Marketing Today

Two weeks ago, I argued that being absent from an AI-generated answer is now more damaging than ranking second in a search result. The response was strong. The fair follow-up question was: where’s the proof this is already happening, not just theorised? Two data points, from two different directions, answer it. 1. The Consumer Side […]

How by.U and Hybrid Combined Context, Creative, and Programmatic to Drive 117x ROAS For Indonesia’s Gen Z, the digital journey is not linear. They scroll through social feeds, watch videos, read articles, and switch between apps within minutes. According to Nielsen Norman Group, up to 86% of users ignore standard banner formats. For brands like

AI isn’t simply changing how consumers search. It is beginning to influence which brands become part of the conversation in the first place. Every recommendation made by an AI platform reflects a series of choices. When consumers ask AI to compare smartphones, recommend a financial service, explain skincare ingredients, or shortlist travel destinations, the response

Retail Media Networks (RMNs) have become one of marketing’s fastest-growing investment areas. The challenge is no longer proving they work, it is agreeing on how to measure whether they worked. Across APAC, retailers, marketplaces, and commerce platforms are expanding their media businesses, while brands continue shifting larger portions of trade and digital budgets into retail

One of the most persistent myths in modern business is that marketing and finance operate on opposite sides of the growth equation. Marketing creates demand. Finance controls investment. The reality is far more interesting. Both functions are responsible for the same outcome: sustainable enterprise growth. Yet in many organisations, they continue to evaluate that objective

In the age of infinite creative scale, coherence is the new competitive advantage. We solved the wrong problem. For years, the creative bottleneck in marketing was production. Not enough time, not enough budget, not enough hands to build everything a campaign needed across formats, markets, and audiences. Generative AI fixed that. Thousands of variants. Multiple languages. Platform-ready in minutes.

If marketing is to play a more influential role in enterprise leadership, it must first confront an uncomfortable truth: influence without credibility is temporary. Across conversations and debates, there was broad agreement that marketing needs a larger seat at the table. As consumer behaviour fragments, AI reshapes discovery, and growth becomes harder to engineer, businesses

Every generation of business leaders operates with a set of assumptions about how growth works. Build scale. Increase awareness. Expand distribution. Invest in marketing. Grow market share. For decades, these principles served organisations well. They created some of the world’s most valuable brands and successful businesses. Today, many of those assumptions are being challenged simultaneously.

Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA) Indonesia convened the country’s most consequential marketing and advertising leaders at JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta on 16 July 2026 for MMA Marketing Talk 2026.   The conference opened under the theme “Lead with Innovation. Grow with Purpose,” bringing together more than 35 thought leaders, including Chief Marketing Officers, Chief Technology Officers, and Heads of Brand, Marketing,

Indonesia’s retail sector continues to show strong momentum, recording 6.5% year-on-year growth in February 2026, driven by robust household consumption. Yet growth alone is no longer enough. Rising operational costs, fragmented customer journeys, limited operational visibility, and higher expectations for seamless experiences are reshaping what drives retail success.   Today’s path to purchase is no longer