The AAA 2026 programme celebrates creativity, innovation, and measurable impact in advertising — honouring the trailblazers driving bold ideas and breakthrough solutions in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape.

The awards spotlight groundbreaking campaigns, trailblazing agencies, and high-performing teams across the Asia-Pacific region, acknowledging not only executional brilliance but also the forward-thinking strategies shaping the industry’s future.

Strong regional participation across Asia Pacific

The inaugural edition of the Advertising Awards Asia Pacific attracted broad regional participation, resulting in a total of 124 unique organisations advancing as finalists. 

The finalist pool spans brands, agencies, and technology companies, with 56 brand organisations, 47 agencies, and 21 martech and adtech companies earning finalist recognition.

The Philippines leads the region with 40 finalists, followed closely by Singapore with 35 and Malaysia with 34. Thailand recorded 21 finalists, while Indonesia followed with 13. 

Meanwhile, India contributed 5 finalists, with Bangladesh, Australia, and New Zealand each recording 3. Hong Kong, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and China also feature among the participating markets, underscoring the awards’ cross-market representation across Asia Pacific.

Brands and agencies leading the field

This year’s finalist nominations reflect strong competition across both brand and agency categories, with several organisations emerging as clear front-runners.

Among brands, Krungthai Bank PCL leads the field with 20 nominations. On the agency side, The Shout Group tops the rankings with 18 nominations. 

Top nominated brands

• Krungthai Bank PCL – 20 nominations
• Malaysia Airlines – 8
• PalawanPay – 8
• AirAsia Philippines – 7
• RHB Bank – 7
• Prudential Indonesia – 5
• CapitaLand Investment – 4
• Tata Sampann – 4
• Dove – Unilever Philippines – 4
• PepsiCo Malaysia – 3

Top nominated agencies

• The Shout Group –  18 nominations
• Dentsu Singapore – 6
• Digitas Thailand – 6
• VML Thailand – 5
• Havas Ortega – 5
• GIGIL – 5
• iProspect – 5
• Ogilvy Manila – 4
• Streamlined Campaigns – 4
• Wavemaker – WPP Media – 4

See full list of finalists HERE. 

Judging panel brings senior advertising leadership across APAC

Winners will be selected by a jury panel of senior marketing and advertising leaders from across the region, ensuring a balanced evaluation of creativity, strategy, execution, and measurable business impact.

The judging process spans four category groupings — Creative Advertising Campaigns is divided across four jury groups, while AdTech-Driven Advertising Campaigns is covered by two.

The Head of Jury appointments and categories are as follows:

• Diana Boo, Chief Marketing Officer, Boost Holdings, an Axiata Company (Malaysia) – Creative & AdTech-Driven Advertising Campaigns Categories
• Helen McRae, CEO, WPP Media SE Asia, Pakistan, S Africa & Taiwan, WPP Media (Singapore) – Creative & AdTech-Driven Advertising Campaigns Categories
• Kabeer Chaudhary, Global CEO, M+C Saatchi Performance (Singapore) – Creative Advertising & Platform Categories
• Rebecca Ang Lee, Chief Marketing Officer, MSIG Asia (Singapore) – Creative Advertising & People Categories

Other jury members include senior leaders from AEON360, Canva, Cheil Worldwide, Dentsu creative, FCB Shout, GCash, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Mondelez International, Prudential Indonesia, Publicis Groupe Hong Kong, and more. 

Full list of jury HERE. 

Joven Barcenas, CEO and Founder of MARKETECH APAC, said, “The Advertising Awards Asia Pacific is created to celebrate the boldness and ingenuity that defines advertising across our region. This year’s finalists are a testament to the strength of creativity and innovation coming from brands, agencies, and technology partners who are truly pushing the craft forward.”

The AAA 2026 Gala Night will take place on 29 July 2026 at One Farrer Hotel, Singapore, bringing together the region’s top advertising professionals to celebrate the best work across all categories, with Grand Prix honours awarded to the highest-scoring entries across the programme.

Participating brands, agencies, adtech organisations, and other parties interested to attend are invited to secure their seats for the Advertising Awards Asia Pacific 2026 Gala Night. For enquiries, please contact [email protected]. 

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For marketers, the market presents significant opportunities to engage increasingly omnichannel shoppers who move seamlessly between physical stores, social commerce platforms, online marketplaces, and brand-owned channels. 

At the same time, retailers are investing in technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud infrastructure, and automation to enhance customer experiences, optimise operations, and improve supply chain efficiency.

Within the backdrop of a constantly evolving retail and e-commerce landscape in the country, MARKETECH APAC and UpTech Media have joined forces to launch the second edition of the Retail & E-Commerce Innovation Marketing & Tech Summit: Philippines 2026 conference.

The event, happening on 10 September 2026 at Shangri-La The Fort, Manila, offers a sophisticated mix of high-level strategy and practical insights—from dynamic panels to high-impact keynotes. Moreover, the event will also deep dive into the innovative strategies and transformative technologies shaping the country’s rapidly evolving retail and e-commerce landscape.

The first lineup of speakers for the Retail & E-Commerce Innovation Marketing & Tech Summit: Philippines 2026 conference include:

• Hannah Pacaba, AVP, Marketing and Channels Revenue at Cocopan
• Beverly Maddul, Head of Performance Marketing and Customer Lifecycle Management at Concepcion Industrial Corporation
• Wendy Talan, Head of Digital and Private Sales at Diageo
• Katrina Lee-Chua, Assistant Vice President Strategy & Insights and Digital at McDonald’s Philippines
• Giann Vega, E-Commerce Head & Digital Data Transformation Lead at PepsiCo

The Retail & E-Commerce Innovation Marketing & Tech Summit: Philippines 2026 is the second iteration of said conference in the Philippines under the Retail & E-Commerce Marketing & Tech Summit series. The first one was held on 12 August 2025 at Shangri-La The Fort, Manila, and united industry leaders, marketing experts, and tech innovators in exploring the latest trends, strategies, and technologies driving the evolution of retail and e-commerce in the region.

