BeijingJune 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — From June 12 to 13, the 2026 IAI International Creative Festival and the 11th IAI Brand Summit were grandly held in Beijing. With the theme “Gathering Momentum for New Growth,” the festival focused on hot topics such as AI artificial intelligence, brand innovation, content marketing, emotional value, IP ecosystems, county-level economy, and cultural tourism integration. It brought together hundreds of industry representatives from academia, media platforms, technology companies, brands, and marketing agencies to explore new logics, paths, and opportunities for brand growth in the AI era.
As a widely influential industry event in China’s advertising and marketing field, the IAI International Creative Festival is organized by the IAI International Advertising Awards. It comprises four core sections: the IAI Brand Summit, the IAI Stars Awards, the Grand Prix Creative Competition, and the 26th IAI International Advertising Awards and Vertical Awards Ceremony. The two-day summit was hosted by Yan Jiaxin, and the awards ceremony was hosted by Yi Lun.
AI Reconstructs Growth Logic: Gathering Momentum Becomes a Theme of the Times
At the opening ceremony, Professor Ding Junjie from Communication University of China and Acting President of China Advertising Association of Commerce delivered a keynote speech titled “Gathering Momentum for New Growth: Humanistic Value and Ecological Growth in the AI Era.” Professor Ding Junjie addressed the audience with the theme “Gathering Momentum for New Growth.” He pointed out that the advertising industry is in an era of reconstructing growth logic: traffic dividends are giving way to new growth methods—structural drivers—while AI is simultaneously reshaping the industry’s content, communication, commerce, and productivity. The core of gathering momentum for new growth lies in the two concepts of “momentum” and “new growth”—momentum is not a resource but a direction, and new growth is no longer a simple accumulation of scale and quantity but a shift toward growth that balances structure, scale, and ecology.
We need grassroots teams. Marketing is not limited to first-tier markets; there are also third-tier, fourth-tier, and fifth-tier markets. We need down-to-earth marketing approaches. Many small productions create great value, and so-called professionalism often falls short. Reconstruction allows us to see what our so-called “professionalism” truly is. Otherwise, it will be difficult to meet the expectations of our industry and clients in the future. However, technology is not the ultimate answer; algorithms can define preferences but cannot define the human heart.
Xu Lijun, Deputy Convener of the General Manager’s Office of China Media Group, noted 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, in the AI era, the shortcomings of pure traffic investment are increasingly amplified; only by building a brand moat can one gain a voice in an algorithm-dominated era. Second, AI can mass-produce homogeneous content but cannot create value and trust; relying on authoritative narratives and premium content from national 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 long-term brand competition. In the future, CMG will continue to leverage its core strengths in credibility, national-level storytelling, and AI authoritative sources to accompany more Chinese brands in cultivating long-term value tracks, achieving high-quality and sustainable long-term growth in the new AI development cycle.
Huang Jiezhong, Chief Marketing Officer of Google Greater China, delivered a keynote titled “A.I. Creates New Marketing Possibilities.” He pointed out that enterprises do not need to formulate separate AI strategies but should use AI to execute existing business strategies more efficiently. AI is reshaping marketing measurement, content creation, personalized communication, and organizational collaboration, making everyone a creator.
Chen Peng, Professional Partner at Focus Media, noted that AI is rapidly driving the marketing industry into an era of full-chain closed loops, but the core of advertising remains “people.” Judgment, creativity, and decision-making abilities are still the core barriers for marketers.
In a roundtable discussion, Zhao Mei, Chairman of Yangtuo International Integrated Communication Group, emphasized the need to focus on trust communication in the AI era. Brands should build clear narrative threads 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 and precision marketing. Jiang Duo, Associate Professor at the School of Cultural Industries Management at Communication University of China, pointed out that AI will not replace advertisers, but advertisers who cannot use AI will be eliminated.
Content and Scenarios Reshape Brand Communication
In the content marketing and communication innovation segment, multiple industry representatives shared their latest practical achievements.
Chen Yuanyuan, Senior Director of the Industry Strategy Center at Weibo Commercial Data Strategy Center, in her talk “Refining Hotspot Capabilities: From Predictable Tracking to Mindshare Compounding,” proposed that hotspots have evolved from incidental events to manageable assets. Brands need long-term operations to convert traffic into retained users.
Du Jinsong, Senior Vice President of Huatie Media Group, in his discussion “Breaking Information Bubbles: Building Consensus and Resonance in Travel Scenarios,” pointed out that in the algorithm era, offline scenarios like high-speed rail media are becoming important entry points for breaking through circle-based communication, helping brands build social consensus and emotional resonance.
NetEase has consistently made AI a core corporate strategy, adhering to the approach of “business integration, vertical implementation, and AI-driven upgrades,” 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 not competing on technology and traffic but understanding the constantly changing people. Wang Zhe pointed out that young consumers today are caught in the dual dilemma of “emotional overwhelm” 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 achieving commercial conversion through “emotional value + cost-effectiveness,” creating a complete 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 Little Bee, NetEase will always make users the endpoint of marketing, partnering with brands to empower value through emotion and navigate industry cycles.
