On September 25, the “2021 China Brand Development Forum” & “Donghu Brand Index Conference”, hosted by the Donghu Brand Institute (DBI), and jointly organized by the School of Journalism and Information Communication (SJIC), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), and the Vision China Media, was held at SJIC. People from domestic brand academic institutions, famous experts and scholars, representatives of well-known enterprises, and representatives of SJIC participated in this forum to discuss strategic plans for brand building and communication. The conference was also live streamed at the same time.

Aiming at “strengthening the country via brand innovation”, the DBI, a new type of think tank, was jointly established by SJIC and the Vision China Media, with the participation of related well-known enterprises, experts and scholars.

At the opening ceremony, Fang Mei, deputy director of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, HUST, and Zhang Guohua, president of the China Advertising Association, respectively delivered speeches to congratulate the opening of the forum, and extended warm welcome to the participating experts and scholars. Zhang Guohua spoke highly of this event, saying the conference was an active response to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s “Dream of Strengthening the Country via Brand”, and that it was a vigorous practice of post-epidemic economic recovery and urban brand reshaping.

In the topic report session, Huang Shengmin, senior professor of Communication University of China, also thedirector of China Advertising Museum, Li Huajun, deputy dean ofSJIC, HUST, and Chen Jicheng, chairman ofthe Vision ChinaMedia,deliveredkeynote speeches respectively. China City Brand Power Index and Hubei Brand Communication Vitality Index were officially releasedat theconference. Bao Liquan, associate professor ofSJIC,HUST, alsotheexecutive dean of theDBI, made an in-depth interpretation of the list city indexin terms ofbrand value evaluation model, index construction&indicator system, and list data analysis, fully reflecting thebrand competitiveness and brand ecological optimizationtrendof China’stop 100 cities. Wang Shujin, senior vice president ofthe Vision ChinaMedia, interpreted the Hubei Brand Communication Vitality Index. Through careful selection of the top 100 registered brands in Hubei, a three-level data analysis framework was constructed with the support of three major indicators of authoritative media communication, user attention, and new media communication. It provideda digital observation window and practical optimization direction to enhance brand value and revitalize the local economy, helping“Made in Hubei”golocalofcentral China, sell wellacross China and enjoy a global reputation.

The forum attached great importance to the role of the core engine of brand building in the new era. Relevant experts and scholars had a discussion around the theme “Chinese Brand Tension under Tremendous Changes”, focusing on brand innovation and integration such as urban development, rural revitalization, public branding, and corporate branding. They conducted in-depth discussions on the research results of brand value, the direction of Chinese brand innovation and heated issues of industry development, providing a normalized direction and key breakthroughs for the research on brand value upgrading.

At the end, Zhan Jian,Chair of the SJIC Committee, expressed his sincere gratitude to the guests for their attendance and suggestions, and summarized the results of the meeting.

The forum has deepened the cooperation of industry-university-research, also one of a series of research results jointly carried out by SJIC and the Vision China Media. Through the integration of public data from the National Bureau of Statistics, government reports, academic research reports, authoritative media and social network platforms, it launched a large database for the development of Chinese cities and Hubei brands, which provided data support for the high-end, branded, and characteristic development for cities. It also provided a model for subsequent urban diversified development and innovation research, as well as insights and enlightenment for corporate brand development. The forum can be regarded as a powerful move to promote the orderly development of Chinese corporate brands.

It is learned that this event attracted a total of 100,000+ viewers to watch online, and aroused heated discussions from all walks of life such as the government, colleges, industry, and media.