For more information on the summit, visit the official event page HERE.

For speaking opportunities, contact Rachele Ciabal at [email protected].

For sponsorship opportunities, reach out to our sales team at [email protected].

For registration queries, contact Rizza Mae Escio at [email protected].

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Positioned as a celebration of dynamic and impactful content marketing, the CMAA 2026 programme recognises work that goes beyond creative execution to demonstrate strategic thinking, cultural relevance, and measurable business impact. 

The initiative highlights Asia Pacific’s excellence in content marketing, spotlighting how content continues to drive deeper audience connections and community building in an increasingly complex digital landscape. 

The 2026 edition features 50 categories spanning Marketing Campaigns and Industry-Focused Campaigns, along with Grand Prix honours for the highest-scoring entries across the programme.

Strong regional participation across Asia Pacific

The inaugural edition of CMAA attracted strong participation from marketing organisations across the region, with 61 organisations submitting entries, resulting in a total of 73 finalists.

Malaysia leads the region with 49 finalists, followed by Singapore with 36, and the Philippines with 30. Indonesia recorded 24 finalists, while Hong Kong followed closely with 23.

Other participating markets include Thailand, India, Vietnam, Australia, and Mongolia, underscoring the awards’ regional breadth and cross-market representation.

Brands and agencies leading the field

This year’s nominations reflect strong competition across both brand and agency categories, with several organisations emerging as clear front-runners.

Among brands, Malaysia Airlines leads with 22 nominations, followed by Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) and Cebuana Lhuillier (Philippines), each securing 12 nominations. 

On the agency side, Volare Advertising Network tops the list with 11 nominations, closely followed by GrowthOps with 9 nominations.

Top nominated brands

• Malaysia Airlines – 22 nominations
• Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) – 12
• Cebuana Lhuillier – 11
• Citiplaza Hong Kong – 10
• Hong Kong Tourism Board – 10
• Scoot – 9
• BOSCH HOME APPLIANCES (SINGAPORE) – 6

Top nominated agencies

• Dentsu Hong Kong – 11 nominations
• GrowthOps – 9
• LÈNGUA – 7
• Zeno Group – 7
• ADA Data AI Solutions Pte. Ltd. – 6
• Leo Burnett Hong Kong – 8
• VML Singapore – 5

See full list for finalists HERE.

Judging panel brings senior marketing leadership across APAC

Winners will be selected by a jury of senior marketing and advertising leaders from across the region, ensuring a balanced evaluation of creativity, strategy, execution, and measurable business impact.

The judging process is structured across four category groupings, with the Marketing Campaign Categories divided into three specialised divisions alongside the Industry-Focused Campaign Categories, each overseen by dedicated jury heads. 

The Head of Jury appointments and categories are as follows:

• Tim Green, Chief Creative Officer APAC, Edelman (Singapore) – Marketing Campaigns Categories (Brand, Storytelling & Cultural Impact)
• Andrew Pinto, Vice President, Unifi Brand and Marketing, Telekom Malaysia – Marketing Campaigns Categories (Integrated Campaigns, Partnerships & Impact)
• Rajat Basra, Chief Executive Officer, Omnicom Media Group (Indonesia) – Marketing Campaigns Categories (Performance, Platforms & Growth)
• Simone Tam, CEO Greater Bay Area, dentsu (Hong Kong) – Industry-Focused Categories

Other jury members include senior leaders from Burger King India, Discovery Hospitality, Doctor Anywhere, Ducati Asia Pacific, Edelman, Goldilocks Bakeshop, Harcourts International, Havas Asia Pacific, Mindvalley, Pos Malaysia, Telekom Malaysia, VIVAIA, VML Thailand, and Volare Advertising Network.

Full list of jury HERE. 

Commenting on the finalist line-up, Joven Barceñas, Founder and CEO of MARKETECH APAC, said, “The Content Marketing Awards Asia Pacific was established to spotlight excellence across the region’s fast-evolving content landscape. This year’s finalists reflect the strength of creativity and strategy coming from brands and agencies that are pushing the boundaries of what content marketing can achieve.” 

The CMAA 2026 Gala Night will take place on 9 July 2026 at Sheraton Petaling Jaya Hotel in Malaysia, where winners across all categories will be unveiled, alongside Grand Prix recognitions for top-performing entries.

Participating brands, agencies, and martech organisations are now invited to secure their seats for the Content Marketing Awards Asia Pacific 2026 Gala Night. For inquiries, please contact [email protected].

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The panel brings together a cross-section of senior marketing, brand, and customer experience leaders tasked with evaluating and recognising standout work shaping the future of marketing in Thailand.

As the first-ever Thailand edition and part of the broader NEXT Awards Series, the NEXT Awards Thailand 2026 expands the programme’s regional footprint, reinforcing its mission to spotlight marketing excellence across the Asia Pacific.

With a focus on “Shaping innovation, the future of marketing”, the awards will highlight campaigns and initiatives that demonstrate how brands and organisations are adapting to a rapidly evolving marketing landscape, particularly in one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic consumer markets.

The programme serves as a platform for Thailand’s marketing ecosystem, offering brands, agencies, and technology organisations the opportunity to showcase work that delivers both creative distinction and measurable business impact.

This year’s inaugural jury brings together leaders from across manufacturing, technology, FMCG, financial services, transport, and travel services brands. Their collective expertise will play a critical role in identifying work that sets new benchmarks for marketing effectiveness and innovation in Thailand.

