Dhaka Forum Charts Human-Centred AI Marketing

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in marketing, the need to preserve human judgment, ethics and consumer trust is becoming more important. Bringing this issue to the forefront, World Marketing Forum 6.0 was held at BRAC University in Dhaka on October 30–31, 2026. The two-day international gathering brought together marketing leaders, academics, government representatives and industry practitioners to examine the responsible use of AI and its implications for the future of the profession.

Presented by Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC and powered by ACI Motors Limited, the Forum was convened by the World Marketing Council (WMC) and co-hosted by Bangladesh Brand Forum in partnership with BRAC University and BRAC Business School. The sixth edition was themed “Artificial Intelligence in Marketing: Human + Tech.”

The welcome address was delivered by Sajid Mahbub, Secretary General of the World Marketing Council and Marketing Society of Bangladesh (MSB), and Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Editor of Bangladesh Brand Forum. “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, Dean of BRAC Business School at BRAC University, delivered the opening remarks. He welcomed the international delegates and highlighted the role of academic institutions in preparing marketing professionals for an AI-driven future.

Over the two days, the Forum hosted 10 keynote sessions, two case studies and two panel discussions. It also presented the World Marketing Council’s “Dhaka Declaration: Marketing for Global Good—Y2030 & Beyond.” Adopted jointly by the WMC, Asia Marketing Federation (AMF), African Marketing Confederation (AMC) and European Marketing Confederation (EMC), the declaration reflects a shared commitment among organisations representing 54 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe. It sets out a common ambition to advance marketing for global good, responsible leadership and collective action towards 2030 and beyond.

The first day’s keynote programme opened with Professor Philip Kotler, American marketing author, consultant and Professor Emeritus, and former S. C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Joining virtually, he set the tone by examining how AI and human judgment can work together in marketing.

Kotler said AI can help businesses improve efficiency, understand customer needs, identify market opportunities and forecast sales and profits. However, he advised companies to adopt the technology gradually and responsibly rather than becoming fully dependent on it. Human creativity, supervision and judgment, he stressed, must remain central to marketing.

He also urged marketing and finance teams to work together to balance customer growth, brand building, budgets and financial performance. Companies should regularly assess whether their AI investments are delivering measurable gains in productivity, costs and profitability, he added.

Hermawan Kartajaya, Co-founder of the World Marketing Forum, Founder of the Asia Marketing Federation, and Founder and Chair of MCorp (MarkPlus, Inc.), followed with a keynote on combining technology with human values to make marketing a force for global good through 2030 and beyond. He argued that successful marketing requires technological innovation to be balanced with human values, creativity, trust and social responsibility.

Businesses, he said, must understand changing customer needs, social expectations and cultural trends to distinguish themselves. AI can create new opportunities and improve customer experiences, but its use must remain guided by human responsibility. Kartajaya urged companies to move beyond conventional competition and pursue “Generative Advantage” by creating new products, experiences and markets. He also emphasised that marketing should extend beyond profit-making to generate positive social and environmental impact through ethical practices and inclusive growth.

Other Day 1 keynote speakers included Tara Yoon, Head of Partner Performance, Channel Sales—Southeast Asia at Google and former Group Manager at Performics, and Eric Ku, Founder of Itrain Asia, Malaysia. Yoon explored how human curiosity, combined with AI capabilities, can help marketers ask better questions and improve performance. Ku discussed how AI is turning consumers into creators, lowering barriers to marketing entrepreneurship and opening new income opportunities across the Global South.

Day 2 began with Professor Syed Ferhat Anwar, President of the World Marketing Council and Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University. He described AI as an inevitable force in marketing and examined its psychological effects on brands and consumers.

Dr. Dan Visitchaichan, Vice President and Chief of Learning Architect and Marketing Innovation at the Marketing Association of Thailand, and Second Vice President of the Asia Marketing Federation, discussed the future of marketing as a partnership between the human mind and intelligent machines.

Helen McIntee-Carlisle, President of the African Marketing Confederation and former Managing Director and Academic Director of the IMM Graduate School of Marketing, explored emerging trends in glocal marketing. Her discussion focused on how global brands build local relevance in a changing world and whether the approach remains effective.

Dr. A. K. Enamul Haque, Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), examined the productivity gains AI brings to marketing and who ultimately benefits from that value. Nafis Faysal, Co-founder of Vosu.ai, shared an entrepreneur’s perspective on the future direction of AI. Ralf Strauss, President of the European Marketing Confederation, concluded the keynote series with a discussion on AI regulation in marketing and the safeguards required by the profession.

The Forum’s two panel discussions focused on practical challenges. On Day 1, panellists considered whether AI could level the playing field for small and medium-sized enterprises. They discussed how affordable tools could help smaller businesses compete with larger players and what would be required to adopt those tools effectively.

The Day 2 panel examined how universities and industry could work more closely to translate academic research into practical business solutions. Two case studies—one on BRAC University and another on the combination of artificial and analogue intelligence in Korea’s K-Culture—added institutional and cultural perspectives. Special remarks on the future of AI further enriched the discussions.

Across the sessions, a recurring message was that AI can create lasting value only when guided by human judgment, ethics and trust. The Forum concluded with the presentation of the Dhaka Declaration: Marketing for Good, jointly by the Asia Marketing Federation, African Marketing Confederation, European Marketing Confederation and World Marketing Council, followed by the closing session.

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

World Marketing Forum 6.0 was presented by Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC as Title Partner, powered by ACI Motors Limited, with support from PRAN. Bangladesh Brand Forum organised the event in collaboration with the Asia Marketing Federation, European Marketing Confederation, African Marketing Confederation, BRAC University, BRAC Business School, Marketing Society of Bangladesh, Marketers’ Institute Bangladesh, Backpage PR and the World Marketing Council.

//DBTech/Correspondent/Edited/Output//