Asia Marketing Federation (AMF)

Born Digital, Built Different: Understanding and Building for Generation Alpha

Asia Marketing Federation — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 18:34:40 +0000

Generation Alpha — born from 2010 onwards — is the first generation to grow up entirely in a digital-first world, shaping family purchase decisions and redefining brand engagement from an early age. Drawing on a recent Bangladesh Brand Forum survey, this article explores how children in Bangladesh are influencing choices in food, gadgets, toys, and entertainment while seeking belonging, participation, and recognition beyond conventional marketing approaches. It highlights the need for brands to move from selling to involving, tailoring strategies by age group, earning parents’ trust through safety and education, and blending digital experiences with offline rewards. Case examples from Bangladesh and global brands illustrate how participation creates ownership and loyalty. The article concludes by proposing new measures of impact that go beyond clicks and views, urging Bangladeshi brands to treat children as co-creators and trusted stakeholders in a rapidly evolving consumer landscape.

Investigating Consumer Barriers Toward Intention to Adopt Mobile Payment Solutions: An Innovation Resistance Theory Perspective

Asia Marketing Federation — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 18:28:49 +0000

While the world has moved towards a digital era, mobile devices have revolutionised financial transactions by serving as multifunctional tools. However, despite their numerous benefits, the adoption of mobile payment solutions among Sri Lankan consumers remains relatively low. This study examines the barriers that hinder consumers’ intention to adopt mobile payment solutions in Sri Lanka, applying the theory of innovation resistance. Using the deductive research approach with self-administered questionnaires, data were collected from 350 Sri Lankan consumers living in the Colombo district who are aware of mobile payment solutions. The collected data were statistically analysed using multiple regression analysis with the support of SPSS software. It has been identified that usage, risk, tradition, and image barriers significantly influence consumers’ intention to adopt mobile payment solutions in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. This study offers practical recommendations for service providers to address these barriers, thereby reducing customer resistance and facilitating the successful adoption of mobile payment solutions. From an academic perspective, the study contributes to a limited body of empirical studies in this area by applying Innovation Resistance Theory. Furthermore, this study provides valuable insights for service providers to design more effective marketing strategies that cater to customer needs.

The Influence of Integrated Marketing Communication Elements on Customer Loyalty in Pln Mobile Applications: The Mediating Role of Customer Engagement And Customer Trust

Asia Marketing Federation — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 18:24:09 +0000

The digital transformation in the public service sector has prompted government institutions to manage communication strategically to build strong relationships with service users. This study aims to analyze the influence of integrated marketing communication (IMC) elements on customer loyalty toward the PLN Mobile application by examining the mediating roles of customer engagement and customer trust. The research employed a quantitative approach using a survey method involving active users of the PLN Mobile application. Data was collected from 400 respondents through convenience sampling and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS software. The findings indicate that all proposed hypotheses are supported, demonstrating that IMC elements have a positive and significant effect on both customer engagement and customer trust. Furthermore, customer engagement and customer trust are confirmed as significant mediating variables in the relationship between IMC and customer loyalty.

Does the Perceived Ease of Use Moderate the Influence of Perceived Security, Perceived Trust, and Enjoyment on Adoption of Cash-on-delivery (Cod) of E-commerce Platform?

Asia Marketing Federation — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 18:19:21 +0000

The use of e-commerce platforms and cash-on-delivery (COD) payment methods has become an integral part of daily life. This study aims to determine the effects of perceived security, perceived trust, and enjoyment on the adoption of COD, with perceived ease of use as a moderating factor. Primary data were collected from 240 respondents using a purposive sampling method. Six hypotheses were tested in this study: three were accepted, while the remaining three were rejected. The results of the data analysis revealed that perceived security, perceived trust, and enjoyment have a significant impact on the adoption of COD. However, perceived ease of use did not moderate the relationships between perceived security, perceived trust, enjoyment, and the adoption of COD.

More Than Exercise: Relational Meanings Of Mobile Fitness App Use Among Married Men In Ghana And Its Implications For Digital Lifestyle Innovations

Asia Marketing Federation — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 18:13:43 +0000

This study investigates how married men in Ghana engage with mobile fitness applications and the relational meanings that emerge from their use. Drawing on qualitative data from focus group discussions and dyadic interviews, and guided by Self-Determination Theory, Social Exchange Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the research reveals that fitness apps serve not merely as tools for self-discipline and health monitoring, but as relational artefacts embedded in the emotional fabric of marriage. The findings show that mobile-first fitness practices, though individually designed, often spill into conjugal life. They deepen intimacy, reinforce masculine identity, and mediate cultural expectations. Men described how app-driven fitness routines fostered emotional bonding with their spouses, while women played a central role in motivating, affirming, and negotiating the boundaries of appearance, care, and respectability. However, the relational utility of current app designs remains limited, with participants expressing a clear demand for culturally attuned and emotionally responsive features that support couple-based health journeys. By situating digital fitness use within the socio-cultural context of Ghanaian marriages, the study extends conversations on digital health beyond individual behaviour to relational wellbeing, offering critical insights for behavioural designers and app developers aiming to create more inclusive and socially intelligent technologies in emerging markets.

Strategic Alignment Of Marketing Technology: A Conceptual Framework For Capability Building In Malaysian Firms

Asia Marketing Federation — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 18:08:33 +0000

The rise of marketing technologies (MarTech) has significantly altered how organisations approach customer engagement, decision-making, and capability development. However, the effectiveness of MarTech adoption often hinges not on the technology itself but on how well it aligns with an organisation’s strategic objectives. This conceptual paper explores the pathway through which MarTech enhances marketing capability, with strategic decision-making positioned as a mediating mechanism. Drawing on the Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the proposed framework explains how firms can convert technological inputs into competitive marketing capabilities. Real-world cases from Malaysian service firms, SMEs, and manufacturing sectors illustrate how strategic alignment determines the impact of MarTech on decision speed, customer analytics, and campaign optimisation. The paper contributes to emerging MarTech literature by clarifying the conditions under which technology investment translates into tangible marketing outcomes. It also offers practical insights for firms aiming to align their digital transformation strategies with performance-oriented marketing capabilities.

