In the context where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is shifting from a supportive tool to the core of business operations, data saturation and exposure frequency have created a paradox: consumers receive an abundance of personalization but lack emotional connection and brand memory. Based on the latest theoretical foundation by Philip Kotler and colleagues (2024), Marketing 7.0 proposes a new management framework focusing on the “Mind” (Mind-centric). This article analyzes three cognitive “gateways” and four strategic levers that help brands establish a sustainable presence.

1. Context: The paradox of abundance in the AI era: The boom of AI has helped businesses achieve outstanding performance in content creation, behavioral analysis, and process automation. However, the over-reliance on algorithms without an understanding of human psychology will lead businesses into two fundamental strategic "traps":

• The Quantity trap: Using AI to generate billions of soulless pieces of content dilutes brand identity. Customers, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha, fall into a state of information overload, weakening their bond with the brand.

• The Performance trap: The system's excessive automated data tracking (Retargeting) easily creates a feeling of privacy invasion. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Tien Minh (2026) pointed out that conversion performance may skyrocket in the short term, but "Brand Love" drops significantly.

2. Theoretical Framework: The Three Gateways into the Mind:

To resolve the aforementioned paradox, in the publication Marketing 7.0: A Guide for Thinking Marketers in the Age of AI, Kotler, Kartajaya, and Setiawan (2024) proposed a systemic three-gateway model to help brands penetrate the customer's mind:

• Personal Gateway: Personalization does not stop at Big Data processing. Specifically, brands need to apply AI to understand the micro-context and real-time psychological state, thereby turning advertising messages into useful values at the right time, bypassing the brain's natural filtering system.

• Social Gateway: Inheriting the theory of Social Proof, this gateway emphasizes that trust is no longer built on one-way messaging. Trust is now shaped through the community ecosystem and the rise of "Virtual Influencers" capable of direct interaction with young customer segments.

• Experiential Gateway: Based on the principles of cognitive science, the deepest memories are formed through multi-sensory experiences. Brands must leverage the "Phygital" (Physical plus Digital) model to create immersive experiences, converting short-term information into long-term memory.

3. Strategic Execution: Four Core Levers To operate the three aforementioned gateways smoothly, 4 strategic levers have been systematized to help marketers shift from a "Communication" mindset to "Connection Design". Specifically, these 4 strategic levers include:

• Storytelling: Building a humane value system and profound messages to create emotional resonance, rather than merely describing the mechanical functions of a product.

• Value Proposition: Redefining product value based on customers' higher-level needs according to Maslow's hierarchy (For example: a bookstore is actually selling knowledge and inspiration instead of just selling paper and ink).

• Selling Approach: Shifting the focus from a localized "closing the sale" process to designing the entire customer journey at every touchpoint.

• Experience: Ensuring the consistency of the brand experience across all touchpoints to deeply engrave brand identity in the consumers' minds.
  
  ThS. Nguyễn Hữu Vi Thư -  Khoa Marketing