AI for Marketers Summit: Bangladesh Edition

Executive overview

Organized by iDEAN Consulting and presented by SHWAPNO, the AI for Marketers Summit, Bangladesh Edition, marks a historic virtual milestone in regional knowledge transfer. For the first time, marketing pioneer Prof. Philip Kotler joined Bangladeshi corporate leaders, academics and brand practitioners in an interactive live streaming dialogue.

Designed to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world execution, the summit explored how artificial intelligence is accelerating marketing strategy, data analytics and customer loyalty, while addressing why human empathy and localized data remain irreplaceable competitive assets.

Keynote speakers and sessions

Prof. Philip Kotler

Father of Modern Marketing, Professor Emeritus, Kellogg School of Management

Author of over 80 seminal textbooks that shaped global marketing education. During his presentation on “AI in Marketing,” Prof. Kotler explored the shift toward tech-enabled customer engagement, highlighting concepts from his latest work on Marketing 6.0 and Marketing 7.0.

“Technology accelerates speed, targeting, and analytics, but AI can never replace human emotion, customer empathy, psychological nuance, and authentic trust.”

Prof. Dr. Waldemar Pfoertsch

Co-Author, B2B Brand Management, Professor of International Business

A global authority on B2B strategy and longtime co-author with Philip Kotler. In his presentation, “Branding in the Age of AI,” Prof. Pfoertsch examined how B2B enterprises can leverage AI tools without losing their unique brand identity and value proposition in crowded markets.

Mark Anupom Mollick

Founder and Executive Consultant, iDEAN Consulting

Summit host and moderator of the keynote dialogue with Prof. Kotler and Prof. Pfoertsch. A former software engineer turned strategy consultant, Mark led the discussion aligning international AI frameworks with the immediate operational needs of Bangladeshi marketers.

Global publishing announcement

Official release: B2B Brand Management (Bangladesh Edition)

• Publication date: January 2027
• Publishing series: Official Kotler & Pfoertsch Global Series
• Authors: Prof. Philip Kotler, Prof. Dr. Waldemar Pfoertsch and Mark Anupom Mollick (co-author)
• Focus: documenting real-world B2B case studies and market execution models from top-tier Bangladeshi corporate leaders across telecom, pharmaceuticals, media, retail and technology.

Executive panel discussion

Topic: AI in Marketing: Hype, Reality, and Opportunities for Bangladesh

Moderator: Mahadi Faisal, Director of Marketing & Growth, SHWAPNO

Industry panelists

• Dr. Rezwanul Huque Khan, Faculty, IBA, University of Dhaka
• Nafees Anwar Choudhury, Head of Brand Marketing, Grameenphone
• Md. Azwaj Khan, GM & Head of Marketing, Prothom Alo
• Binay Das, Director of Marketing & Sales, Eskayef Pharmaceuticals
• Md. Tajdin Hassan, Chief Business Officer, The Daily Star
• Shuvasish Bhowmick, Managing Director, ATEC Global

Core panel takeaways

1. Strategic application over tool usage: widespread tool accessibility means software alone provides no competitive moat. Sustainable advantage comes from strategic governance, hyper-local execution and result-driven marketing.
2. Local data and brand authenticity: utilizing localized data insights while preserving the unique human voice and positioning of the brand is essential for standing out in competitive industries.
3. The human-AI synergy: technology must be leveraged to deepen customer connections and handle data-heavy execution, freeing marketers to focus on emotional connection, trust and long-term value creation.
4. Data privacy, ethics and governance: as AI adoption expands across sectors like telecom, pharmaceuticals, media and banking, establishing strict data privacy protocols and ethical guidelines is critical to maintaining customer trust.
5. Bridging the talent and skill gap: organizations must actively invest in upskilling marketing teams to work alongside AI tools, bridging the gap between traditional classroom education and modern tech-driven execution.
6. Accelerated trial-to-execution cycles: AI dramatically reduces the time required for market research, content generation and testing, enabling local brands to iterate faster and adapt strategies dynamically based on real-time feedback.