Marketing Transformation Lessons from the ANA/AEF Future of Marketing Leadership Conference
I recently attended the ANA/AEF Future of Marketing Leadership Conference, co-hosted by NYU. The event focused on bridging the gap between academia and the marketing industry in order to better develop future marketing talent.
The discussions were grounded in the ANA’s Growth Agenda, which identifies four global growth priorities to drive business through marketing:
Brand, Creativity and Media
Data, Technology, and Measurement
Talent and Marketing Optimization
Society and Sustainability
ANA CEO Bob Liodice discusses the ANA Growth Agenda.
I left the event with more excitement and optimism about my future as a marketer. Three key things stood out to me:
Technology (namely AI) will aid our fundamental objective of building relationships with customers.
Marketing measurement must be increasingly connected to the desired outcomes of the C-Suite.
The best marketers are curious and relentless; providing outlets for learning and experimentation are the best methods to cultivate young talent.
To further expand upon these themes:
Technology empowers creativity: While AI and data analytics will continue to play a larger role, marketers’ ability to think creatively and strategically remain crucial for differentiation.
Brand as the foundation: Performance marketing is fueled by brand value. Building trust, favorability, and a solid reputation are paramount for long-term growth.
Alignment is key: A company's internal brand and culture should reflect its customer-facing brand. Brand values drive employee performance at all levels.
Marketers must “market marketing”: To maximize their impact within the organization, marketers at all levels should actively promote the value and effectiveness of their work through internal communication and storytelling.
Business context is required: Marketing leaders play a crucial role in equipping their teams with a solid understanding of business and financial context so that they can better connect their initiatives to desired business outcomes.
Encourage curiosity: Providing learning and experimentation opportunities are essential for growing young marketing talent.
At the end of the day, marketers are tasked with impacting consumers’ attitudes and behaviors, and thus must lead with a human-centered approach. This approach starts within the marketing department, to ensure all team members are connected to the brand values and have opportunities to thrive.