The first set of jury members are the following:

• Leslie Luk, Regional Marketing Director, APAC at Dairy Queen
• Inura Jayasuriya, Head of Marketing – South East Asia and Far East Asia at Flora Food Group
• Pavarisa Chumvigrant, Chief Marketing Officer at FWD Life Insurance Public Company Limited
• Panomkorn Jirasatienpong, Marketing Director at Grab Thailand
• Kittinai Viputthikul, Head of Regional Marketing (Southeast Asia and Hong Kong) at Kraft Heinz
• Patchneewan Tanprawat, Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald’s Thailand
• Anuraag (Ragz) Agarwal, Head of Marketing at Mondelēz International
• Adchana Chaiteerapinyo, Director Marketing – APAC / MEA / India / Central Asia & Turkey at Rhenus Group 
• Jayden Purna, Product and Marketing Director at Trip.com
• Swita Charanasomboon, Marketing Director at Valvoline Global Operations

The NEXT Awards Thailand 2026 presents a total of 49 categories, encompassing standout campaign executions; agency excellence; and individual and team accomplishments, as well as the highly sought-after Brand, Agency, and MarTech Grand Prix distinctions.

The Grand Prix awards will spotlight the leading brands, agencies, and technology providers that achieve the highest cumulative scores across various categories. All scores submitted by the judging panel will be reviewed and validated by the head of the jury, who holds final authority in confirming the official list of finalists and winners.

A defining feature of the NEXT Awards is its tournament-style structure. Winners of Bronze, Silver, and Gold in Thailand will have the opportunity to advance to the NEXT Awards Asia Pacific 2026, where they will compete against top entries from other markets across the region.

This structure ensures that Thailand’s strongest marketing work is elevated beyond the local stage, allowing winners to benchmark their excellence against the best campaigns and strategies across Asia-Pacific.

Building on the success of previous editions in markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, and the Asia-Pacific grand finale held in 2025, the NEXT Awards continues to strengthen its position as a regional benchmark for marketing excellence.

The NEXT Awards Thailand 2026 gala night is scheduled to take place in September 2026. 

NEXT Awards 2026 also accepts entries from Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Singapore and the rest of the Asia Pacific. 

For nominations, sponsorship, or judging enquiries, interested parties may visit the official website or contact MARKETECH APAC’s Awards Team at [email protected].

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From connecting social conversations to seamless omnichannel pathways, to leveraging real-time data and cultural cues for timely engagement, the session–featuring Roshan Nandwani, Head of Marketing at Ayala Land Hospitality; Joepy Jean Libo-on, Brand Marketing Head at HONOR Philippines; and January Collamat, Head of Digital Marketing at Timezone Philippines, highlighted how brands can design strategies that not only capture attention but convert it into meaningful and scalable impact.

Turning customer engagement into real-world action

When first asked how a hospitality brand like Ayala Land Hospitality ensures that the luxury portrayed in their digital channels matches the physical one, Roshan shares that it all boils down to creating content that creates a ‘transformative feeling’, regardless of the destination being promoted online.

“What we do is we actually try to avoid gaps in all ways possible. The way we would want one to experience the conversion channel all the way to the actual product is that it just feels like it’s part of one story,” she said.

She also shared that customers feel great when they are outdoors, and that is the challenge they need to address when creating content about their properties.

“When you talk about high-end luxury, it’s making sure that the experience is end-to-end, it’s seamless. I think that’s the baseline. But the story has to be told across the entire journey. And for us, it should be that they all add on to the overall experience. So it’s not even that it leads up,” she said.

Roshan added, “It’s when you’re online, when you’re still in the pre-booking stage, when you’re excited, you’re opening yourself up to this journey that you’re about to take. And then the journey kind of closes itself, even after you leave the resort.”

Meanwhile, for a smartphone brand like HONOR, whose engagement is heavily driven by the rise of unboxing videos and online reviews, Joepy shares that the brand consistently maintains clear momentum in conversions as it navigates the challenge of converting customers from online to offline. In their case, they always keep tabs on tech YouTubers and media who are doing content that is relevant to their brand.

“We always make sure that there’s a clear momentum in terms of conversion…the context of that is that you have to monitor their performance within 24 to 48 hours if it’s driving views. And you also have to check the comments to see if their viewers and audience are engaging or there’s interest in the products. After that, that’s the time we inject or anchor it with a digital execution,” she explains.

Joepy added, “We make sure that their audience is being targeted by our ads, and these ads show how their audience can benefit from our products. Aside from that, we always lead their audience to go to either e-commerce stores or our physical stores by giving them promotions or exclusive flash deals, promos and all, so that all of the content that they’re doing will drive traffic, even at the very least, like 1% to 3% to our stores and potentially would increase into sales.”

As for January of Timezone, she shares how conversion rarely happens as a solo journey and is usually a group journey, given the nature of the business as an entertainment centre.

“What we do with our channels is we design the channel to be easily shareable. We come up with these journeys with a shared intent to make sure that it’s easy for our guests to be able to share with their community their experiences,” she said.

She also emphasised the importance of user-generated content and recommendations, treating them as a core marketing channel for the brand.

“For a brand that offers experience, people discover experience through the words of other people. We’re always on the lookout for how we can encourage our guests to share their experience on social media because we know that other people will discover it there,” she added.

Identifying the right signals amid a fast, insight-rich environment

Consumer behaviour will always have major shifts–and in the case of the hospitality industry, the concept of ‘staycations’ is on the rise, especially in the Philippines. When asked how Ayala Land Hospitality responds to this, Roshan says that it’s a blend of customers being comfortable with the data they share with the brand and stepping back into how guests approach bookings at the moment.

“All of that information helps us better understand how to improve their stay, what their patterns might be, but let’s be honest, in the vacation environment, in the leisure environment, especially with the recent crisis, everything has kind of changed. So, the data we had in terms of the classic RFM models is very different,” she explains.

