The 10th Digital Congress (DigiCon) in October saw the Digital Marketing Association of the Philippines (DMAP) push its advocacy for holistic, responsible personalization practices and artificial intelligence (AI) use in the digital marketing landscape. Over 2,000 participants from the marketing, advertising, business, academia, and media sectors gathered over a two-day affair, this year themed “The Age of ‘i’: The Power of Personalization.”
The latest iteration of DigiCon featured a series of talks and discussions centered on the most relevant topics and issues in the digital landscape, including hyper-individualized customer experiences, responsible data practices and ethical AI use, content creation and curation, brand-building, and future-proofing businesses.
In his keynote speech, communications and technology expert Dex Hunter-Torricke, former communications executive at Facebook and SpaceX, expressed enthusiasm for the future of AI.
“Many of the leaders in the biggest AI labs in the world believe that we’re going to end up in the future with so-called Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a human-level intelligence in AI that is much, much clever and capable of far more applications than anything you see right now,” he said. “We’re entering an era now where AI, as it gets more and more intelligent, opens up the possibilities of hyper-personalization, something that is vastly more bespoke and customized to the needs of every single one of our customers, communities, and stakeholders.”
DigiCon 2025 Chair Alan Fontanilla, in his speech, emphasized that privacy and ethics are still paramount in the age of personalization.
“Everyone, from big brands to small businesses and entrepreneurs, now has access to tools once reserved for the few. However, just because we can personalize, doesn’t mean we always should,” said Fontanilla. “Consent, privacy, ethics, and trust are the currencies of modern marketing. People don’t just want relevance; they want respect.”
“The future is connected and powered by AI, but its success hinges on our collective commitment to responsible practices,” said DMAP President Miko David. “DigiCon 2025 has not only charted the course toward hyper-personalization but has equipped our industry with the ethical compass needed to navigate it.”
At the event, delegates were able to earn certifications upon completing program tracks, such as Innovation (AI), Intelligence (data science), Immersive (retail and activations), Impact (brand building), and Integration (business transformation).
DigiCon 2025 is sponsored by DoubleVerify, Hit Productions, Petal Ads by Huawei, Unilever Philippines, Dailymotion, GCash for Business: Partner Solutions, m360 and AdSpark, McDonald’s, Meltwater, Near Creative, Pancake, TikTok, UnionBank of the Philippines, Yazle, Gigil Metama, Google, Inquiro Inc., Investing in Women, Pureprofile, Senco Link Technologies Inc., and Rakuten Viber.
Certified Digital Marketer, Uniquecorn Strategies, Devant, Eastern Communications, Havas Ortega, IDEASXMACHINA Hakuhodo, Manila Marriott Hotel at Newport World Resorts, Meta, Plan B, Sinematika, Synergy Market Research + Strategic Consultancy, Creative Collective – Lennon Group, Tony &, and Leron Leron Sinta, ally media, QR Tiger, Slash by Mineski, Jack ‘n Jill and Granny Goose, APC Events, Arsysmedia, Futech Innovations, Devant, Future Proof PH, Holiday Inn Express Manila Newport World Resorts, One Asia, Chivas Regal, and Enchanted Kingdom served as the event partners with support from L’Oréal Philippines.