Weixi, Head of Durable Goods and Seasonal Marketing at Xiaohongshu’s Commercial Marketing Center, starting from the real challenges of the tech and digital industry, shared how Xiaohongshu’s marketing IP helps brands break free from the mindset trap of parameter competition. As product homogenization spreads and user willingness to pay a premium declines, 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 supports brand premium and preference through user resonance and cultural value identification. Using collaboration cases with leading brands like vivo, OPPO, and Huawei, 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 true brand breakthroughs.
IP Ecosystem and Brand Innovation Unleash New Growth Drivers
Lian Yousheng, CEO of IAI International Brand Management, in his talk “Gathering Momentum for a New IP Ecosystem: Creating a New Engine for Brand Growth,” stated that as traffic dividends fade, brand competition is upgrading from product competition to cognitive and cultural competition, making IP a crucial asset for companies to navigate cycles.
At the conference, IAI Cultural and Creative, in collaboration with the Garfield Family IP, Beijing Zoo, Aerospace Cultural and Creative, and ARTiSTORY, jointly announced the establishment of the “IAI IP Development Center (IAIP)”, aiming to integrate global premium IP resources to help companies achieve content innovation and value growth.
Huang Liangshui, Director of the Brand Management Department at Wanglaoji Health Industry, shared “From Large Bowl Herbal Tea to Natural Beverages: Wanglaoji’s Brand Innovation and Development Path.” He stated that the core of sustained brand growth lies in cultural driving, achieving long-term brand value accumulation through “using cultural consensus to create content, using content thinking to develop products, and using product thinking to execute marketing.”
Lin Peisen, CEO of Youshi Technology, in his talk “Breaking the Traffic Investment Trap: AI Traffic Compounding in the Fragmented Time Economy,” proposed that AI agents are reshaping brand traffic logic, creating sustainable communication value through engaging interactions in real scenarios.
Liu Jundi, Vice President of Sales at MAMA.CN, shared from the perspective of the maternal and infant market the importance of building long-term brand trust, proposing the formation of long-term brand assets through scenario penetration, private domain accumulation, and authoritative content.
Smart New Species: How Artificial Intelligence Becomes a New Entry Point for Brand Growth
In the roundtable forum “Smart New Species: How Artificial Intelligence Becomes a New Entry Point for Brand Growth,” Lin Peisen, CEO of Youshi Technology; Dong Bin, Deputy General Manager of the Brand Market Center at iFLYTEK; Sun Libin, Vice President of Global Marketing at Shengshu Technology; and Zhou Hongqi, Professor at the National University of Singapore discussed topics such as AI entry point migration, digital employees, and embodied intelligence.
The guests agreed that AI is evolving from a tool to an entry point. From smartphones, smart cockpits, and AI glasses to various smart terminals, the way brands connect with users is being redefined. Future marketing will shift from broad reach to precise companionship, achieving a deep reconstruction of brand-user relationships.
County-Level Economy and Cultural Tourism Integration Activate New Growth Spaces
The second day of the conference focused on the county-level economy and regional brand building.
Liu Guangfei, Executive Chairman of the IAI International Advertising Awards, first presented the annual report “Understanding Counties • Tasting China,” systematically reviewing the benchmark project “Understanding Rongcheng • Tasting China” launched in Rongcheng, Shandong in April 2026, and its communication value. He pointed out that county-level cities have solid industrial foundations and rich cultural heritage, but relying solely on scale expansion is no longer sufficient to meet current development needs. The future of counties lies not only in “what they produce” but also in “what they express” and “how they are perceived.” IAI held its annual final review in a county-level city, bringing unexpected benefits to the local area. Taking Rongcheng as an example, the final review not only effectively promoted the city’s brand widely but also leveraged the professional wisdom of IAI judges, the powerful communication capabilities of outdoor media, and in-depth professional discussions to comprehensively empower the enhancement of Rongcheng’s brand image. Liu Guangfei emphasized that county development needs to shift from a “traffic mindset” to a “content asset mindset,” building a value community that integrates content, industry, and the city, thereby activating a long-term positive cycle for high-quality county development. In the future, he looks forward to more county-level cities collaborating with the IAI final review to explore brand growth paths together.
Zhang Chaoying, Party Leadership Member of the Rongcheng Municipal Bureau of Commerce, shared insights on the city’s industrial development and investment value, comprehensively introducing Rongcheng’s seven key industrial chain layouts and business environment advantages, showcasing a new model for high-quality county-level economic development.
