From June 5 to 8, the 2026 Asia-Pacific Marketing Academy Annual Conference (APMA2026) was held in Macao, China, and the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.The conference was co-hosted by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University Marketing Research Alliance, the Macau University of Science and Technology, the Macao Convention and Exhibition Tourism Association and other organizations. The conference took "Market Cooperation and Marketing Innovation in the AI Era" as its theme, andfocused on topics including market cooperation models under artificial intelligence, new marketing theories, shifts in consumer behavior, and real-world brand communication practices. Experts and scholars from universities, research institutes and industries at home and abroad gathered here to build a high-level platform for academic exchange and cooperation betweenuniversitiesand businesses.

Professor and undergraduate students from the Business School of Shenzhen Technology University were invited to join the conference. They took part in academic discussions covering brand management, consumer behavior, international marketing and the global expansion of Chinese brands. During the event, they carefully listened to keynote speeches and special forum talks, andlearned about the latest research findings in marketing areas such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation, brand innovation and consumer studies. They alsohad fruitful discussion with many overseas and local scholars about research topics, theoretical structures and research methods.

In parallel session discussions, Professor Wang Qian, the head of the Marketing Department of the Business School, was invited to act as a paper reviewer anddiscussant for the Consumer Behavior session. Sheprovided professional comments on presented papers and had in-depth talks with authors about their research question design, theoretical value, research method planning, result analysis andinterpretation. She also offered practical suggestions to improve their studies.

At the poster exhibition session, SZTU Business SchoolstudentHu Zhiwei,major in 2022 International Business, presentedhis research titled “A Study on Consumer Acceptance of AI-Powered Brand Storytelling from a Cultural Perspective”. This paper was supervised byProfessor Wang Qian, the research adopts cultural perspectives from three regions, namely East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and America. Based on a four-dimensional coding system, it explores how different cultural backgrounds affect consumers’ acceptance of AI-driven brand storytelling. Through thorough literature review and comparative analysis of typical cases including Florasis, Lil Miquela and TikTok, the research focuses on the applications and challenges of artificial intelligence technology in global brand communication, and provides practical and executable guidance for enterprises.

Another SZTU Business School student Deng Weiqi,major in 2022 Marketing, presented her research titled“Made in China” – Constraint or Identity?. Under the guidance of Professor Martin Koers, this study examined the role of the "Made in China" label during Chinese brands’ global expansion. It analyzed how the country-of-origin effect shapes overseas consumers’ views of Chinese brands, and how Chinese brands can actively manage their country identity across different industries. Taking BYD, CHAGEE and POP MART as research cases, the paper pointed out that the pressure brought by the "Made in China" tag varies across industries. It suggested Chinese brands use different global development strategies based on their industry features.

By taking part in this international marketing conference,both professor and students from the Business School pushed forward academic research and practical applications of marketing in the AI age, especially deepening cutting-edge discussions on consumer behavior, brand management and international marketing. Besides, the conference offered students fromSZTU Business School a great chance to share their ongoing research results and practical academic skills. They gained valuable experience in international academic communication, which will bring positive effects to their future research paths.

Copywriting & Layout | Deng Weiqi

Proofreading | Wang Qian, Hu Zhiwei