Speaking about the change in guest behaviour in terms of staycations, she shared how they need to step back and look at what’s important for their guests. Previously, guests would travel far away from their homes and stay for two nights. Nowadays, just travelling to the hotel without traffic is considered a win for the guest, hence the need to be able to change strategy for hotel brands.

“We need to make sure that the experience is not just seamless in a kind of booking methodology, but seamless in a storytelling methodology as well. That said, it’s important to take a step back and look at what’s important to them. Given the current crisis, what is the new definition of relaxation? What is the new definition of being able to enjoy all of the amenities? And with that, I think we’re able to better understand how to bring them to the hotel, but also how to get them to have a more memorable and pleasurable experience at the hotel,” she explained.

Another sector that also experiences a lot of these changing consumer behaviours is the consumer technology space. With reviews and comments from netizens potentially being just ‘noise’ for brands, Joepy shares how brands should learn to take a step back and determine the real feedback versus ‘online noise’.

“When that happens to your brand, you have to step back. There’s nothing wrong if you listen to the bad comments about your products or your brands, because that’s the point of improvement for your brand. So you really have to listen. But to really identify what’s loud noise and what’s authentic or what’s real, ghost marketing comes into play as well,” she explained.

Speaking of ghost marketing, Joepy shares three ways they’re gathering authentic feedback: offline strategy for product pre-orders, scouring online forums and communities, and creating your own community.

Through this, she says that this allows them to discern the true customer versus mere ‘bashers’. “Check what’s outside the limelight so that you can pivot your brand and your product,” she noted.

Creating reach that feels authentic

Over at Timezone, January highlights how, despite having national-centric campaigns, they always tailor them to suit local market needs.

“Our hero message remains the same. But on top of that, there’s a supplemental message that we add to these campaigns to make it more localised,” she shared.

January further explained, “Even though we retain the hero message, which is bringing or celebrating every moment at Timezone or creating beautiful memories with your families and peers, there’s always a supplemental message that you can add to that to make it more effective to the local market that you have.”

For instance, if a venue is located in an area where it’s mostly students, Timezone will create products and different campaigns that are specific to the community, so that it resonates well with the market.

“Even though we retain the hero message, which is bringing or celebrating every moment at Timezone or creating beautiful memories with your families and peers, there’s always a supplemental message that you can add to that to make it more effective in the local market that you have,” she shared.

Speaking of creating campaigns that connect well with target audiences, Roshan also shared how scaling something–luxury, for instance–it isn’t just about the signal they are getting from a data point of view, but rather the emotional connection they get from the guests.

“Once you feel you are being spoken to, once you feel you are seen, once you feel that the person truly knows you and not just because you gave away the signal, you connect. And when you connect, that connects to you being able to decide with the brand or against the brand,” she shared.

Staying grounded while scaling fast

When asked for advice on how brands can stay grounded while scaling fast, Roshan quips about always staying human, which means learning how to take a step back.

“Take a step back and see what’s human. See what’s important to your consumers, go back to the basics of marketing in terms of what they are seeking, what they need, what is the message you want to connect with and go back to that, then things will kind of simplify for me,” she shared.

Meanwhile, Joepy stated that brands should check the age group of their organisation because if they listen to different age groups within the company, they will definitely teach them a lesson.

“Gen Z should educate the millennials and the boomers on how to integrate AI to improve the marketing executions and strategies. Millennials should bridge the generational gap in understanding of boomers, she said.

Speaking about the older generation of marketers, she shared, “You have to listen to them because they’re the ones who are not really that aggressive in the market and they see the real problems.”

Lastly, January put it bluntly by stating that marketers should ignore the pressure in trying to be in a thousand channels at once.

“Just keep remembering that the point is not to say a thousand things or be in a thousand places but to keep repeating the brand promise and experience that you can actually be proud of,” she concluded. 

****

Ultimately, the panel made it clear: the engagement engine isn’t about complex technology or ubiquitous presence, but rather the human element. By focusing on creating seamless, emotionally resonant experiences, listening intently to authentic customer signals, and grounding their scaling efforts in a clear, repeatable brand promise, these Philippine marketing leaders are defining a future where every customer interaction—digital or physical—is a powerful driver of measurable, long-term impact.

The “What’s NEXT in Marketing” conference series brings together industry leaders and practitioners to explore emerging trends, evolving consumer behaviours, and forward-looking strategies set to influence the region’s marketing landscape. 

With local editions happening soon across Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, the series will continue to explore what lies ahead for the future of marketing across Asia-Pacific this 2026 and beyond.

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At the What’s NEXT in Marketing: Philippines 2026 conference, marketing leaders Donna Salgado, AVP – Marketing, PR & Corp Comm at Eton Properties Philippines Inc.; Janelle Jacinto, Head of Brand and Communications at Home Credit; Rosebel Garcia, Head of Marketing at HERTZ Philippines, and Karl Baldry, Senior Enterprise Account Director at Proximus Global as they unpacked how rising expectations are reshaping the customer experience landscape in the Philippines.

From the growing demand for responsive and dependable support to the challenge of delivering frictionless service without compromising quality, the conversation highlighted how brands must balance efficiency with genuine care.

Creating efficient CX strategies without sacrificing quality

For Eton Properties’ Donna, she understands that for a premium developer brand like them, fast responses can shape first impressions—but meaningful engagement builds long-term trust.

“When we mapped it out, we wanted to make sure that we had it as accurately as possible. So it won’t matter if it’s their first inquiry or their tenth inquiry. It shouldn’t matter whether they are asking, ‘May I ask for a sample computation?’ Or ‘What’s the status of my unit?’ [or] ‘When am I going to move in?’ or ‘When is the turnover?’ What we need to do is to anticipate that need. Because just being fast is not going to gain their trust,’ Donna explained.

