ANA Masters of Marketing 2021: How a Force for Good and Force for Growth Co-exist

Last week, Robyn Freye, Senior Vice President and I, attended the ANA’s Masters of Marketing Conference. Below are our observations and takeaways from the event. 

---

The ANA’s Masters of Marketing Conference is typically one of the most prestigious and well-attended events in our industry. Given current state of play, the turnout of live attendees was incredible and the energy from the connectivity of our industry-at-large was palpable. It was one of our first forays back out into the real-world, video conferencing be damned!

 The lineup of speakers for the event featured a who’s who of marketing leaders, each bringing their own unique perspective to their respective sessions. However, common themes emerged throughout the sessions that are shaping the future of how our industry - and our clients - work. 

 What did we hear? And what does it all mean? Here are some of the key themes that emerged over the course of the conference:

 INSPIRE YOUR AUDIENCE AND TRANSFORM YOUR CUSTOMERS INTO YOUR EVANGELISTS

While it’s nice to inspire, it also pays. Inspiring your customers through creative brand storytelling drives long-standing brand loyalty, which directly affects your bottom line. Consumers who are active fans bring those in their orbit along with them, converting them from passive consumers to active and engaged fans, a transformation that can have a profound impact on your bottom line.   

 Amazon noted that brand appreciation happens at the intersection of brand love and what excites real consumers on a daily basis. And while this may seem simple, it is incredibly more complex than it seems at its surface. You can tell people what to think of your brand all day long, but why should they listen? The short answer is the new cliché of “actions speak louder than ads” – you win by inspiring your fanbase to become your advocates. You demonstrate why YOU care about what your consumers care about, because talk is cheap and the next generation of consumers see right through it.

 McDonald’s acknowledged shifting its focus away from the brand’s haters, instead opting to channel their fans and convert them into brand ambassadors. This approach is part of the larger trend towards influence and nano-influence as key building blocks of authenticity. Consumers can smell inauthenticity a mile away; it has never been more important to have real street-cred. Put your money where your mouth is!  

 A SUSTAINED COMMITMENT TO DE&I IS NEEDED TO ENACT REAL CHANGE

 One topic that was touched on in just about every session is the importance of DE&I…FINALLY! While we are happy to hear that DE&I is top of mind, we were even happier to hear the acknowledgement from most speakers that DE&I must be a sustained commitment championed by executive leadership if we are to make real, impactful and lasting change. One-off efforts are not enough, real change will be achieved by looking at everything from suppliers, partners and communications through the DE&I lens.

 Because marketing is engine of growth in every company, CMOs are empowered to partner across the C-Suite to drive organizational change and they have the tools needed to make it happen at their disposal. CMOs are no longer just responsible for outward facing communications, their roles now have a much more robust responsibility towards building their internal cultures, as well. This is good news.  

 J&J said that “the driver of diversity is not just an altruistic thing, but it is good for business. What’s good for business is diversity and what’s good for us is to advocate for it in the right way…it is possible and more possible that ever before but will always require the passion of people to make it happen.” The importance of authenticity is again underscored in this effort, your organization must embrace DE&I as a priority from the center with authenticity if it is to be impactful change our collective industries. 

 YOU HAVE A VOICE, USE IT TO CHANGE THE WORLD

 Anyone else remember when “cause marketing” felt like a dirty word? Well, cause marketing is all grown up and it is no longer a right, but rather a responsibility to put your brand to work on behalf of the causes you believe in.  

 The NFL spoke about this at-length in their session and outlined how they have leveraged their brand to work on behalf of causes that are important to them, their players, and their fanbase including the support and promotion of police/community reform, mental health, and LGBTQ pride, amongst other important social issues.

 OPTIMISM IS KING: THE POWER OF POSITIVITY AND EMPATHY

 From PepsiCo wanting to create “smiles” and their belief that being a force for joy is being a force for growth, to Unilever’s belief in the power of taking care of people’s “inner game” via mental and physical health and self-improvement – never has there been such a direct tie between optimism, empathy and your bottom line.

 This acknowledgment for the need of a positive outlook and appreciation of your consumers’ and employees happiness isn’t new but it has certainly never had such a front row seat in an organization’s purpose. The direct tie of happiness and well-being to success is undeniable. Given the last 19 months we’ve all lived through – as employees, consumers, and human beings – a refocus of priorities has emerged, and it is the happiness factor that is at the heart of success. Being able to achieve a work/life balance as the lines between home and office blur is incredibly important, as is a brand’s ability to demonstrate empathy for their consumer’s plights.

 Over the last year, the words “pivot,” “unprecedented,” “new normal,”, and “digital transformation,” have been spoken so often we’ve become numb to their meanings. We are, indeed, in the midst of a marketing revolution. The changes in consumer behavior that have transpired throughout the course of Covid will have lasting impact on how we all conduct business. 

 Each of us entered the pandemic with a strategy of “how do we get through this” but few, if any, of us expected that our fundamental approaches would be forever changed by it. We have evolved because the consumer has changed, which means we can choose to adapt to meet their new needs or we can continue to do more of the same and be left in the rearview mirror.  

 Consumer needs and mindsets have never before evolved so drastically and so quickly. All of the themes we outlined above are complementary to each other and work in harmony. The main takeaway is that humanity is at the core of what we all do – we are a business of people and if our people - whether employees or consumers - aren’t taken care of and respected, where does that leave us? 

 Art imitates life, and life as we know it has changed and continues to do so at a never-before-seen rate of speed. Yes, what we all do is an art, balanced with a great deal of science.  So doesn’t it make sense for us apply our detailed and disciplined craft to become catalysts for good and for growth?

 All simply food for thought, grab a plate! :)