Seoul: ‘The future belongs to the brands who take care of the planet and its people. And brands should have a higher purpose above their product line and services to win the market.’ Convinced by this idea and sharing it with the world, the second APBN concluded in Seoul. The conference organized by the Asia Pacific Branding Network (APBN) took place in Intercontinental COEX, Seoul the capital of South Korea with major branding companies from 10 Asian countries taking part. APBN is a consortium of leading branding agencies from different Asian countries. The network is an association of leading branding companies from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia Indonesia & Thailand.
This year’s theme for the conference was ‘Unboxing the trend: Exploring the future of branding in Asia’. The agenda of the conference was to address the current trend in Asian branding and its future. Discussions were carried out on the topic of ‘sustainability in branding’ and about ‘sustainable brands’. The conference observed that to sustain, businesses have to be purpose-oriented than profit-oriented.
The conference was enriched by speakers from different Asian countries, including Korea, India, Japan, Taiwan, China. Representing India, CEO of Whyletz Branding Ahmad Vaseem told the story of Sustainable brands for greater change in India. The topic was recognized as relevant based on its significance today and connection with the theme. He shared his experience working with brands that are purpose-oriented. And insights building a sustainable brand in India, the land of diversities. The brand story of Karimadam, a brand from Kerala captured the audience’s attention and was an epitome for brands with a purpose.
The hosting company Metabranding representative presented the case study of the Korean Premium Code – how premium brands are made in Korea. Representing Japan, Ayaka Suda from Hakuhudo Consulting talked about the recent branding trends in the healthcare industry from Japan. Zhitao Peter from Osens Shanghai talked about Chinese Cashless Society. About brand impact and social purpose, Joning Lee from Redpeak Taiwan presented her study. A representative from LG Korea presented about Hyper-premium branding with LG’s global product case study.
The Asia Pacific Branding Conference offered an opportunity for the branding agencies across Asia to come together and share their insights. This year’s conference helped agencies to discover the different branding trends around Asia and learn from them. The network is planning to conduct more conferences and workshops in the coming years in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and Dubai.
