4 big insights from ADMA’s Global Forum

Last week we welcomed over 500 in-person and virtual delegates to our Global Forum in Sydney to canvas the latest trends in data-driven marketing and advertising. Here’s a recap of the major themes that emerged from the conference.

Consumer centricity is the foundation of a data-driven future

Dr Catherine Ball of the Australian National University predicts that we’re about to see nothing short of a “tsunami” of new data. And with a spate of new developments arriving in implantable technology, quantum computing and biotech, it’s easy to see why.

But with so much data available, Dr Ball believes it’s imperative that brands resist being swept away by the wave. We need to ask ourselves, do consumers really want to give so many of their personal details over to companies? 

Dr Ball believes the answer lies in understanding why your customers require assistance. It’s not about halting the progress of data-based technology, but it’s on us as marketers to ensure consumer needs aren’t forgotten.

This consumer-centricity was also central to Qantas’s marketing during the pandemic. With aircraft grounded and traditional advertising off the table, Chief Customer Officer Stephanie Tully says the national carrier took a different approach. 

It was one that instead rewarded its customers for their ongoing loyalty. And from this starting point, innovation followed.

Qantas was able to use data-based insights to sell its pyjamas, wine, and even the iconic drinks carts. It also kept publishing its in-flight Qantas Magazine, mailing copies to its Frequent Flyers. And it encouraged Australians to get vaccinated and back in the skies with some truly tear-jerking TV ads.

Ultimately for the airline, negotiating a turbulent few years came down to a single key insight - keeping its customers at the centre of all it did.

Prioritise knockout creative and support it with data-based insights

For Gary Vaynerchuk, the power of creativity is the thing that needs our closest attention right now.

The VaynerMedia founder’s trademark straight shooting approach was on show as he outlined why the industry needs to step up its content and advertising. 

“I believe that the creative industry is loaded with highly creative people, but the way the industry is built has sucked the creativity out of them.

“We are too beholden to headlines, awards, and reporting that is incredibly flawed. We lack humility, and an appetite and thirst for merit. Our industry is no longer a creative industry. It was bought out by bankers,” he says.

So how do we improve our creativity? According to Lisa Allen, Head of Marketing at The Smith Family and Douglas Nichol, Strategy Director at The Works, experimentation and a culture of testing are the place for marketers to start.

They advised that when it comes to creative, it’s wise to stay grounded in target market insights. Consumers’ needs, wants, and desires should be your foundation, and it’s important to give them as few clicks as possible when moving them through the testing journey.

Between now and 2023, build your knowledge base, Nichol advises. “Because you can actually get out there and do testing before cookies disappear and life becomes a little bit more complex.” 

(Technological) change is in the air

If you’re perplexed by the Metaverse, you’re not alone. Although the idea of a Metaverse has been around for years, Facebook’s rebrand to Meta and subsequent investment into the realm signals a new future for us all.

But there’s no need to panic yet. Jason Juma-Ross, Meta ANZ’s Director of Telco, Tech and Entertainment, believes no technology we currently have today will be used in the Metaverse. That’s how far we are from seeing this world become a (virtual) reality. It’s also not just headsets. It’s implantable technology, glasses, contacts, and gizmos we haven’t even conceived yet. 

Eventually the Metaverse will become interchangeable with our real life, according to Joe Millward, TAFE NSW’s Innovation Manager, who’s already seeing the power of this space. In education at least, it’s been able to help disabled and culturally diverse students engage with subject matter in a far more productive way. 

And this is just one sector: there are plenty of applications this technology will have on other industries, with hybrid work also coming to the forefront. After all, most of us are used to seeing teammates virtually already - the pandemic made it a necessity. 

“What we've realised, though - with all the innovation and transformation that we’ve had to do - is that the chemistry and relationships you build remotely are not the same as face to face relationships,” says Melissa Hopkins, VP of Marketing at Optus.

It’s a factor that is seeing us embrace other important relationships more than we did pre-pandemic. “The time that used to be my commute I now spend with my daughter in the morning,” says Simon McDonald, VP of Sales ANZ at Optimizely. 

“I’m not willing to give that time back, so work needs to figure out what they're going to do,” he adds.

It might well be that the Metaverse, or at least some form of virtual or augmented reality, will become our solution to hybrid working in the near future.

The bonds between data and trust are more important than ever

“The world may have changed, but people haven’t,” says Adam Jacobs, Co-Founder of The Iconic. “Great brands are built on real needs,” he adds with purpose.

As someone who co-founded one of Australia’s most popular e-commerce brands, Jacobs knows a bit about answering the real needs of consumers. And key to the success of The Iconic, which launched at a time when e-commerce was nascent in Australia, was trust.

“If you think back to 2011 in Australia, e-commerce was not a great experience. It was about cheap prices, last year’s stock, and bargain basement items,” says Jacobs. “We wanted to bring the second wave of e-commerce forward, with better shopping experiences, really fast delivery, free returns and a premium range,” he says.

And for companies dedicated to providing the top notch shopping experiences that Jacobs mentions, ensuring data is handled cleanly and responsibly is essential. 

The Iconic were Aussie trailblazers when it came to who they employed. As the business scaled, data scientists, marketers and software engineers were hired in droves to give consumers the most relevant and rewarding experiences online. 

What’s clear is that data is no longer just the concern of a narrow division of people. For a society racing towards a data-driven future, companies as a whole must now prioritise how they handle data and safeguard its use.

The last word goes to ADMA’s own CEO Andrea Martens, who observes that we've never seen such a rapid period of digital transformation. 

“Building trust is the skill that underpins how we're going to master this new world,” she adds.