She also added that what will lose customer trust is when a brand is fast at first and then they are silent the next time without giving them updates. For her, it’s all about consistency at every touch point.

“Anticipate their needs, know what they are feeling, and how important this is for them. So that you can provide them before they even ask for it, you provide the update already,” Donna noted.

Meanwhile, Home Credit’s Janelle shared that speed is part of the process, like in their case, it’s all about the approval process for their loan offerings for items like cellphones, laptops, and appliances. However, intent remains vital in their CX process through offline engagement of their associates.

“Our online-to-offline experience is really important because it’s the interaction with our sales associates that becomes intentional. They explain everything, they explain what’s in the contract, they explain their payment terms, and that’s where I believe the balance between the speed and processing and the intentional and personal customer experience creates the whole premium. It’s not just about the speed, but it’s the balance between both,” she stated.

Customer service that shines

In a relationship-driven market like the Philippines, local customers demand human connection from the brands they interact with, while at the same time evolving to demand greater speeds amid the rise of digital services. 

In the case of Hertz Philippines, Rosebel highlights that their pre-confirmation call or message has remained as a ‘signature move’ for the brand amid increased adoption of contactless approvals.

“In the Philippines, we cannot deny the fact that we’re trying to lead towards more digital bookings and digital conversations with all of our renters. But I think one signature touch that we haven’t given up at this point is the pre-confirmation call or message…That’s where human intervention and human touch are still very important to us,” she explained.

Through this ‘move’, Rosebel explains that the brand’s fulfilment team will be reaching out to the client to check on their travel status–whether there have been delays or schedule changes–and waiting for them even beyond their office hours before they pick them up.

On a more technical note, Proximus Global’s Karl’s viewpoint on creating a service that shines is all about two-way engagement, where customers want to engage with the brand and the brand wants to engage with the customer.

“We’ve seen a real shift in the last year, two years, around brands engaging, doing one-way engagement. Now we’re seeing a two-way engagement with customers. And I think that’s probably one of the better drives we’re seeing in the industry. Obviously, the customer wants to have a voice, wants to come back, and they want to do that across omni-channel,” he explains.

As with any CX strategy implementation, Karl understands that this all depends on the company first, their internal challenges, and budgeting around that. But for him, moving to a true omni-channel solution will always be in response to the growing demand from customers to communicate with brands directly–whether across Viber, SMS, WhatsApp, or email.

“Customers want to be contacted at the right time, with the right offer, through the right medium, the right channel…The industry is definitely moving away, and focusing more on two-way engagement. That’s how brands capture the information, learn about their customers, and please their customers,” he said.

Building CX to foster customer confidence

Circling back to Eton Properties’ Donna regarding the property development experience, she shared that with the property buying experience being complex already in the Philippines due to paperwork, permits and legal requirements, they accept such complexity. What they want to assure customers is that they don’t get lost in that process maze.

“For us to build confidence with our prospects is to make sure that we anticipate their needs. That they would feel that this developer knows what they are doing, and that they are with me every step of the way,” she said.

Meanwhile, Home Credit’s Janelle notes how trust is still paramount in building confidence, as she highlights again the importance of their sales associates to build the ‘human touch’ aspect of customer experience.

“The online-to-offline experience is still very important for us. You can do everything in your app. You can get all the information that you can from the app. But it’s our frontliners that deliver that human touch,” she said.

Those ‘frontliners’ are composed of more than 10,000 sales associates, as well as their field collection officers, who are bonded by their purpose as a brand.

“All of our frontliners, even us in the back office, we’re all rooted in one thing, which is our purpose. And that is to power the everyday progress of every Filipino through every product that they purchase through us, from the services that they get from us, even to the after-sales. We’re not just about you buying, or you purchasing, or you getting a loan from us. It’s about how we help you throughout that process. And we’re consistent. We try to be consistent across all of our touch points,” she explained.

Janelle admits that systems will not always be perfect, especially with more companies migrating to digital platforms to interact with their customers. At the end of the day, despite using new digital platforms to engage with customers is creating efficiencies, engaging in-person for customer care is still important.

“Yes, we are going for the digital-first experience. But in a world where our hard-earned money is what we use to buy our stuff. I think the value of being able to talk to a real person in our call centre, in our customer care, is very important,” she added.

The ‘surprise and delight’ element in CX

In an industry that is very competitive in the mobility space, Hertz Philippines’ Rosebel shares three key human opportunity moments: quick response to travel-related disruptions, customer pickup, and drop-off. For her, this is all about putting the customer at the centre of everything–with little to no questions asked during the process.

“These moments are very crucial in building trust and, of course, not diminishing the human interaction value,” she noted.

Speaking more on the back-end side of things, Karl shares that part of creating the ‘surprise and delight’ for customer experience is combating fraud by bad actors online. For him, these tactics–from synthetic fraud, promo abuse, and fake account creation–should be prevented to protect brand integrity in the long run.

“When you think you catch up, they’re ahead. Every person here wants to protect their brand. Every person here wants to protect their customers. You don’t want to onboard bad actors because you don’t know what they’re going to do when they’re onboard,” he said.

An example of this is with Highlands Coffee in Vietnam, where they did an online promo, where if a customer signed up for a new account, they got US$1 off their purchase. Following this, a fraudster wrote a script which created a bot and basically took US$50,000 worth of vouchers from Highlands Coffee overnight. The next day, fraudsters were selling those online digital vouchers on the messaging platform Zalo for US$0.50.

“At the end of the day, you need to protect the brand, you need to protect the customer. Because if you don’t, you’re going to lose that customer,” he added.

The mindset Filipino brands must have for effective CX

Donna shared that the mindset for brands should change from merely responding to customers to actively knowing that the customers are their responsibility, especially at every interaction or in the long run.

“We have a responsibility to our customers for them to experience care in every interaction…What we want for our customers is to feel trust or for us to deliver trust that they can feel,” she says.

