use of AI in marketing

World Marketing Forum 6.0, presented by Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC and powered by ACI Motors Limited, was recently held at BRAC University, featuring 2 days of discussions on the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing.

The Forum was convened by the World Marketing Council, co-hosted by Bangladesh Brand Forum in partnership with BRAC University & BRAC Business School.

The international gathering convened in Bangladesh for its sixth iteration.

WMF 6.0 was themed "Artificial Intelligence in Marketing: Human + Tech."

Senior marketing leaders, academics, government representatives and industry practitioners examined the responsible use of artificial intelligence in marketing while preserving human insight, ethics and consumer trust.

Sajid Mahbub, Secretary General, World Marketing Council (WMC) and Marketing Society of Bangladesh (MSB), and Group Chief Executive Officer & Executive Editor, Bangladesh Brand Forum, gave the welcome speech, stating, "It is a privilege to welcome marketers, academics and industry leaders from across the world to Dhaka," he said.

"AI is changing how we understand and serve customers, but it is people who give marketing its purpose. WMF 6.0 is a platform to learn from each other and shape a future where technology and human values move forward together."

Professor Mohammad Mujibul Haque, PhD, Dean, BRAC Business School, BRAC University, then delivered the opening remarks. He welcomed the international delegation and highlighted academia's role in preparing marketers for an AI-driven future.

Across the 2 days, the Forum hosted 10 keynote sessions, 2 case studies, 2 panel discussions. Additionally, the forum presented The Dhaka Declaration of the World Marketing Council, titled “Marketing for Global Good: Y2030 & Beyond.”

Adopted by the World Marketing Council together with the Asia Marketing Federation, African Marketing Confederation, and European Marketing Confederation, the Declaration represents a shared commitment across 54 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Day one programme opened with the keynote by Professor Philip Kotler, American Marketing Author, Consultant, and Professor, Emeritus; Former S. C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor, International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University; who set the tone by framing how artificial intelligence and human judgment must work side by side in marketing. Hermawan Kartajaya, Co-founder, World Marketing Forum (WMF); Founder, Asia Marketing Federation (AMF); Founder & Chair, MCorp (MarkPlus, Inc.); followed by showing how combining human values with technology can make marketing a force for global good through 2030 and beyond. Tara Yoon, Head of Partner Performance, Channel Sales – SEA, Google; Former Group Manager, Performics; explored how human curiosity, paired with the capabilities of AI, can help marketers ask better questions and drive stronger performance.

Closing the day's keynotes, Eric Ku, Founder, Itrain Asia, Malaysia, discussed how AI is turning consumers into creators, lowering the barriers to marketing entrepreneurship and opening new sources of income across the Global South.

Day two event began with Professor Syed Ferhat Anwar, PhD, President, World Marketing Council; Vice-Chancellor, BRAC University; who described AI as an inevitable force in marketing and examined the psychological effects it can have on brands and consumers.

Dr. Dan Visitchaichan, Vice President & Chief of Learning Architect & Marketing Innovation, Marketing Association of Thailand; 2nd Vice President, Asia Marketing Federation (AMF); looked at the future of marketing as a partnership between the human mind and intelligent machines. Helen McIntee-Carlisle, President, African Marketing Confederation; Former Managing Director & Academic Director, IMM Graduate School of Marketing; discussed current trends in glocal marketing, exploring how global brands create local relevance in a changing world and whether that approach still fits.

Dr. A. K. Enamul Haque, Director General, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), examined the productivity gains AI brings to marketing and who ultimately captures that value.

Nafis Faysal, Co-Founder, Vosu.ai, shared a founder's outlook on where AI is heading next, while Ralf Strauss, President, European Marketing Confederation, closed the keynote series by addressing the regulation of AI in marketing and the safeguards the profession needs.

Joining virtually, Professor Philip Kotler delivered the opening keynote. He noted that AI can help businesses work more efficiently, understand customer needs, spot market opportunities and forecast sales and profits.

He urged companies to adopt AI gradually and responsibly rather than becoming fully dependent on it, stressing that human creativity, supervision and judgment must stay at the heart of marketing.

He also called on marketing and finance teams to work together on growth, brand building and budgets, and to review AI investments regularly against productivity, cost and profitability.

In his keynote, Hermawan Kartajaya argued that successful marketing must blend technological innovation with human values, creativity, trust and social responsibility. He said businesses need to read changing customer needs, social expectations and cultural trends to stand apart, and that AI should open new opportunities and better experiences while staying guided by human responsibility.

Urging companies to move beyond traditional competition toward Generative Advantage, creating new products, experiences and markets, he said marketing should go beyond profit to create positive social and environmental impact through ethical practice and inclusive growth.

Beyond the keynotes, two panel discussions brought practical questions to the stage. The Day one panel weighed whether AI can level the playing field for small and medium enterprises, discussing how affordable tools can help smaller businesses compete with larger players and what it takes to adopt them well.

The Day two panel looked at how universities and industry can work more closely, so that academic research turns into solutions companies actually use.

Case studies on BRAC University and on Korea's blend of artificial and analog intelligence in K-Culture, along with special remarks on the future of AI, added institutional and cultural perspectives.

The sessions kept returning to one message: AI creates lasting value only when it is guided by human judgment, ethics and trust.

The Forum concluded with the Dhaka Declaration: Marketing for Good, presented jointly by the Asia Marketing Federation (AMF), African Marketing Confederation (AMC), European Marketing Confederation (EMC) and World Marketing Council (WMC), followed by the closing session.

Other notable speakers included Jack Yao, Partner & President, Asia Marketing Federation (AMF); Professor Arshad Mahmud Chowdhury, PhD, Pro Vice-Chancellor, BRAC University; Professor Boojong Kim, Chief Imagination Officer, Dream Company; Former President, Asia Marketing Federation (AMF); Sergiy Spivakovsky, Assistant Professor, Business Department, Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE; Ashraf Bin Taj, Managing Director, International Distributions Company Bangladesh PLC.; Board Director, ACI PLC.; Advisor, Asia Marketing Federation; Board Member, Marketing Society of Bangladesh; Rohan Somawansa, Director, DSI Group; Former President, Asia Marketing Federation; Dr. Nusrat Hafiz, Assistant Professor & Director, Women Empowerment Cell, BRAC Business School (BBS), BRAC University; Dr. Shariful Islam Dulu, Secretary General, Marketers' Institute Bangladesh; Managing Director & CEO, MARKTALE Bangladesh Ltd.; Professor Mosaddek Ahmed Chowdhury, PhD, Department of Business Administration, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology (SUST); Khairul Basher, Director of Communications, BRAC University; Enoch Perera, President, Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing-SLIM; Taufik, Group CEO & Deputy Chairman, MCorp; Dr. Zaheed Halim, Associate Professor, BRAC Business School (BBS), BRAC University; Syed Iqbal Mahmud Hossain, Sales Director, Nestlé Bangladesh PLC.; and Afsana Akhtar, Assistant Professor, BRAC Business School, BRAC University.

World Marketing Forum 6.0 was presented by Title Partner Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC, Powered by ACI Motors Limited and Supported by PRAN, in collaboration with the Asia Marketing Federation (AMF); European Marketing Confederation; African Marketing Confederation; BRAC University; BRAC Business School; Marketing Society of Bangladesh (MSB); Marketers' Institute, Bangladesh (MIB); Backpage PR; and World Marketing Council (WMC). The Forum was organized by Bangladesh Brand Forum.