The University of Malta’s Department of Marketing recently held its annual marketing seminar, The Future of Marketing: From ¸£ÀûÔÚÏßÃâ·Ñ to Action in the Age of Gen AI, at the Malta Business Registry in Å»ejtun. Held on 30 April 2025, the event brought together students, academics and industry professionals to explore the rapidly evolving marketing landscape in an era shaped by artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
The event opened with welcome speeches by Prof. Franco Curmi, Head of the Department of Marketing, and Mr Kenneth Brincat, CEO of the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA), who both spoke of the importance of uniting a diverse community of students, academics, industry professionals and policymakers; to shed light on impactful but often overlooked university research, and to explore emerging marketing trends through meaningful dialogue and exchange.
Prof. Deniz Lefkeli from Luiss University in Rome delivered a compelling keynote on ¸£ÀûÔÚÏßÃâ·Ñ Exchange in the Digital Age, highlighting how consumers’ trust in brands can be affected when disclosing information to AI rather than humans. She also shared recent findings showing that while conversational AI is often preferred for information searches, it may impair users’ ability to recall details, raising important implications for marketing and knowledge transfer in the age of AI.
Adding further depth, Ms Kylie Decelis and Ms Maja Theuma, both alumni of the MSc Strategic Management & Digital Marketing programme at UM, presented findings from their postgraduate research. Kylie explored differences in customer interactions with AI chatbots versus human agents in terms of expectations and satisfaction in eCommerce settings; while Maja presented a biometric and visual analysis of user engagement with digital advertising.
A dynamic panel discussion titled The Road Ahead: Industry Perspectives on the Future of Marketing followed, featuring Ms Alison Mercieca (GO), Mr Jack Mizzi (BMIT), Ms Amanda Holmes (Melita) and Mr Christian Theuma (Multiple Group). Moderated by Mr Gavril Flores (MDIA), the panel offered insightful reflections on emerging marketing trends, brand strategy in a data-rich environment and the skillsets marketers will need in the years ahead.
Representatives from MDIA, Ms Rachel Camilleri and Mr Neil Micallef, provided a session on AI: Regulatory Implications for Marketing and Funding Opportunities, addressing how emerging frameworks can support innovation while ensuring ethical boundaries.
Dr Ivan Debattista, Visiting Lecturer at the Department of Marketing, then delved into The Influence of Retargeted Advertisements and FoMO on Young People, exploring how FoMO-driven retargeted ads influence young people's behaviour, highlighting how tactics like scarcity and social proof shape attitudes and intentions, especially across different age and gender groups.
Study opportunities at UM were then outlined by Prof. Curmi and Prof. Lefkeli, who shared insights into the MSc Strategic Management and Digital Marketing and MSc Strategic Management and Customer Experience, as well as the MSc Marketing Double Degree with Luiss University.
The event concluded with remarks that reinforced the importance of continued dialogue and research to shape a more ethical, effective and adaptive marketing future.
The success of the seminar was made possible through the coordination of Dr Daniela Castillo and the support of Ms Claire Ellul. The event served as a valuable space for idea exchange, networking and forward-looking thinking, continuing the department’s commitment to bridging academia and industry in the ever-evolving world of marketing.
