Frost & Sullivan
With the deep penetration of AI and large models, the way brands interact with consumers is undergoing fundamental changes. To ensure the authenticity of digital marketing information and maintain the purity and security of the Chinese corpus ecosystem, the China Advertising Association,IAB ChinaThe joint report, "Digital Marketing in China: Insights from the IAB China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Summit 2026", was officially released at the event on January 16, 2026, in Beijing, at the same time as the "IAB China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Summit 2026" hosted by Frost & Sullivan and other nearly 30 industry platforms, enterprises, institutions, and media.Trusted Content Source"The Joint Initiative on High-Quality Development" (hereinafter referred to as the 'Initiative').
Huo Yan, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Advertising Association
Huo Yan, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Advertising AssociationIt is stated that with the accelerated penetration of AI and large models, digital marketing is undergoing profound changes, with content becoming the core carrier connecting brands with consumers. However, while the industry is developing rapidly, issues such as false information and low-quality content still affect consumer trust and the industry ecosystem. Huo Yan pointed out that 'trustworthiness' is the foundation for digital marketing to stand firm, and 'high quality' is the key to sustainable industry development. To ensure the authenticity of digital marketing information and maintain content ecosystem security, the China Advertising Association, in collaboration with IAB China, Frost & Sullivan, Peking University, Renmin University, and other institutions, has jointly initiated the 'Joint Initiative on 'Trusted Content Sources' and High-Quality Development in the Digital Marketing Industry' to promote ecological co-construction through industry self-discipline. She emphasized that building a trusted content ecosystem is not the sole responsibility of one institution but a shared responsibility of the entire industry. It is hoped that starting from this initiative, industry consensus can be gathered to promote the emergence of high-quality content and help the digital marketing industry achieve high-quality development under the new wave of technology.
Wang Chenhui, Partner-in-Chief and President of Frost & Sullivan China, Co-founder and President of LeadLeo
Wang Chenhui, Partner-in-Chief and President of Frost & Sullivan China, Co-founder and President of LeadLeoWhen interpreting the "Initiative," it was pointed out that if the keyword for the past decade has been "traffic," then there is only one keyword for the next decade, which is "trust." He stated that in the face of the content explosion brought about by AI, brands are experiencing a shift from "traffic competition" to "Cognitive competitionThe profound transformation of 'Frost & Sullivan' has made content authenticity its lifeline. Wang Chenhui called on the entire industry to go beyond commercial competition and focus on 'industry infrastructure'. Together, they aim to establish 'new standards' and 'new ethics' for digital marketing in the AI era. He stated that Frost & Sullivan and LeadLeo's research institute are willing to take the lead in producing over 10,000 research findings covering more than 1,000 sub-industries, actively incorporating them into the source of digital content to enhance the symmetry of credible information. 'We believe that only an ecosystem built on openness, collaboration, and sustainable evolution can truly drive the high-quality development of China's digital marketing industry in the new round of technological revolution.'
The Initiative advocates that practitioners and stakeholders in China's digital marketing industry follow the following six development norms:
(i) Establishing the marketing principle of 'research-based, practical approach'
We advocate that all digital marketing activities (including intelligent search and recommendation, marketing content creation, effectiveness evaluation, etc.) should be based on solid research. Any key information conveyed by brands to the public should be traceable to publicly available research or verifiable internal data from authoritative institutions, national statistical departments, or formal academic bodies. We firmly oppose the release of unfounded and fabricated data and conclusions on any digital touchpoint.