Long-Termism, Intangible Cultural Heritage Innovation, and Emotional Value Become Growth Keywords
Chen Yan, Dean of the Strategic Research Institute at Focus Media, stated that marketing has evolved from traditional to digital, and now AI has forcefully entered the scene. While the overall market continues to grow, digital marketing has entered a phase of competition for existing customers, and the user base for AI has already exceeded half. We face a new challenge: to persuade consumers, we must first persuade AI. Chen Yan compared traditional network optimization with AI-era network optimization, noting that GEO is reshaping user decision-making paths. Brands need to delve into the underlying logic of AI, optimize technical paths, and achieve full-platform recommendations. When choosing AI partners, it is essential to ensure they have full-chain, global, and powerful self-developed algorithm capabilities. In the AI wave, make recommendations shift from “visible” to “essential.”
Berlin Fu, General Manager of Evereden China, through his talk “23 Months vs. 23 Seconds: The ‘Slow’ Creativity of a Premium Family Care Brand,” interpreted the logic of long-term brand building, emphasizing the important value of product strength and user word-of-mouth.
Huang Wangwang, Fujian Provincial Master of Arts and Crafts and Fifth-Generation Wood Carving Inheritor, shared his insights on “upholding tradition and fostering innovation.” He believes that intangible cultural heritage inheritance is not just about replicating tradition but also integrating it with contemporary life and aesthetics. The trophy for this year’s Grand Prix Creative Competition was hand-carved by him using precious woods such as huanghuali and rosewood.
Xu Xiaomei, Deputy General Manager of Sichuan Jiale Liquor and General Manager of its Beijing Company, stated: “The best brand is yourself.” The core of brand growth lies in the integration of product strength, cultural strength, and emotional value.
In the roundtable forum “In the Era of Emotional Value, How Brands Find New Growth,” Lu Lu, Head of Commercialization Sales at Soul App; Chen Zhiyun, Integrated Marketing Director at Wei Chuan; Hu Ziqiang, General Manager of Zishen Runxin; Jiao Feihong, Chairman of Huiding Optical; and Xiao Mingchao, Founder of Zhimeng Consulting discussed trends in emotional consumption.
The participating guests believed that emotional value is becoming a new engine for brand growth. Consumers are not just buying products; they are seeking identity recognition, value expression, and spiritual satisfaction. Emotional value is not short-term traffic but an important asset for long-term brand management.
From the AI technology revolution to the rise of county-level brands, from IP ecosystem innovation to the emergence of emotional value, from long-termism to the reconstruction of Chinese brand narratives, the 2026 IAI International Creative Festival systematically presented Chinese practices and innovative methodologies for brand growth in the AI era.
Glorious Moments: Events and Awards Witness the Power of Chinese Brand Innovation
As key components of the 2026 IAI International Creative Festival, the 2026 IAI Stars Awards, the 2026 Grand Prix Creative Competition, and the 26th IAI International Advertising Awards and Vertical Awards Ceremony were held concurrently, forming the festival’s complete ecosystem of “thought forums + competitive events + honor recognition.”
On the evening of June 12, the 2026 IAI Stars Awards (IAI STARS 2026), exclusively sponsored by Wanglaoji, was grandly held. Focusing on the annual achievements of enterprises, brands, and industry figures, it brought together outstanding representatives from fields such as branding, media, marketing, technology, and culture to witness the highlight moments of Chinese brand professionals. The awards were not just about granting honors but also a concentrated presentation of the spirit of the times and innovative value.
The 2026 Grand Prix Creative Competition, held on the afternoon of June 13, became one of the most anticipated segments of the festival. Shortlisted cases for the Grand Prix, selected through rigorous evaluation in the 26th IAI International Advertising Awards, competed on stage. A judging panel comprising brand representatives, media platforms, marketing agencies, and professional judges posed questions, provided real-time comments, and determined the final Grand Prix winner through public voting. The competition fully showcased the most representative innovative cases and cutting-edge creative achievements in China’s marketing industry, serving as an important platform for industry exchange and intellectual collision. Notably, the trophy for this year’s Grand Prix was specially created by Fujian Provincial Master of Arts and Crafts and intangible cultural heritage wood carving inheritor Huang Wangwang, hand-carved from precious woods such as huanghuali, red sandalwood, padauk, and green sandalwood, blending traditional Chinese craftsmanship with contemporary creative spirit.
The 26th IAI International Advertising Awards and Vertical Awards Ceremony held that evening brought the festival to a climax. As one of the longest-running and most influential professional awards in China’s advertising and marketing field, the IAI International Advertising Awards, since its inception in 2000, has consistently focused on the development of brand innovation and marketing practices. This year’s event attracted a large number of outstanding entries from various industries, including internet platforms, technology companies, automotive, fast-moving consumer goods, cultural tourism, finance, health, and public welfare, comprehensively presenting new trends and achievements in China’s marketing innovation ecosystem.
From the intellectual stimulation of summit forums to the peak showdown of the Grand Prix competition, and the glorious coronation of the IAI Stars Awards and IAI Awards, the IAI International Advertising Awards and IAI International Creative Festival will continue to leverage their industry platform value,汇聚 global creative wisdom and industrial resources. With content as assets, innovation as the driver, and emotion as the connection, they aim to help Chinese brands find certain growth paths in uncertain times, collectively exploring a new future for brand development.
