Fall 2014 Sir Gordon Wu Forum

Tom Doctoroff
CEO, JWT Asia Pacific

Rediscovering the Art of Brand Marketing in China’s Digital Age

Mass media is alive and well as a key tool for long-term brand building.  However, in China and throughout the world, the landscape of brand communications has fundamentally evolved since the rise of digital media.  Brand advocacy, or harnessing the power of technology to establish a one-on-one dialog between consumers and manufacturers, provides a potent platform to increase shopper loyalty and profit margins.  In order to efficiently leverage a new digital canvas, marketers will need to complement the traditional model of broadcast communication with a new model that triggers participatory digital engagement to spread the word, transforming owned media into earned media.  In a lively, case-filled presentation inspired by his new book, Twitter Is Not a Strategy: Rediscovering the Art of Brand Marketing (Palgrave Macmillan, Nov. 11), JWT Asia Pacific CEO Tom Doctoroff will uncover how today's savviest marketers are driving brand advocacy.  More specifically, he will: a) outline the marketing implications of this new paradigm, b) highlight the topography of China’s digital landscape including the role of on-line opinion leaders, and c) uncover the motivations of hundreds of millions of empowered netizens that can be satisfied through brands.

About the Forum
The Sir Gordon Wu Distinguished Speaker Forum at Columbia Business School promotes the academic study and professional understanding of China's economy and business practices. By bringing recognized business leaders and policy makers to New York to share their perspectives on this vital region, the Sir Gordon Wu Speaker Forum informs and engages Columbia Business School faculty, students and alumni through an active dialogue about China and its prospects in the 21st century. The Sir Gordon Wu Distinguished Speaker Forum at Columbia Business School was made possible by the generosity of Sir Gordon Wu and the Wu family.