KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 5 The Himalayan Times BrandFest 2025 wrapped up its second day on Friday with a resounding emphasis on the irreplaceable role of human empathy, imagination, and courage in an age increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence and data. The summit, which brought together eight international speakers and leading Nepali experts over two days at Royal Tulip Kathmandu Gwarko, concluded with a screening of Cannes Lions 2025 winners and a clear consensus: technology can enhance branding, but human connection remains paramount. Ronita Mukerjee, Executive Director Client Services at Landor and APAC Healthcare Practice Lead, opened the day with a provocative presentation titled 'AI can Imitate. It Can't Imagine.' Her session on the five fundamentals of originality resonated strongly with attendees. Naincy Shrestha, Deputy Manager of Marketing for Passenger Vehicles at Sipradi, called it her favorite session of the day. 'She explained to us about the five fundamentals of originality and she focused on the 'why?': the purpose behind our objective,' Shrestha said.

The theme of human-centricity continued throughout the day. Sheila Berman, Global Data Product Excellence at Brenntag Singapore, tackled the often unglamorous topic of data management with her presentation 'Brand Builders or Brand Killers: The Hidden Power of Data Management.' Despite the technical subject matter, Berman kept the audience highly engaged. 'Data is not really sexy. Not a lot of people want to deal with it. But if people just understand their importance, their relevance, and how they impact businesses in the long run, they have more things to do,' she said. 'You can build big once you fix the foundation. And that is your data, data management.' A memorable moment came when Berman asked the audience to sing the waiwai jingle, and they enthusiastically obliged. 'That was amazing,' she recalled of the audience participation. Jupiter Huidrom, Senior Vice President of Integrated Media Strategy at Weber Shandwick Singapore, delivered a session on 'Belonging Beyond Platforms: Creating Seamless Brand Experiences.' His presentation emphasized understanding communities driven by passion rather than demographics. 'We live in a world where everybody lives in different communities, and it's different communities driven by passion,' Huidrom explained. 'Know your community, but remember passion is the one that drives.' Huidrom praised the energy of the Nepali audience and the importance of platforms like BrandFest. 'I wish a platform like this happens every now and then. Because I think people like a country like Nepal, even where I come from, we have a lot of talent, we have a lot of stories to tell. What we need is a platform and a medium to give them a voice, which the world definitely deserves to hear.'

The day's final presentation came from Suhayl Limbada, Chief Marketing Officer of KFC Thailand, who delivered 'Go Big or Go Home: The Provocative Masterclass on Growth Through Culture.' His message centered on courage as a competitive advantage. 'Courage is a genuine superpower and I'd love for them to follow their hearts and have the courage to really push for big ideas because it's very clear big ideas make a big business impact,' Limbada said. Reflecting on the entire summit, Limbada noted a common thread among all speakers. 'Human empathy is really really important. Every single speaker spoke about being human first and really if you show up as a human and understand human behaviour, the rest is history.' For returning attendees, the summit offered fresh perspectives on evolving industry trends. Ujjwala Dali, Head of Brand Department at Himalaya Airlines and former Marketing Director at Nepal Tourism Board, was attending her eighth BrandFest. 'Brandfest is for two days and I have made a lot of connections, especially most of the speakers,' she said, highlighting her engaging conversation with Bangladesh's Akrum Hossain about corporate social responsibility branding. Dali noted that Friday's sessions were particularly engaging compared to the first day. 'Today's sessions were quite engaging. And all that was shared through the ads, various ads were also interesting to know more,' she observed. As a professional with 35 years in tourism marketing and aviation branding, Dali emphasized the importance of staying current. 'In the changing world, you have to keep up with the changing trends and brand involvement. With AI intervention, innovation, belonging, awakening, these terms have relevance every time.' Laxmi Shah, Brand and Product Lead at MeroJob, summarized her key takeaways from the two-day event. 'A successful brand story, how a brand needs to focus on culture, AI, and yes, most importantly, how brands need to be purposeful, that makes a brand successful,' she said. The summit concluded with a special presentation by Ravin Lama, Managing Director of The Himalayan Times, who showcased the Cannes Lions Film 2025 Winners Showreel, featuring award-winning advertisements from around the world. Following the screening, Lama delivered a vote of thanks to the speakers, sponsors, and participants who made the event possible. As attendees departed for the cocktail dinner, the two-day exploration of 'Branding in the Age of Belonging' left a clear message: in an increasingly digital world, the brands that will thrive are those that remain courageously human, purposeful, and deeply connected to the communities they serve.