MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The first day of the Digital Marketing Association of the Philippines’ (DMAP) Digital Congress (DigiCon) was a success as digital marketers gathered at The Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City on October 16, 2025, with one goal — to learn and gain insights from some of the best in the industry.
Among the lineup of keynote speakers under the Integrated Business Transformation session was Avyan CEO Vishnu Mohan, who delivered a presentation titled “The Future Belongs to the Impatient.”
Vishnu, who was part of the very first lineup of speakers when DMAP was still known as IMAP in 2008, reflected on how much the world has changed since his first presentation years ago.
“I remember showing a Microsoft video back then of two people talking about the future of engagement and conversation,” he recalled, adding that his topic for this year’s DigiCon was completely different.
Even looking back just five years ago, most predictions about social commerce, customer experience, and voice search proved inaccurate — so much so that even AI developers underestimated how quickly artificial intelligence would evolve.
Today, AI is not only faster and more affordable — it’s also omnipresent. “Everything we once imagined as futuristic is already happening. Real-time translation, automation, predictive analytics — these are everyday realities,” he added.
Three words every marketer should know
Vishnu then highlighted three words every marketer should remember: acquire, convert, and retain.
For acquisition, he explained that when a brand isn’t visible to AI, it’s not visible to consumers. Traditional SEO no longer suffices; marketers must now optimize their brand’s discoverability through AI visibility, not just search rankings.
For conversion, he emphasized the importance of building centralized commerce data hubs that enable agent-to-agent transactions.
Lastly, for retention, Vishnu underscored that marketers must focus on customer loyalty — and the best way to achieve it is through genuine personalization. This means going beyond personalized emails to create individualized experiences powered by AI.
What the future holds
Vishnu also shared a few tips on how marketers can prepare for the future, starting with maximizing existing systems and software for value realization. He advised brands to feed their AI agents and ensure that their data is machine-readable.
Finally, he urged marketers to develop a conversational strategy, noting that the future of customer experience lies in conversation design.
Concluding his talk, Vishnu emphasized that AI should not be viewed just as a tool for efficiency — it is a growth engine.
“Start small, with proofs of concept and pilot projects. Ask your partners to build quick prototypes you can scale. Every organization’s AI maturity journey is unique — but what matters is to start now,” he added.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of DigiCon 2025.
