ADMA at SXSW Sydney 2023

SXSW was in Sydney for the first time and it was a grand celebration of the convergence of tech, creativity, and culture.  

Like many others in the industry, ADMA was present and getting involved bringing together inspired thinkers to celebrate how we have evolved, and how it it’s being shaped in a constantly changing ecosystem.  

ADMA CEO Andrea Martens on Wednesday joined a panel in debating the New Era of Marketing Accountability, and on Thursday at Clear Hayes House, ADMA hosted a few panels that got us thinking – AITA in my agency/client relationships? I messed up, did I just blunder my career?  

The age-old question – Is marketing a science or an art? 

Earlier this month, Mark Ritson shared an opinion piece stating, “Consumers don’t get tired of ads, only marketers do”. This begs the question – are marketing efforts making an impact on the business’ bottom line? Or are we killing campaigns before we’re able to find out?  

From analytics to creative, it's clear marketing needs both. ADMA CEO Andrea Martens on the panel stated,  

“It is a balancing act of logic and magic, and I think that balancing act is key… The data is there to understand the practical, and it’s the marketers’ role to really be able to see where the important components need to be added at all stages of the creative process”  

She follows up with,  

“If the insight is right and you have a proposition that’s relevant for that, bring it to life... If it needs to be tweaked, then tweak it. But don’t throw the whole insight or creative platform out.” 

In continuing the discussion on making marketing more accountable and effective, Lara Thom, Global CMO of Guzman y Gomez suggested that the first four seconds of a creative is where it matters most. The rise of short form content has really attributed to how audiences engage with creative.  

Andy Ford, Coles 360, states,  

“Sadly, the big reveal at the end feels a bit wasted now,” he said. “If you have someone watching the big screen however, it’s fine – you just have to have a mix of all the things to maximise gaining attention.” 

But it's important to note that the right content, to the right audience, provides brands with the opportunity to create longer-form content. It was a shock to most in 2019 when Disney released the three-hour film – Avengers Endgame, and more recently Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Increasingly, audiences are consuming time expensive content. 

Paul Sinkinson, Analytics Partners, states that the conflicting trends are a result of consumer choice.  

“It’s just now we’re more sure of paying attention to something we want to. I don’t think the insight of ‘give people something they find interesting, so they pay attention to it’ is new, it’s just people have more choice. It’s less about attention – otherwise those books and movies would be shorter.” 

As we step into this new world of emerging technologies, and marketing accountability, there's a fine balance that we need to strike between creative and analytics. Ensuring that the impressions we make are making an impact we might have to collectively consider – are we killing creatives and campaigns before they can impact our bottom line? 

Panel: From Impressions to Impact: The New Era of Marketing Accountability 

• Andrea Martens, CEO at ADMA 

• Andy Ford, Head of Data Intelligence and Measurement at Coles 360 

• Lara Thom, CMO at Guzman y Gomez 

• Paul Sinkinson, Managing Director at Analytics Partners Australia 

Roleplay as Reddit moderators – diving into the agency and client relationship 

Most of us have seen it – threads upon threads of people asking ‘Am I the Asshole?’ (AITA) to the community to gauge whether their actions were fair play or just absurd. And to younger audiences, in the format of a TikTok with Subway Surfers gameplay on one side. 

In this session we channeled Reddit, providing some hypothetical situations and getting real-time results from the crowd and opinions from seasoned agency leaders, Dan Monheit (HardHat), Maurice Riley (Publicis Groupe) and Gemma Anderson (ADMA).  

ICYMI – we have one question. AITA for canning a project that has already started?  

Here’s a breakdown of what the crowd thought.  

You might be wondering – what? Why NTA? Here’s the full scenario that was posed to the audience... 

“I've recently started at a new brand in a new role. In my first week, our agency ran me through a project my predecessor had briefed in and signed off on.  I'm new to the category but the strategy doesn't sit right with me. This is going to absorb the majority of my budget and kill my ability to do anything else.  

And if I'm really honest, I'm not vibing with the agency and would rather bring in the agency I worked with in my previous organisation. My boss has given me permission to do whatever I think is right. Would I be the arsehole if I asked the agency to bill for whatever hours they've spent so far, and cancel the project?” 

Do you agree with the general consensus of the audience on the day? 

Panel: AITA? The Client/Agency Edition 

• Gemma Anderson, Marketing Lead at ADMA 

• Dan Monheit, Founder at HardHat 

• Maurice Riley, Maurice Riley, Chief Data Officer at Publicis Groupe Australia & New Zealand 

Opening up on career blunders – where do you go from there? 

It hard to get candid on a stage, admitting your blunders in front of a crowd of people but that’s exactly what happened during this panel. Whether it’s have a few too many beveraginos at a work party and telling a few people what you really think, or underpreparing for your first client meeting, intense self-shame and embarrassment is universal. However, its nothing that you can’t bounce back from.  

Sharing personal stories, followed by questions from the crowd, our panel - Susan Coghill (Tourism Australia), Stuart Tucker (hipages) and Liana Dubois (Nine Network) delve into what they’ve learnt throughout their career and what lessons they take with them. 

There are three key takeaways that were bought up by the panel. 

1. Trust in your intellect, skills, and accomplishments 

Self-doubt was something felt by the whole room. Whether it’s entering a new job, an upcoming promotion, or new responsibilities – jitters can be unshakable.

2. Diversify your skillset 

Take opportunities when presented. Being willing to expand your experience set and try new disciplines will open up more doors. Particularly if you’re looking for bigger roles, with bigger remits.  

3. Pay Kindness Forward 

We’ve all been showed the kindness of forgiveness and short-term memories. When given a chance, pay that kindness forward. The lesson and memory is often enough of a consequence!