SINGAPORE – Six of South-east Asia’s leading advertising and marketing associations have joined forces to help the industry keep pace with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), launching a regional alliance to strengthen talent, share expertise and deepen cross-border collaboration.
The Asia Admarcom Alliance, launched on July 9, is the first formal cross-border network linking advertising and marketing associations across six South-east Asian markets.
Its members are Singapore’s Association of Advertising & Marketing Singapore (AAMS), the Malaysian Digital Association, the Digital Marketing Association of the Philippines, the MarTech Association of Thailand, Vietnam MarTech and the Indonesian Digital Association.
The memorandum of understanding was signed at the inaugural Beyond Boundaries conference in Singapore and witnessed by Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How. The conference, organised by the AAMS, focuses on AI, content and data.
Speaking at the conference, Mr Tan said AI had made creating content easier and more accessible, meaning trust and human connection would become increasingly valuable differentiators.
“Technology can help us create content. But earning trust and moving hearts remain deeply human crafts,” he said.
He added that future marketing leaders would increasingly need to become “bilingual”, combining creativity, storytelling and cultural understanding with expertise in AI, data and algorithms.
“The organisations that succeed will not choose between humans and AI. They will combine AI’s speed and scale with uniquely human judgment, empathy and imagination. Just as importantly, they must earn trust,” he said.
Collectively, the six associations represent agencies, brands, platforms, technology providers and creative professionals across South-east Asia. Organisers said the alliance will serve as a platform for regional collaboration and shared leadership as the marketing and communications sector adapts to AI-driven change.
AAMS president Chloe Neo said the alliance aims to strengthen regional collaboration on talent development, technological innovation and shared resources.
“Every market here knows the cost of fragmentation. By uniting around talent development, technological innovation and shared resources, we have the opportunity to forge a regional marketing ecosystem that’s resilient and globally competitive,” she said.
“Together, we’re building something powerful: a foundation for collaboration and growth, and this is how we transform our vision into reality.”
