Howard Cheung is the Canadian Portfolio Lead for Communications, Media, and Technology at Song – the part of Accenture that brings together our digital, marketing, AI and creative capabilities to create the world’s largest tech powered creative group. He has over 24 years of global expertise helping clients reimagine and transform customer experiences, working with clients across diverse sectors such as telecommunications, retail, financial services, and utilities. Howard’s passion lies in harnessing the potential of (generative) AI to deliver on the promise of true personalization, making every interaction as relevant and meaningful as possible. Howard is an active board member for not-for-profit youth organizations, and lives on the north shore with his wife and 2 kids aged 12 and 16.
2024 Keynote Presentation: Accenture Life Trends
8:40 a.m. — 9:40 a.m.
A commitment to having a customer-first approach, also know as customer obsession, has been the best and most successful growth strategy to date.
However, things are changing. Economic considerations are forcing cuts throughout enterprises, driving friction between customers and brands – in the form of price increases, illogical subscriptions, and poor customer service. The obsession appears to be on the decline, and customers are taking notice. So, how do brands keep their product in the basket in the long term? Accenture’s Life Trends 2024 report looks at the changing customer, the influence of generative AI, the balance of tech benefits and burdens, and people’s new life goals. A resource for brands looking to develop stronger relationships with customers, the report offers a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as businesses seek to keep up with changing customer trends and habits.
We will explore 5 key trends:
- Where’s the love?: Necessary cuts across enterprises have shunted customer obsession down the priority list—and customers are noticing.
- The great interface shift: Generative AI is upgrading people’s experience of the internet from transactional to personal, enabling them to feel more digitally understood and relevant than ever. But what does that mean for brands, and how do you preserve your identity in a billion personalized conversations?
- Meh-diocrity: Creativity was once about the audience, but has become dependent on playing the tech system. Will marketers find themselves into a state of creative stagnation?
- Error 429: Human request limit reached: Technology feels like it’s happening to people rather than for them—is a shift beginning, where they regain agency over its influence on daily life?
- Decade of deconstruction: Traditional life paths are being rerouted by new limitations, necessities and opportunities, significantly shifting demographics.
