Hello, I am Sameer Deshpande, an Associate Professor of Social Marketing at Griffith University in Australia and the Director of the Asian Social Marketing Association (ASMA), a newly formed nonprofit in Singapore. On behalf of ASMA, I want to congratulate Professor Yoko Uryuhara, Representative Director of Japan Social Marketing Association (JSMA), for successfully completing the first year of the association’s existence. Yoko-san informed me that in the first year, JSMA focused on laying the foundations of the Association, strengthening governance, promoting social marketing in Japan, and developing relationships with practitioners, researchers, local authorities, businesses, and civil society organisations. This is both inspiring and instructive for the Asian association, as we, too, initiated our work in October 2025. ASMA is a non-political, non-religious association established to bring together academics, students, policymakers, and practitioners from the nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors to promote the effective use of social marketing to address social problems across Asia. The Asian association’s vision is to be recognised globally and across the continent for its central role in advancing the field of Social Marketing in Asia. We envision establishing ourselves across Asia, including in each country, such as Sri Lanka, as a credible voice for the social marketing movement. Our governing region of Asia is consistent with UN code m49, which includes 48 countries and three territories from Turkiye in the West to Japan in the East, Mongolia in the north and Indonesia/East Timor in the south. To achieve this vision, the Asian association aims to raise awareness of social marketing, facilitate networking, and support the adoption of the evidence based behaviour change framework. It will share best practices from across the continent, amplify Asian wisdom for social change, build decolonised knowledge, contribute to social marketing theory and practice, strengthen the capacity of professionals working in communities, and ensure that activities and partnerships align with the Sustainable Development Goals. As a value proposition, the Asian association will add value to the global effort to promote the application of Social Marketing by capturing and reflecting the rich and diverse experiences and understanding developed across Asia regarding what constitutes good practice in Social Marketing. In that spirit, the real work, as stated above, should ideally take place at the country and regional levels. ASMA will function as an apex coordinating body, working with country level and regional Asian associations. ASMA is committed to being of the Asians, by Asians, and for Asians. ASMA will serve as a conduit between the Asian countries and regional associations and the Intl Social Marketing Association. At the same time, ASMA provides guidance and support in organising and promoting events, and in bringing together the resources that country associations will host on their digital sites. To grow social marketing in Asia, it is necessary to exchange information among Asian countries and learn from one another. This requires country and sub-regional associations within Asia to work closely, exchange insights, co-host events, collaborate on research, teaching, and consultancy, contribute to social change, and grow the field together. In that regard, I look forward to partnering with JSMA and ASMA as well as with other Asian associations such as those established in Jordan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Southeast. Professor Yoko Uryuhara also asked me to say a few words on the future of social marketing in Asia. I have researched this region for 25 years, and I can state with confidence that the future looks bright. I will highlight three important trends in South Asia: 1.As economies grow, people get richer, people get lazier, they eat more junk, and as our air and water get more polluted, this presents more challenges to society but more opportunities to social marketers to contribute to overcoming these wicked problems. This is happening while we continue to grapple with old sticky problems of the developing state of the economy, such as poverty, malnutrition, and vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue. 2.In response, countries such as India introduced, in 2013, through the Ministry of Corporate Affairs Act, a mandatory 2% contribution by companies towards CSR, which has resulted in a substantial growth in social marketing. Other countries in Asia are witnessing a similar growth in CSR and social marketing strategies. Every stakeholder, government, nonprofit, educational, corporate, and community, has a role to play in overcoming these challenges, and social marketing can effectively bring them together. 3.I also want to highlight the lack of education and research in our part of the world. Students are hungry to learn about social marketing and behaviour change. Certificates and degrees will go a long way to fill this gap. Finally, knowledge creation and research specific to our cultures are urgently needed, as they will not only contribute to theory-building but also inform practitioners and policymakers with effective behaviour change strategies, rather than relying on knowledge built on Western models. In closing, I wish the Japan Social Marketing Association and my colleagues all the best for their success. We at the Asian Association are available to support its growth. Thank you.