BeijingJune 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On June 12, 2026, the 2026 IAI International Creative Festival opened in Beijing. As we enter the AI era, technology is reshaping content. This year’s event, themed “Harnessing Momentum for New Growth,” explores definitive pathways in an era of uncertainty, witnesses how different forces converge, and understands how growth is being regenerated. The festival focuses on hot topics such as AI technology, content, industry, and regional development, exploring the paradigm shift from traffic-driven to structure-driven growth, helping brands build sustainable value generation mechanisms in a complex and diverse market environment.
The two-day creative festival consists of four core segments: the Chuanjian Brand Summit, the Chuanjian Awards, the Grand Prix PK Creative Competition, and the 26th IAI International Advertising Awards and Vertical Awards Ceremony. The forum on the 12th brought together representatives from multiple heavyweight institutions and enterprises, including professors from the Communication University of China, the General Manager’s Office of China Media Group (CMG), Google, Focus Media, Weibo, NetEase Media, Xiaohongshu, Huatie Media, Wanglaoji, Youshi Technology, Mamam.cn, CICC Wealth, iFLYTEK, the National University of Singapore, Shengshu Technology, and Chuanjian Cultural Creativity. They delivered speeches and engaged in exchanges on hot topics such as brand innovation, content marketing, AI applications, consumer trends, and regional economic development.
Today, under the theme “Harnessing Momentum for New Growth,” experts and scholars delivered on-site speeches and shared insights.
Momentum Engine: The New Underlying Logic of Growth in the AI Era
“Harnessing Momentum for New Growth — Humanistic Value and Ecological Growth in the AI Era”
Ding Junjie, Professor at the Communication University of China, Acting President of the China Advertising Association of Commerce
Professor Ding Junjie delivered a speech titled “Harnessing Momentum for New Growth.” He pointed out that the advertising industry is in an era where the logic of growth is being restructured: traffic dividends are giving way to new growth methods—structural drivers—while AI is simultaneously reshaping the industry’s content, communication, business, and productivity. The core of harnessing momentum for new growth lies in the two concepts of “momentum” and “new growth.” Momentum is not a resource but a direction; new growth is no longer a simple accumulation of scale and quantity, but a shift towards growth that equally emphasizes structure, scale, and ecology.
We need grassroots teams. Marketing is not just about first-tier markets; there are also third-tier, fourth-tier, and fifth-tier markets. We need down-to-earth marketing methods. Many small productions create great value, and so-called professionalism often falls short. Restructuring can help us see what our so-called “professionalism” truly is. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to meet the expectations of our industry and clients in the future. But technology is not the final answer. Algorithms can define preferences, but they cannot define the human heart.
Xu Lijun, Deputy Convener of the General Manager’s Office of China Media Group (CMG), pointed out in his speech that AI is profoundly reshaping the marketing industry ecosystem and brand growth methods. He summarized three core logics for brand growth in the AI era: First, the shortcomings of pure traffic placement in the AI era are increasingly magnified; only by building a brand moat can one gain a voice in an algorithm-dominated era. Second, AI can mass-produce homogenized content but cannot create value and trust; relying on the authoritative narrative and high-quality content of national-level platforms can effectively help brands enhance their communication momentum. Third, with the widespread adoption of large models, AI has a strict content credibility mechanism, making authoritative sources the ultimate competitive advantage for brands in the long run. In the future, CMG will continue to leverage its core advantages in credibility, national-level narrative, and AI authoritative sources, accompanying more Chinese brands in cultivating long-term value tracks and achieving high-quality, sustainable long-term growth in the new AI development cycle.
“A.I. Creating New Marketing Possibilities”
Huang Jiezhong, Chief Marketing Officer, Google Greater China
While the industry is broadly asking “what AI strategy should we have,” Huang Jiezhong offered a different answer: companies don’t need a standalone “AI strategy”; they need to use AI to execute existing business strategies. Citing a joint study by Google and BCG covering over 3,000 marketers across 20 markets, he deconstructed 51 key capabilities of an “AI-empowered marketing engine” across four dimensions: measurement and insights, media and personalization, creativity and content, and team and processes. In the world of AI, everyone can be a creator. When doing AI and marketing, the most important thing is still to return to the user—as long as you have imagination, you can achieve many things. AI is changing the way marketers work; this is the future of marketing.
“Digital and Intelligent Evolution of Traditional Media in AI Symbiosis”
Chen Peng, Professional Partner, Focus Media
Chen Peng, Professional Partner at Focus Media, pointed out that AI is rapidly driving the marketing industry into an era of full-link closed loops, but the core of advertising remains “people.” Judgment, creativity, and decision-making ability are still the core barriers for marketers.
During the roundtable discussion, Zhao Mei, Chairman of Yangtuo International Integrated Communication Group, emphasized the need to value trust communication in the AI era. Brands should build a clear narrative thread and accumulate data assets. Wei Xiaodong, Head of the Business Expansion Center at China Mobile Migu, used the AI World Cup as an example to showcase personalized smart viewing experiences and precision marketing. Jiang Duo, Associate Professor at the School of Cultural Industries Management, Communication University of China, pointed out that AI will not replace advertising professionals, but advertising professionals who do not use AI will be eliminated.
