The programme for this year’s Forum Media, the largest industry conference in Central Europe, will bring together leading figures from the worlds of marketing, media and strategic communications, offering insights into how the relationship between agencies, brands and audiences is evolving.
One of the main guests will be Joah Santos, the man behind the legendary Dove Real Beauty campaign. Santos was due to attend last year’s event, but had to cancel at the last minute due to logistical issues. However, he promised that this time it would go ahead.
Santos has long championed marketing focused on building communities, or as he likes to put it, “tribes”, which has become a key area in recent years. In his work, he combines creativity, behavioural insights and data. At a time when marketing is facing audience fragmentation and fatigue with traditional advertising, the ability to create “tribes” around brands is becoming one of the most important themes in contemporary brand building. Santos is also currently exploring the intersection of creativity and artificial intelligence, demonstrating how new technologies can transform not only advertising creation but the very functioning of brands.
A new model for agencies
Michael Farmer, author of the influential books *Madison Avenue Manslaughter* and *Madison Avenue Makeover*, will focus on the transformation of the agency world; his next book, focusing on changes to agency business models, is due to be published in a few days’ time. Farmer points out that the traditional economic model of advertising agencies is ceasing to function, or more accurately, has ceased to function. According to him, price pressure, automation, the dominance of technology platforms and changing client expectations are fundamentally transforming the entire advertising industry. Farmer advises the largest global networks on how to survive in an environment where creativity is increasingly competing with efficiency, data analytics and automated media buying. His talk will be of particular interest to agency managers and marketers seeking answers to the question of how the advertising business will operate in the coming decade.
The harsh world of social media
Another prominent figure on the programme will be Mark Borkowski, a legend in crisis communications and a man who has worked for Michael Jackson, Cirque du Soleil and Barclays. Borkowski represents a world of public relations in which the boundaries between reputation, media manipulation and public spectacle are becoming increasingly blurred. He has long warned that in the era of social media and ‘cancel culture’, reputation is becoming one of the most vulnerable assets for both brands and individuals. “The ‘Cancel’ button is today’s version of the guillotine. One mistake is all it takes and you’re finished,” said Borkowski.
That is precisely why his agency has even introduced reputation insurance to protect clients from the impact of negative media campaigns.
Nick Couldry from the London School of Economics will also focus on the technological and social dimensions of contemporary communication. He is one of the most prominent critics of digital platforms and the data economy. In his books, he points out that technology companies no longer merely influence the distribution of content, but are increasingly shaping the very functioning of society, politics and the economy. Of particular importance to the marketing world is his warning that the relationship between brands and their audience is increasingly taking place on platforms whose rules are not set by the media or agencies, but by global technology corporations.
Beware of communication hijacking
Vilma Luoma-aho from the University of Jyväskylä will also speak on the topic of trust and digital manipulation. Her work focuses on new forms of digital influence, disinformation and the phenomenon of ‘communication hijacking’ – situations where attackers take over organisations’ communication channels and turn them against them. She also examines the phenomena of greenwashing, pinkwashing and bluewashing, and how companies work with value-based communication. According to many experts, the very issue of brand authenticity and the credibility of corporate messaging will be one of the key marketing themes in the coming years. Put simply, Vilma has a knack for identifying complex topics, giving them an accessible label and thereby bringing them to the public’s attention. Come to this year’s Forum Media and you’ll understand the direction your profession is set to take in the coming years.
Source: mediaguru.cz