Reimagining The Role Of Marketers In The Age Of Ai: An Urgent Call To Reskill And Embrace Industry 5.0

Asia Marketing Federation — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 18:00:13 +0000

This paper examines the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the marketing profession, emphasizing the urgency for marketers to reskill and adapt in the era of Industry 5.0. Drawing on global investment trends, corporate case studies, and academic research, the study highlights how AI enhances marketing efficiency, personalization, and customer engagement through tools such as generative AI, chatbots, and recommendation engines. It also addresses critical issues related to data ethics, regulatory compliance, and the evolving workforce. As AI reshapes roles and redefines value creation, marketers must cultivate a digital mindset, embrace continuous learning, and lead responsibly. This paper serves as a wake-up call for professionals to strategically harness AI’s potential while mitigating its risks.

Marketing 6.0 And Human-centric Leadership: Lessons From Global And Southeast Asian Organizations

Asia Marketing Federation — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 17:28:16 +0000

This article explores the evolution of Marketing 6.0, emphasizing the integration of artificial intelligence with human-centric values, particularly empathy, as a strategic driver in marketing leadership and organizational growth. Through a comparative analysis of global and Southeast Asian organizations—including Microsoft, Patagonia, Ritz-Carlton, Singapore Airlines, Minor Food Group, Phyathai-Paolo Hospital Group, and Siam Cement Group—the study highlights how empathy informs marketing strategy, brand positioning, service innovation, and employee engagement. Drawing on Marketing 6.0 principles, the article demonstrates that AI-enabled precision and scalability can coexist with emotionally intelligent, socially responsible, and purpose- riven marketing practices.

Marketing Skillsets To Drive Innovation: Thailand’s Perspective?

Dan or Somchat Visitchaichan, Ph.D. — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 06:45:15 +0000

This short article is a reflection of my key thoughts when I was invited by Professor Dr. Philip Kotler and “Kotler Impact” as one of the speakers at the e-World Marketing Summit (eWMS) under the theme of Hello Tomorrow: Building the Next New Normal during November 6-7, 2021. The purpose of this brief writing is to share with you my interpretation on how we could enhance our skill development to drive marketing innovation from Thailand’s perspective. Because of today’s rapidly changing environments and the widespread of the OMICRON variant of the Coronavirus, we all know it becomes extremely difficult to drive marketing innovation. We have to use more of human-mimicking technologies to create, communicate, deliver, and enhance value in the overall customer experience. To have technology for humanity, marketers need to start by mapping the customer journey and identifying where marketing technologies can add value and improve the performance of human marketers. [Kotler, Kartajaya and Setiawan, 2021, 5] From my experience working with hundreds of marketing and business leaders in Thailand and Asia, I observe that there are basically 4 types of quality we need for marketing professionals to drive innovation in today “Now Normal” business environments. They are as follows:

Consumer Empathy: The ability to use your curiosity and customer empathy to create and deliver meaningful differentiation through new ideas for superior product and services and marketing innovation.
Data Science: The ability to understand, analyze and make best use of big data in decision making for new marketing initiatives.
Business and its eco-system: The ability to understand competitive business environments both direct and indirect and business impact on its eco-system.
User’s Experience Design: The ability to understand customer’s journey including cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects of customers and design meaningful experience for them.

Undeniably, understanding these 4 types of marketing skillsets is indispensable in fostering the environment to drive marketing innovation and having empathy mindset is a starting point and key to successful execution for most marketing professionals in Thailand. Five years ago, I was introduced to the concept of “Human Empathy” when I was going through the process of becoming a certified facilitator for the “Design Thinking” program at the Stanford Center of Professional Development. Since then, empathy became one of my most favorite topics that allows me the opportunities to learn to understand more about people, their cognition and their behavioral actions. The word “Empathy” is often used in so many different ways that it is difficult to determine what people mean exactly when they use it. Nevertheless, I found the concept of “the Empathy Triad” proposed by Daniel Goleman (2017) more insightful when it comes to understanding people’s cognition and their behaviors. Three distinct kinds of empathy as defined by Goleman include: …

Playtime With Customers Is Our Job

Hoyoung Jung, Ph.D. & Kenny D. Park — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 06:45:15 +0000

ABSTRACT

Those customers that we refer to as the “MZ Generation” are evolving into a great point of interest in the business and marketing worlds. The MZ Generation was born into a digital world and grew in lockstep with this digital environment. Having grown up, developed, and matured from within a largely decentralized network, their DNA is programmed with concepts of “the individual” and “personal.” They live their everyday lives ceaselessly forging relationships and communicating via digital touchpoints. They are connected to the world uninterrupted via a “me-centric” outlook, but, when desired, can flip the switch and simply disconnect at any time. Their identity is different, the values they pursue are different, as are their behaviors and action. Companies are in 24/7 contact with the MZ Generation. But businesses play only a single role in their multi-faceted lives and this relationship can be severed at any time by the MZ Generation consumer. Businesses are faced with the task of finding new means of communicating and forging relationships with this new customer base. We will address this task by focusing primarily on SNS – the firmly entrenched and favored digital communication channel of the Korean MZ Generation. We need to address the following 3 questions:

1. What are we going to talk about? (message and content)
2. Which channels should we use? (touchpoint)
3. How are we going to format this dialogue? (activation)

Successfully answering these 3 questions will ultimately lead us to the solution.