Meanwhile, Janelle shares that brands should be more honest and authentic and stop chasing virality always.

“More than the campaigns, more than the products that we sell, we really need to give value to the experience that we give to our customers from the very first pre-touch point with us, all the way to the aftercare. It’s what we need–to be authentic and transparent to them,” she says.

With the new generation of customers, Janelle says that they can see through the brand’s objective–and easily make comparisons online.

“We have to stop chasing virality engagement, and we have to go for authentic experiences that are real and that resonate with our customers,” she added.

As for Rosebel, she notes that for every revenue-centric decision being made by brands, know that customers will also feel it–and that brands need to be more mindful.

“I think for me, it’s the mindset shift that every revenue decision is a customer decision. Your products and your prices can be matched by a competitor. For the mobility or car rental industry, as long as I have a car and I can share it with others, that’s technically a car rental in a sense. So anyone can match that. But the emotional consistency with every customer touch point is very important, regardless if you’re a foreigner, you’re a Filipino, you’re booking digitally, or you’re booking walk-in to our renters–I think that’s very, very important,” she explains.

Lastly, Karl says that brands should balance the right customer experience to balance with existing customer behaviour.

“Obviously, we like to think customers are loyal, but we also know customers are very fickle…If you can’t provide the right customer experience, you’ll lose the customer. It’s about change, but doing the right change,” he concluded.

****

While speed and reliability remain essential, brands that stand out are those that go a step further, adding thoughtful touches that make customers feel valued rather than simply served. 

In an increasingly competitive landscape, the industry leaders underscored that the future of customer experience in the Philippines will belong to organisations that can seamlessly blend efficiency with empathy—turning everyday interactions into moments that customers remember and return for.

The “What’s NEXT in Marketing” conference series brings together industry leaders and practitioners to explore emerging trends, evolving consumer behaviours, and forward-looking strategies set to influence the region’s marketing landscape. 

With local editions happening soon across Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, the series will continue to explore what lies ahead for the future of marketing across Asia-Pacific this 2026 and beyond.

The post Service, speed, and surprise: Decoding what today’s Filipino customers truly expect appeared first on MARKETECH APAC.

Now in its second edition in Indonesia and part of the broader NEXT Awards Series, the NEXT Awards Indonesia 2026 continues to celebrate excellence in marketing innovation, creativity, and effectiveness. 

With a focus on “Shaping innovation, the future of marketing”, the programme highlights campaigns and initiatives that demonstrate how brands and organisations are evolving in response to a rapidly changing marketing landscape.

The awards serve as a key platform for Indonesia’s marketing ecosystem, providing brands, agencies, and tech organisations with an opportunity to showcase work that drives both creative distinction and measurable business impact in one of Southeast Asia’s most competitive markets.

This year’s jury brings together leaders from across manufacturing, technology, information, FMCG, retail, financial services, wellness and consumer brands. Their collective experience will be instrumental in identifying work that sets new benchmarks for marketing excellence in Indonesia.

The first set of jury members are as follows: 

• Frisma Sari Esra Simatupang, Head of Marketing at Erajaya Active Lifestyle 
• Maria Veronica Simanjuntak, Head of Marketing at Kohler Co.
• Kenny Kwanto, M.M., Chief Marketing Officer at Lion Parcel
• Arfindi Batubara, Marketing Director at Lixil
• Anggya Kumala, Marketing Director at Mondelēz International
• Patricia (Patty), Marketing Director at Oriflame Cosmetics
• Bianca Febriani, Marketing Director at PT Kanmo Retailindo (Kanmo Group)
• Bobby Suadi, Vice President of Marketing at Prudential 
• Bagus Erlangga, Corporate Marketing Director at Samsung Electronics
• Nuning Wahyuningsih, Marketing Director at Unilever Foods
  

The NEXT Awards Indonesia 2026 presents a total of 49 categories, encompassing standout campaign executions; agency excellence; and individual and team accomplishments, as well as the highly sought-after Brand, Agency, and MarTech Grand Prix distinctions.

The Grand Prix awards spotlight the leading brands, agencies, and technology providers that achieve the highest cumulative scores across various award segments. All scores submitted by the judging panel will be carefully reviewed and validated by the head of the jury, who holds final authority in confirming the official list of finalists and winners.

A distinctive feature of the NEXT Awards is its tournament-style structure. Winners of Bronze, Silver, and Gold from Indonesia will have a chance to advance to the NEXT Awards Asia-Pacific 2026, where they will compete against other markets across the region.

This structure ensures that Indonesia’s strongest marketing work is elevated beyond the local stage, giving winners the opportunity to benchmark their excellence against the best campaigns and strategies across Asia-Pacific.

Building on the success of its first Indonesian edition and previous editions across Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as the Asia-Pacific grand finale held in 2025, the NEXT Awards continues to expand its footprint as a regional benchmark for marketing excellence.

The NEXT Awards Indonesia 2026 gala night is scheduled to take place in August 2026.

NEXT Awards 2026 also accepts entries from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore and the rest of the Asia Pacific.

For nominations, sponsorship, or judging enquiries, interested parties may visit the official website or contact MARKETECH APAC’s Awards Team at [email protected].

The post NEXT Awards Indonesia 2026 second edition brings together top brand and marketing leaders for jury panel appeared first on MARKETECH APAC.

Against this high-velocity backdrop, MARKETECH APAC recently wrapped up its fourth edition of What’s NEXT in Marketing: Philippines 2026 on April 22 to 23, 2026. Taking over Shangri-La The Fort, Manila, the two-day conference served as a growth engine for the region’s marketers, offering the blueprints needed to turn industry disruption into a competitive edge.