(II) Uphold the true bottom line, strengthen the main responsibility and manual review
We commit to strictly adhering to the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China and the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People's Republic of China, as well as other relevant legal norms, in all digital content disseminated to the public or fed to AI systems. For marketing content generated by AI technology, we emphasize the principle of 'technology-assisted, human review'. The initiating units and practitioners should earnestly fulfill their main responsibilities as producers and service platforms for online information content: strengthen information security management, establish a strict content review mechanism, manually verify key data generated by AI and cited factual sources. Once illegal or false information is discovered, timely measures such as stopping generation, transmission, and elimination should be taken. We do not use or connive at the generative characteristics of AI technology to fabricate false facts, forge scientific research results, or engage in unfair competition. We strive to ensure that the information ultimately reaching consumers or included in models is true, accurate, and traceable, effectively safeguarding consumers' right to know and trust.
(III) Implement AI-generated content annotation to ensure content traceability
We propose that when using AI technology to generate and publicly disseminate marketing content, clear markings should be made in a reasonable location and in a prominent manner, indicating that the content was generated or assisted in generating by AI technology, thereby enhancing the transparency of AI-generated content, helping consumers discern the nature of information, and providing a basis for subsequent content traceability and verification.
(IV) Structured Quality Improvement, Rejecting Corpus Pollution
We are committed to improving the quality and signal-to-noise ratio of digital content on the Chinese internet. We advocate that marketing service providers and other marketing activity entities, especially when optimizing and disseminating content, adopt structured and valuable knowledge-based content. We strictly prohibit the mass production of false, low-quality, repetitive, or misleading information to avoid polluting the digital ecosystem.
(V) Fair competition, advocating 'Sunshine Cooperation'
We firmly oppose any behavior that damages the business reputation of other operators. It is strictly prohibited to use AI tools or any digital channels to maliciously evaluate competitors, fabricate false rankings, or otherwise create or spread false or misleading information about competitors. Competition should be based on the brand's own strengths and real data.
(vi) Jointly build an 'Trusted Content Source' foundation to achieve ecological co-governance
We call on the entire digital marketing industry to jointly promote the establishment of an 'Industry Authority Knowledge Base and Publicity System'. We encourage service providers, brand owners, and research institutions to collaborate, actively incorporating high-quality and authoritative industry research findings into the source of digital content, enhancing the symmetry of credible information, alleviating adverse selection, and jointly building a real, authoritative, and trustworthy digital marketing ecosystem.
●The initiator of this initiative is:
China Advertising Association, IAB China
● The list of the first batch of co-initiating units (in no particular order) includes:
Frost & Sullivan, Peking University, Renmin University, Taihe Tai Law Firm, LeadLeo Research Institute, Hongmeng Media China, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, China Business News Daily, Every Economy Technology, Procter & Gamble, Guangzhou Wanglaoji Dajiankang Industry Co., Ltd., Oaks Air-conditioning Co., Ltd., Shanghai Mercury Home Textiles Co., Ltd., TATA Wood Doors, Roadshow Middle, Xibop SchoolMinglue TechnologyNew List, Shenyan Intelligence, Shanghai Bayantu Information Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhiyuai Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai Zhihuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Wisdom Starlight Information Technology Co., Ltd., Zhiding Hall (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd., Xincheng Shijie Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai Queue Technology Co., Ltd., etc.
Huo Yan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Advertising Association; Wang Chenhui, Partner and President of Frost & Sullivan China, Co-founder and President of LeadLeo; Wang Tianfu, Doctoral Supervisor at Peking University, Director of the Modern Advertising Research Institute, Researcher at the School of Journalism and Communication, Standing Committee Member of the Academic and Educational Working Committee of the Chinese Advertising Association, and IAB China Think Tank Expert; Wang Fei, Professor at the School of Journalism at Renmin University of China, Director of the Modern Advertising Research Center; Yue Qi, Chief Product Officer of Every Economy Technology; Ji Meixu, Head of Promotion for the Beijing-Tianjin Region at Wanglaoji; Tian Tao, Founder/President of Beijing Zhijingchi Technology Co., Ltd.; Jiao Yizhen, Founder of Shanghai Zhihuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.; Cai Ying, Brand Manager of Xibodu Academy, etc., jointly witnessed the live release of this initiative.
