Peking University, July 16, 2019: From July 12 to 16, the 2019 American Academy of Advertising (AAA) Global Conference was held at Peking University.
Advertising in China was jump-started in 1979 by the great impetus of the reform and opening-up policy. Over the past four decades, China, though a late starter, has managed to integrate overseas experience with domestic needs, gradually giving shape to a unique model for advertising development. Centering around the 40-year development of China’s advertising, the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, has held a series of academic events, which included the 2019 AAA Global Conference.
Since 2001, the American Academy of Advertising has been holding the biennial global conference together with the world’s top universities and academic institutions. The 2019 AAA Global Conference was a collaboration with the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, and China Advertising Association (CAA) with the theme “Smart Communication for a Digital World”. As China’s largest and highest-profile international advertising conference in recent years, it gathered at PKU over 160 experts and scholars at home and abroad. Together they discussed the experience of China’s advertising development over the past four decades, analyzed the latest changes in global advertising practices and studies, and explored new ways of theoretical and methodological research in this field.
The conference opened on the morning of July 13. On behalf of the American Academy of Advertising, Jisu Huh, co-chair of the 2019 AAA Global Conference, chair professor at University of Minnesota, and former chair of AAA (2016), sent her greetings to all guests and thanked PKU for its support. This year’s conference, she said, had particular significance, as it coincided with the 40th anniversary of China’s advertising. She hoped that the guests could fully share their opinions on the conference topic “Smart Communication for a Digital World” and engage with scholars from all over the world.
Jisu Huh delivering a speech
At the opening ceremony, Professor Wang Bo, vice president of PKU, expressed his sincere welcome to Chinese and foreign guests. As he put it, China’s advertising had realized a leaping boost. In 2018, China’s advertising revenue approximated RMB 800 billion, which was over 70,000 times more than that in 1979. The industry has thus contributed greatly to China’s social development. PKU, as the cradle of Chinese journalism education, advertising studies have always been an integral part of its journalism and communication researches. In order to further promote advertising study, Professor Wang thus spoke at the ceremony: “We need to conduct in-depth interdisciplinary communication with scholars from different countries and with different cultural backgrounds. If so, everyone involved can not only enrich themselves but also better understand other people and the whole world.”
Wang Bo delivering a speech
Professor Chen Gang, co-chair of 2019 AAA Global Conference and Deputy Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, presided over the main forum. He said that the academic gala owed its successful opening to two years of careful preparation by the American Academy of Advertising and China Advertising Association. He hoped the conference would allow more international scholars to understand the status quo of China’s advertising and jointly promote the development of advertising studies.
Chen Gang delivering a speech
Zhang Guohua, president of CAA, delivered a keynote speech entitled “Digitization: Challenge or Opportunity?”. He noted that digital advertising has the features of interactive, targeting, and optimizing tendencies, thus bringing great chances for the advertising industry. Seizing these opportunities, CAA is committed to developing industry standards and data measurement tools, and to sharing the latest findings and resources with all. He also pointed out the three challenges faced by digital advertising, i.e., privacy invasion, content inappropriateness, and fraud. The advertising industry should, therefore, enhance self-discipline and pursue healthy development.
Zhang Guohua delivering a keynote speech
To promote interdisciplinary and international academic exchanges, the conference invited the editors-in-chief of the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, and Journal of Interactive Advertising to have discussions with the audiences.
The 2019 AAA Global Conference was highly recognized by the conferees. According to Karen King, president of AAA and distinguished professor of the University of Georgia, “Over 60 AAA members from all over the world came to Beijing. The 2019 Global Conference is the largest in years by both guests number and forum scale.” “This is one of the best-organized meetings I have ever attended. From facility arrangement to volunteer service, everything is considerate,” enthused Virginia Phillips from AAA.
The conference promotes interactions of international scholars in advertising, marketing, communication, and related fields. It also showcases the progress of China’s digital advertising in academic research, technology, and application. Guests at the conference put their heads together over cutting-edge issues concerning smart advertising and future development of advertising, giving a big boost to the innovative development of global academic research on advertising.
Written by: Yang Peidong
Editted by: Wang Nini
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
