iStratey London “Digital Marketing Is Dead – Long Live Marketing” The iStratey London event saw over 500 people from various industries brought together all with one thing in common – a passion and interest in marketing. At this year’s event, held at Twickenham Stadium, the theme was “Digital marketing is dead – long live marketing”, an idea that digital marketing could no longer operate successfully as a silo from all other aspects of marketing, and needed to be brought back into the fold. Speakers confirming this were Hamish Pringle who reminded us that TV isn’t dead and it is the most effective medium for building fame. He presented a new model for marcomms planning: fame, advocacy, information, price and availability – and we as marketers need to understand where things like social media, online, mobile, etc. fit. If you still were unconvinced that digital marketing isn’t all-important, Dave Trott would have set you straight with his keynote presentation being done with the use of a projector, paper and marker. Talk about old school! But his message was more relevant than ever – creativity is the last advantage brands have over competition, and as always, simplicity is key! Author John Grant presented on day two about emerging global brands from the East, and how the difference is that Western brands are “made by” while Eastern brands are “made with”. He suggests seven strategies for brands: 14 | October 2013
craft, invent, adopt, fuse, remake, emerge, and citizens and that any strategy is based on local culture when exploring new markets. “Marketing is like sailing, you go where the wind blows.” The event ended on a high, first with Twitter’s Oliver Snoddy dazzling us with animated graphics in his presentation on how to “Plan for the moment”. First there is the everyday, what people are talking about the most; then live, as in realtime marketing, and then connected, adding an element of depth to what brands are communicating. Rounding us up at the very end was BJ Cunningham, who captivated the audience with his “Cinderella story” about his own experience trying to start up a company at a young age, succeeding and then falling just as hard. His ending message “what matters most is what people believe” and for brand’s strategy to always consider the “right thought, right word, right action” got him a standing ovation from the crowd. These are only fragments from two days of incredible speakers, with powerful and influential messages. People left the conference feeling inspired, and with compelling stories to not just focus their marketing strategies on digital, but to think of it as another medium in the realm of marketing.
Global CMO™ The Magazine