The 2025 Annual Academic Conference of the Hubei Marketing Association was successfully held on 6th December 2025 at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL). Hosted by the Hubei Marketing Association and organized by the School of Business Administration (SBA) of ZUEL, this year’s conference centered on the theme “Empowering High-Quality Development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt through Intelligent and Digital Marketing.” The event brought together leading scholars and industry practitioners to explore theoretical innovations and practical applications in intelligent marketing, injecting fresh momentum into the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
Group Photo of the 2025 Annual Academic Conference of the Hubei Marketing Association
The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Fei Xianzheng, Vice President of the Hubei Marketing Association and faculty member of ZUEL. On behalf of the host and organizer, he extended a warm welcome to all participants, introduced the distinguished guests, and expressed his expectations that the conference would achieve its core goals of academic exchange and practical impact. Shu Min, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairperson of the Hubei Federation of Social Sciences, delivered congratulatory remarks. Professor Dai Xin, Secretary-General of the Hubei Marketing Association from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, also addressed the audience and officially announced the opening of the conference.
The academic plenary session was jointly chaired by Professor Chen Tao and Professor Zhang Guangling, both Vice Presidents of the Association, along with Professor Chen Cheng, Dean of the School of Economics and Management at Yangtze University. Professor Dou Wenyu from SKEMA Business School shared insights on the application of AI technologies in higher education and business research. Associate Professor Sun Hongqing of ZUEL delivered a talk titled “AIGC Reshaping the Boundaries of Content Marketing.” Associate Professor Meng Lu of Wuhan University presented his research on “device-driven decision-making.”
The industry plenary session was chaired by Professor Ning Changhui, Vice President of the Association and professor at ZUEL. Qin Jiao, General Manager of Suzhou HUIS Human Resource Group, elaborated on how data assets enhance talent screening, matching, and development. Tong Lin, Senior Client Director of the Xiaohongshu Team, presented a practical case from Weimob Group.
The conference featured seven thematic parallel sessions, covering product marketing, marketing communication, digital marketing, consumer behavior, marketing strategy, and marketing pedagogy and case studies, fostering in-depth discussions on intelligent and digital marketing from multiple perspectives.
The closing ceremony, held on the afternoon of 6th December, began with session summaries chaired by Professor Liu Mingfei, Vice President of the Association and Deputy Chair of the Program Committee from Wuhan University of Technology. Session chairs reported on the highlights and outcomes of the seven parallel forums: product marketing, marketing communication, digital marketing, consumer behavior, marketing strategy, marketing pedagogy, and case studies.
This was followed by the academic paper review summary chaired by Professor Yang Limao, Vice President of the Association from Hubei University. Professor Liu Mingfei and Professor Zhang Jing, Vice President of the Association from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, introduced the review procedures and final results. The call for papers opened on 8th September 2025 and closed on 17th November 2025, receiving 72 academic papers and 2 teaching papers from 24 universities nationwide. A total of 3 Grand Prizes, 11 First Prizes, 30 Second Prizes, and 9 Third Prizes were awarded. The review process was compliant and rigorous, fully recognizing the contributions of outstanding scholars and students while demonstrating the Association’s commitment to academic innovation and excellence. Subsequently, Professor Wang Hong, Vice President of the Hubei Marketing Association and faculty member of Hubei University of Economics, presided over the award ceremony for outstanding papers and announced the list of award-winning papers.
The next segment was chaired by Vice Dean Du Peng of the SBA. Professor Dai Xin, Secretary-General of the Hubei Marketing Association, reviewed the Association’s achievements over the past year and presented prospects for 2026.
Finally, Dean Wu Haitao of the SBA delivered the closing remarks. Dean Wu expressed his sincere gratitude to all guests, volunteers, sponsors, and paper contributors, and emphasized the academic value and practical significance of the conference.
The ceremony concluded with Professor Dai Xin presenting the “Outstanding Organizer Award” to the SBA on behalf of the Association, with Dean Wu Haitao accepting the honor on behalf of the SBA.
Award Ceremony for the “Outstanding Organizing Institution” at the 2025 Hubei Marketing Academic Annual Conference