“Mastering Trending Topics: From Predictable Tracking to Mindshare Compounding”
Chen Yuanyuan, Senior Director of Industry Strategy, Weibo Commercial Data Strategy Center
Trending topics are never mystical; they are predictable, manageable, deterministic assets. From the perspective of social big data, she directly addressed the core challenge brands face amidst the wave of trending topics: how to convert “transient traffic” into “long-term retention” is a question we need to consider. Using real cases from Weibo, Chen Yuanyuan proposed that managing trending topics requires focusing on four key anchors: predictability, traceability, scalability, and sustainability. By leveraging trend prediction models to gain early insights, quickly capitalizing on organic trends, and building composite tags to strengthen mindshare memory, brands can achieve lasting impact. Compared to a single burst of a trending topic, normalized, long-cycle continuous operation holds greater value—this is the key to finding a deterministic path for long-term growth in the social media torrent.
“Breaking Information Bubbles — Building Consensus and Resonance in Travel Scenarios”
Du Jinsong, Senior Vice President, Huatie Media Group
Algorithms are building invisible barriers between brands and consumers, making cross-circle communication and social consensus increasingly difficult. How to break through information bubbles has become an unavoidable proposition for every marketer. As a super offline traffic entry point, high-speed rail media, during several hours of enclosed travel, allows brands to deeply communicate with core business travelers, achieving a complete closed loop from exposure to mindshare occupation. Based on the methodology of “building consensus, triggering empathy, achieving resonance, and creating synergy,” future brand marketing is shifting from traffic thinking to scenario thinking. Rebuilding connections in real, flowing scenarios is the key to achieving both brand building and performance.
“In the AI Content Era, Do the Difficult but Right Things”
Wang Zhe, General Proposal Planning Director, NetEase Media
NetEase has always regarded AI as a core corporate strategy, adhering to the approach of “business endogenous, vertical implementation, AI-driven upgrade,” completing a full-dimensional AI layout across large models, intelligent agents, and various business lines. However, NetEase believes that the truly difficult and long-term “right thing” in the AI content era is never about competing on technology or traffic, but about understanding the ever-changing people. Wang Zhe pointed out that young consumers today are caught in the dual dilemma of “emotional entanglement” and “value sensitivity,” which is the core challenge for brand marketing. Based on this insight, NetEase proposed a dual-core content marketing model of “Emotion × Value”: capturing attention with emotional and valuable original content, amplifying communication influence through emotional resonance and value identification, and ultimately driving commercial conversion through “emotional value + cost performance,” creating a complete closed loop from content to social interaction to consumption. Leveraging NetEase’s content ecosystem covering all aspects of young people’s lives, including NetEase Games and NetEase Xiaomi Feng, NetEase will always take users as the marketing endpoint, partnering with brands to empower value through emotion and navigate industry cycles.
Brand New Vitality: Consumption Restructuring and Brand Value Leap
“Harnessing the New IP Ecosystem: Creating a New Engine for Brand Growth”
Lian Yousheng, CEO, Chuanjian International Brand Management
Lian Yousheng, CEO of Chuanjian International Brand Management, pointed out that as traffic dividends fade, the dimension of competition is upgrading. This competitive landscape is shifting from a contest of products and resources to a deeper battle of cognition, emotion, and culture. Consequently, IP has become a new engine for brands to navigate cycles and leverage growth.
At the conference, Chuanjian Cultural Creativity, together with GARFIELD Family, Beijing Zoo, Aerospace Cultural Creativity, and ARTiSTORY, jointly announced the establishment of the “Chuanjian IP Development Center (IAIP).” This center will aggregate high-quality global IP resources, comprehensively empower content marketing and multi-dimensional scenario reconstruction, and help companies anchor long-term value growth paths in the stock era.
“From a Bowl of Herbal Tea to a Natural Beverage: Wanglaoji’s Brand Innovation and Development Path”
Huang Liangshui, Head of Brand Management Department, Wanglaoji Great Health Company
From a bowl of herbal tea to a global leader in plant-based beverages, Wanglaoji has charted a unique path of brand evolution driven by culture over decades. Huang Liangshui summarized its core as “using cultural consensus to create content, using content thinking to develop products, and using product thinking to execute marketing.” This path has propelled the brand to top the China Brand Power Index for herbal tea for ten consecutive years and driven sustained high growth in overseas markets. Simultaneously, the brand deeply cultivates the “Ji Culture” (auspicious culture) IP, creating a series of content tied to key life milestones, and through cross-border collaborations and innovative packaging, makes the product itself a source of topics and traffic.