For the first day of the conference, the topics dived straight into the heart of the modern Filipino consumer experience. The sessions moved beyond surface-level metrics, challenging leaders to redefine the customer journey through empathy and seamlessness. 

Highlights included deep dives into rebuilding brand trust amidst “AI slop” and content fatigue, mastering the delicate dance between automation and human intuition, and transforming experiential activations into measurable, viral impact. From breaking down internal silos to engineering “Intelligence Loops,” the opening day proved that in 2026, the brands that win are the ones that prioritise credibility over noise.

The speakers for day one included:

• Jason Drilon, Digital Marketing Head at ACMobility
• Raf Del Rosario, Chief Commercial Officer at AdSpark
• Martin Kelly, Director of Marketing (APAC) at Brandwatch
• Sharon Tanganco, Chief Marketing Officer at Del Monte Philippines
• Donna Salgado, AVP – Marketing, PR, and Corporate Communications at Eton Properties Philippines Inc.
• Denise Sy, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Ever Bilena
• Sonia Pascual, AVP, Marketing Strategy, Communications and Product Marketing,  at FWD Insurance
• Geli Angeles, Country Director for Marketing at GoTyme Bank Philippines
• Phil Tiongson, General Manager, Mx, Data Science & Analytics at HAVAS Ortega
• Rosebel Garcia, Head of Marketing at HERTZ Philippines
• Janelle Jacinto, Head of Brand and Communications at Home Credit
• Anthony Louis Guanzon, Chief Marketing Officer at Malayan Insurance Co., Inc.
• Chito Bauzon, Vice President, Head of Stakeholder Management and Marketing Services at Maybank
• Tiffany Batungbacal, Assistant Vice President at Primer Group of Companies
• Karl Baldry, Senior Enterprise Account Director at Proximus Global
• Bernard San Juan III, Managing Partner at TrueLogic
• Jason Yong, CEO and Founder at Unicom Marketing
• Wence Wenceslao, Global Digital Lead for Beauty and Wellbeing at Unilever

Moreover, for day two, the topics shifted towards the practical orchestration of brand presence and the evolving mechanics of consumer commerce. Key discussions explored the “less is more” approach to brand voice, the rise of conversational commerce, and the integration of creative automation as a new operating system for marketing efficiency.

Industry experts also dissected the transition from traditional sales funnels to connected e-commerce ecosystems, emphasising the need for brands to maintain a consistent presence across fragmented digital and physical touchpoints. The afternoon sessions rounded out the event by highlighting the enduring power of emotional storytelling and the strategic use of local culture and niche influencer partnerships to drive authentic community engagement and measurable business impact.

The speakers for day two included:

• Gian Directo, Head of Commercial AirAsia Philippines
• Roshan Nandwani, Head of Marketing at Ayala Land Hospitality
• Thomas Haugan, General Manager (APAC) at Bannerflow
• Maricar Grace Delos Santos – Relox, Head of Marketing at CHG Global (World Balance International)
• Roki Ferrer, Head of Data, dentsu
• Jasper Evangelista, Director of Brand Management at DITO Telecommunity Corp.
• Joey Flores, APAC Senior Team Lead, Influencer and Affiliate Marketing at Emma – The Sleep Company
• Greg Anonas, Marketing Director for International Wine and Food Group Emperador Distillers Inc.
• Mark Sarmiento – Business Unit Head at Galderma
• Gino Cruz, Marketing and Communications Director at Golden ABC
• Carlo Pagulayan, Assistant Director – Business Consultant, Business Solutions Consulting at Globe Business
• Eiji Macasaet, Head of Country Partnerships and Business Development at Grab Philippines
• Joepy Jean Libo-On, Brand Marketing Head, HONOR Philippines
• Marx Benedict So, Associate Marketing Director, Digital & Commercial Insights at Mega Prime Foods Inc.
• Moshe Baldo, E-Commerce Head at Monde Nissin Corporation
• Ace Ballesteros, AVP, Creative Content at Nestlé Philippines
• Ray Philip Pine, Global Director – Hydration at PepsiCo
• Karla Banua, Sales Director at Rakuten Viber
• January Collamat, Head of Digital Marketing at Timezone Philippines

The two-day conference was attended by 191 delegates, many of whom represented brands such as AirAsia, Bounty Plus Inc., CIMB Bank Philippines, Colgate-Palmolive, Del Monte Philippines, L’Oreal Philippines, MR. D.I.Y. Philippines, Nestlé Philippines, Skyro, UnionBank Philippines, and many more.

The conference was backed by its Gold Sponsors, Brandwatch and Proximus Global; Silver Sponsors, GrabAds, Rakuten Viber, and Unicom Marketing; Bronze Sponsors, AdSpark, Globe Business, Inquiro, and TrueLogic; and event partners, Bannerflow and ConvoTrack.

Speaking on the conclusion of the event, Joven Barceñas, Founder and CEO of MARKETECH APAC, underscored his gratitude to the attendees and highlighted the importance of loading up on ideas: “Your mental browser is at capacity, with over 40 tabs of insights, strategies, and new connections all running at once. That’s the goal…to get you more ideas to future-proof your marketing strategies.”

He continued, “As we close this 4th edition of What’s NEXT in Marketing Philippines, I want to thank those who helped fill those tabs with high-value content. To our speakers—thank you for your generosity. From the nuances of AI to the battle for brand credibility, you’ve given us the roadmap. To our sponsors and partners—thank you for your support that allows this community to move forward, together. And to our delegates—now, the real work begins. I challenge you to take one disruptive idea from your ‘mental tabs’ and actually turn it into action. The world isn’t waiting for us to get comfortable. When the future arrives faster than expected, will you be ready… or will you still be catching up? Let’s change that and let’s keep evolving.”

Beyond the Philippine leg, the 2026 conference series is set to continue its run across Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, reinforcing MARKETECH APAC’s role in powering the pulse of advertising across the region.

