Josephine Cheung presented at SmartHK Conference in Cheungdu, China on 13th May 2016. [Contents adapted from her presentation] These are changing times that we are facing. As a creative production professional for brands based in Hong Kong, I witnessed how consumers and the market transformed against the backdrop of the rapid rise of the economic power of China in the past 10 years. In the world of brands, there are three realities that are happening right before our eyes.

What has the recent stock market meltdown got to do with us, being marketers and makers? The recent turmoil in Chinese stock markets peppered with significant government intervention is not happening in isolation. As we watch how global markets react and stories unfold, we have to be aware that the high degree of global interdependencies means none of us can ignore the ripple effects such events have on our own industry of brand marketing. China, accounting for 15% of World’