New Content Ecosystem: Value Communication After the Ebb of Traffic
“Brand Mindshare Breakthrough: Entering Users’ Hearts — Xiaohongshu Marketing IP Solutions”
Weixi, Head of Durable Goods Industry & Key Node Marketing, Xiaohongshu Commercial Marketing Middle Platform
Starting from the real-world challenges of the tech and digital industry, Weixi shared how Xiaohongshu’s marketing IP helps brands break free from the mindshare dilemma of parameter competition. As product homogenization spreads and user willingness to pay a premium for recognition continues to decline, pure parameter competition can no longer support brand differentiation. She proposed that Xiaohongshu’s marketing IP starts from real user needs, transforming rational parameters into tangible perceptions. Through deep scenario understanding, it helps brands capture differentiated mindshare, and leverages user resonance and cultural value identification to support brand premium and preference. Using cooperation cases with leading brands like vivo, OPPO, and Huawei as examples, she systematically presented a three-tier mindshare building path of “tangible perception — exclusive recognition — value identification,” helping tech and digital brands move from traffic competition to mindshare resonance, achieving a true brand breakthrough.
“Breaking the Cycle of Ad Spend Competition: AI Traffic Compounding in the Fragmented Time Economy”
Lin Peisen, CEO/Founder, Youshi Technology
Lin Peisen stated that as traffic costs continue to rise while conversion efficiency diminishes, traditional advertising methods are changing. Brands are continuously paying for “attention that gets swiped away.” He believes that in the fragmented time economy, being “fun and engaging” is the fundamental way to be remembered and shared organically. The emergence of AI agents allows brands to create such moments in the physical world at low cost and scale. Youshi Technology leverages AI technology to inject “Youshi Cars” into the physical world, constructing a new performance-based traffic system covering CPM/CPC/CPA/Token. Through engaging interactions in real-world scenarios, it unlocks high-conversion, self-propagating AI traffic compounding.
“Multi-Point Integration to Energize the New Era: How Mamam.cn Helps Brands Transition from Quantity to Quality”
Liu Jundi, Vice President of Sales, Mamam.cn
From the perspective of a maternal and child vertical platform, Liu Jundi focused on the consumption decision-making characteristics of the new generation of mothers: “love tools, slow decisions, multiple touchpoints.” She pointed out that brands are increasingly competing in channels like private domains, live streaming, short videos, and offline advertising. Exposure is increasing, but trust is decreasing; touchpoints are multiplying, but user decisions are slowing down. She believes that brand investment in the maternal and child market should not be seen as one-time exposure but as a long-term trust accumulation spanning several years. It requires an integrated approach of “precise scenario penetration + private domain word-of-mouth accumulation + authoritative content positioning” to convert platform trust assets into their own brand assets. Only then can brands establish a truly cross-cycle marketing paradigm in the maternal and child market.
Intelligent New Species: How Can Artificial Intelligence Become a New Entry Point for Brand Growth?
At the “Intelligent New Species” roundtable forum of the 2026 IAI International Creative Festival, four guests from Youshi Technology, iFLYTEK, Shengshu Technology, and the National University of Singapore gathered to discuss “How Can Artificial Intelligence Become a New Entry Point for Brand Growth?” The forum was moderated by Wang Xiaomin, Deputy General Manager of the Digital Center at CICC Wealth. The guests engaged in a deep, cross-industry, cross-perspective dialogue on topics including entry point migration, digital employees, embodied intelligence, and marketing logic.
Is AI transforming from a tool into an entry point? Lin Peisen, CEO of Youshi Technology, believes that AI allows machines to truly “understand” human natural language, opening up new possibilities for deep brand-user interaction. Dong Bin, Deputy General Manager of the Brand Market Center at iFLYTEK, added that from voice search to large model dialogue to integrated software-hardware intelligent terminals, AI is becoming a ubiquitous new window for users to contact brands. Phones, smart cockpits, and AI glasses will all become connection points. Professor Zhou Hongqi from the National University of Singapore believes that future entry points will be distributed across smart hardware, platform software, and apps, with the core rule being “the more precise, the more likely to become an entry point.” Sun Libin, Vice President of Global Market at Shengshu Technology, pointed out from a workflow perspective that AI is quietly restructuring the entire marketing chain, from topic selection and content generation to campaign feedback, significantly improving efficiency.
Finally, when discussing the “fundamental change in brand marketing in the AI era,” Lin Peisen believes that AI is shifting brand insight into users from “casting a wide net” to “precise companionship.” Sun Libin believes that embodied intelligence will eventually become a major traffic entry point for brands to reach users. Zhou Hongqi, citing the example of Google’s significant stock price recovery after introducing Gemini, emphasized that AI is transforming brand advertising from “bombarding interruptions” to “precise assistance,” which is the core of the restructuring of the brand-user relationship in the AI era.
This Chuanjian Brand Summit marks a brilliant opening to the series of events for the “2026 IAI International Creative Festival.” From the restructuring of growth logic to the leap in brand value, from the evolution of the content ecosystem to the exploration of new AI entry points, the attending guests collectively outlined a panoramic map of brand growth in the AI era.
