Thank you for the warm welcome, Charles University. Looking forward to return again soon. Prague, April��14, 2025

While technologies like Generative AI can enhance Quality and Cost efficiency and deliver high standards at affordable rates, Operational Excellence also leans on Delivery and Service. These elements inherently require human involvement to be truly effective.

Since our customers are human, emotions and personal connections remain irreplaceable when it comes to building meaningful interactions with them.

In this session, I emphasized the critical importance of balancing Quality, Cost, Delivery, and Service (QCDS) by harmonizing human and technological aspects—much like the Yin-Yang principle.

I was accompanied by Prof. RNDr. Tomáš Cajthaml, Ph.D., DSc., the Vice-dean for Science and Research scientific degrees and Technology and knowledge transfer.

I had the pleasure to talk about my recent work with Philip Kotler called ��Reimagining Operational Excellence: Inspirations from Asia.” that was published in August 2024.

Special Talk: Reimagining Operational Excellence Yesterday, Charles University welcomed me to have a special talk session with their students.

I had the pleasure to talk about my recent work with Philip Kotler called “Reimagining Operational Excellence: Inspirations from Asia.” that was published in August 2024.

Special Talk: Reimagining Operational Excellence Yesterday, Charles University welcomed me to have a special talk session with their students.

Instead of aggressively pursuing new customers, prioritize retaining the ones you already have. Lastly, don’t let the quality of your product decline, as it might silently disappoint your customers. WOW Brand 2025 Jakarta, February 26, 2025. #WOWBRAND2025 #hermawankartajaya

Brand building must exist, but we need to be careful in allocating funds and considering the objectives. Second, don’t let your customers be taken by competitors—focus on retaining your own customers. That’s why customer loyalty is very important.

For me, marketing has only three focus: customer, product, and brand. I want to share three important message for you to face this situation. One, brands must still be aggressively built.

I see that in 2025, you need to embrace conscious optimism. Although the current situation has not really progressed, as a brand authority, you must not let this condition persist. You also need to be smart in your branding efforts.

At present, the concept of "conscious optimism" has emerged, which is the opposite of "wait and see." Companies remain optimistic, but staying alert against the current conditions while constantly seeking out new opportunities.

BUT, I remind all the brand enthusiasts that they should not follow the “wait and see” because the brand will eventually sink. The brand must be maintained. Instead, we should take advantage of this situation because even if we do small things, we can still win the market.

Don’t wait and see! The WOW Brand event has become an annual gathering place for brand enthusiasts. We see that entering 2025, many companies are adopting a "wait and see" approach due to the uncertainty that surrounds the landscape. [A THREAD]

Source: Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., Huan, H. D., & Mussry, J. (2023). Entrepreneurial Marketing: Beyond Professionalism to Creativity, Leadership, and Sustainability. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

By aligning all aspects within the PDB triangle, brands can build a strong identity, integrity, and image. #Marketing #Positioning #Differentiation #Brand #HermawanKartajaya

A successful strategy must be comprehensive and consistent to seize opportunities and gain a competitive edge. We may decide whether to proceed with a marketing architecture that includes strategy, tactics, and value once we have a better understanding of the landscape.

Through consistent marketing communication and delivering on their promises, DBS builds a positive and strong brand image.