For partnership inquiries regarding the next conference series, please reach out to [email protected]. 

The post ‘What’s NEXT in Marketing: Philippines 2026’ concludes fourth edition with focus on human-centric AI and connected commerce appeared first on MARKETECH APAC.

The NEXT Awards Hong Kong 2026 is designed to recognise marketing excellence within the city, celebrating breakthrough campaigns, strategies, and initiatives that demonstrate creativity, innovation, and measurable business impact—anchored in its focus on “Shaping innovation, the future of marketing.”

The programme provides a platform for brands, agencies, and solution providers to showcase how they are redefining marketing effectiveness in one of Asia’s most competitive and dynamic markets.

The jury, comprising senior leaders from across industries including insurance, media, FMCG, retail, beauty, logistics technology, tourism, energy, consumer electronics, and manufacturing, brings diverse expertise and perspectives to the judging process. Their collective experience will play a critical role in identifying work that sets new benchmarks for marketing excellence in Hong Kong.

The jury members for the NEXT Awards Hong Kong 2026 are:

• Phyllis Wong, Head of Marketing & SMB at ASUS
• Reiko Kwok, Chief Marketing Officer, Active Traders Business & General Manager, Hong Kong at Exinity Group
• Karl Li, Global Marketing Director at Express LUCK Technology Ltd.
• Sarah Starck, Regional Marketing Director APAC at Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions
• Carmen Lau, Vice President Marketing at Ingrid Millet Paris
• Olivia Tang, Senior Marketing Director at Kao HK Limited
• Quincy Yip, Director, Customer Experience & Marketing  at Lalamove
• Rita Fan, Head of Marketing – Ice Cream & Chilled at Nestlé
• Franklin Law, Marketing Director at Ocean Park Corporation
• Jacqueline Choi, Chief Officer, Group Marketing at Prudential plc
• Ivy Wong, Head of Marketing at Shell Hong Kong
• Paul Phillips, Marketing Director at South China Morning Post
• Tony Fu, Marketing Director at Vita Green Health Products Co., Ltd.
• Lydia Yau, Regional Soy Brand Design Head at Vitasoy International
• Ada Lau, Marketing Director at WeChat Pay HK
  

The NEXT Awards Hong Kong 2026 presents a total of 49 categories, encompassing standout campaign executions, agency excellence, individual and team accomplishments, as well as the highly sought-after Brand, Agency, and MarTech Grand Prix distinctions.

The Grand Prix awards spotlight the leading brands, agencies, and technology providers that achieve the highest cumulative scores across various award segments. All scores submitted by the judging panel will be carefully reviewed and validated by the head of the jury, who holds final authority in confirming the official list of finalists and winners.

A distinctive feature of the NEXT Awards is its tournament-style structure. Winners of Bronze, Silver, and Gold from Hong Kong will have a chance to advance to the NEXT Awards Asia-Pacific 2026, where they will compete against other markets across the region.

This structure ensures that local champions have the opportunity to showcase their excellence on the regional stage, vying for recognition as the best in marketing and innovation across Asia-Pacific.

The launch of the NEXT Awards in Hong Kong builds on the success of the programme’s earlier editions in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, as well as the Asia-Pacific grand finale held in 2025.

The NEXT Awards Hong Kong 2026 gala night is scheduled to take place in November 2026.

NEXT Awards 2026 also accepts entries from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and the rest of Asia Pacific.

For nominations, sponsorship, or judging enquiries, interested parties may visit the official website or contact MARKETECH APAC’s Awards Team at [email protected].

The post First jury roster for inaugural NEXT Awards Hong Kong 2026 announced, featuring cross-industry marketing leaders appeared first on MARKETECH APAC.

Set to take place on 21 October 2026 at Sheraton Petaling Jaya, the summit serves as a premier gathering for the region’s marketing and technology elite. The event aims to bridge the gap between high-level marketing strategy and the cutting-edge technology infrastructure required to power modern commerce.

With Malaysian consumers increasingly demanding hyper-personalisation and frictionless omnichannel journeys, the 2026 summit will focus on moving beyond traditional “clicks-and-mortar” models. 

Under the theme of driving sustainable and intelligent growth, the conference will explore how AI-powered automation, predictive analytics, and next-gen payment solutions are redefining the path to purchase.

Attendees can look forward to a dynamic lineup featuring keynote presentations, interactive panel discussions, and fireside chats with leaders from Malaysia’s top retail brands and tech innovators.

The first lineup of speakers for the Retail & E-Commerce Innovation Marketing & Tech Summit: Malaysia 2026 include:

• Sachin Suresh, Business Head – South East Asia at Babyshop, Landmark Group
• Nicole Lim, Assistant General Manager, E-Commerce & Digital Advertising at HABIB Group
• Kshitij Pradeep, Head of E-Commerce at Omnicom Media Group
• Julia Rybalchenko, Head of Marketing APAC at Uhrenholt A/S
• Neeraj Mishra, Head of Media, Data, and BI at Vinda

The Retail & E-Commerce Innovation Marketing & Tech Summit: Malaysia 2026 is the second iteration of said conference in Malaysia under the Retail & E-Commerce Marketing & Tech Summit series. The first one was held on 17 July 2025 at Sheraton Petaling Jaya and united industry leaders, marketing experts, and tech innovators in exploring the latest trends, strategies, and technologies driving the evolution of retail and e-commerce in the region.

For more information on the summit, visit the official event page HERE.

For speaking opportunities, contact Clifford Baliton at [email protected]

For sponsorship opportunities, reach out to our sales team at [email protected].

For registration queries, contact James Daganta at [email protected].

The post MARKETECH APAC, UpTech Media announce second edition of ‘Retail & E-commerce Innovation Summit’ in Malaysia for 2026 appeared first on MARKETECH APAC.