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The Future Role of Marketing in the Organization

Dennis Dunlap will review possible scenarios on the role of marketing in the organization in the year 2015 and the strategic implications for today's marketing leaders in B2B and B2C businesses.

Getting Heard in a Sea of Information

Xerox Chairman and CEO Anne Mulcahy will discuss the extraordinary explosion in information media and content. One mind-bending example: the information created last year is equivalent to three million times all the books ever written. This information explosion presents both enormous challenges for marketers, but also amazing opportunities. Getting personalized information to the right person at the right time with the right content is more important than ever. Fortunately, it is also easier and more affordable then ever.
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The Marketing Story of the Year and What Marketers
Can Take Away From It

Larry Grisolano will discuss the marketing communication strategy and planning that drove the groundbreaking success of the Obama Campaign and share important key learning for marketers.

Making Your Brand Voice Heard

John Hayes will discuss how companies can find their brand voice in the marketplace, check their voice and make the transformations necessary to maintain relevance in a hyper-communicative world.

Retail as a Mass Medium

Stephen Quinn will discuss the renewed pertinence of marketing's oldest medium.

Future of Marketing in the Organization in 2015 —
Prognostication and Planning

Roch Parayre and George Day will take a deeper look at future scenarios and their implications for today's marketing leaders and their operations. They will facilitate a discussion with B2B and B2C marketing leaders on how they view the scenarios and how they might prepare for these different futures. The session will conclude with consensus guidelines for building an effective B2B or B2C marketing organization and competency in the New Marketsphere.

Leveraging B2B Brands to Increase Growth and Profitability

This Strategic Forum focuses on the best and "next" emerging practices in co-branding, ingredient branding and brand alliances in convergent, networked markets to build brand platforms. Session participants will discuss leveraging B2B brand platforms to enhance profitability and growth while reducing risks from commoditization and price competition, and how to justify investment in branding. Case studies merging theory and practice will help attendees gain insight into commonalities across industries and global markets.

Creating a Holistic Communication Strategy

With the proliferation in the "New Marketsphere" of new and non-traditional opportunities for connecting with customers -- viral marketing, social media networks, mobile digital products, the gaming and virtual world -- marketers must understand the what/when/how of these options in formulating their communication strategy for reaching customer touch points in today's 360 degree 24/7 environment.

Successful Customer Engagement Strategies in B2B Markets

Customer engagement is about interactions with the brand, organization and other customers and is a key measure of marketing performance. Marketers must stimulate or influence customer behavior to engage them. This requires longer term strategic relationships with customers, encourages customer loyalty and a level of advocacy. During this session, marketing leaders from cross-section of B2B organizations will share case studies reflecting successful engagement strategies, how to develop/execute/measure them and lessons learned. Audience will leave with insights and ideas on building deeper connections with customers.

Best in Class Brand Strategies Driving Profitable Growth

John Blasberg, partner at Bain & Company, will share learning from a comprehensive analysis by Bain of how successful brands have continued to drive profitable growth for 10 consecutive years during an era of dramatic and rapid change. John will provide insights into commonalities across the brands and key components of the best in class brand strategies. Corporate and marketing leaders from companies with best in class brands will elaborate on the drivers of their successful brand strategies.

Measured Thoughts: Assessing New Media and Marketing Choices

A look at the metrics for assessing new media and new marketing practices, decisions on how much to spend, where to spend it and how to assess spending in the New Marketsphere. CMOs in B2C and B2B markets will share their views and experience on these core issues. David Reibstein, marketing professor at Wharton and recognized expert on marketing metrics, will interact with session participants in a talk show format. Session will include audience interaction.

Living on the Brand-Building Edge

In a world where YouTube videos are common cocktail conversation, building and sustaining brands has become increasingly difficult, forcing marketers to reach beyond familiar and routine strategies and techniques. This session will explore several new, leading edge opportunities for extending brands and the customer experience with them. The discussion will include the rapid development of community and building brands online in the Web 2.0 world and the use of audio identity in building brands. Attendees will leave with six actions to take advantage of the new entertainment culture.

The Next Generation of Customer Research Tools

Eric Almquist will review emerging customer research trends and techniques, and provide an assessment of options and guidelines for which methodologies and tools are best for what purposes. Attendees will leave with an overview of each research tool and matrices of which tools best align with various research goals.

Marketing Mix Decisions: New Perspectives & Practices

In the New Marketsphere, marketing mix decisions continues to be a key challenge for marketers with the proliferation of media and channels as well as the pressure on accountability and ROMI. This session focuses on case studies that bring new perspectives to the marketing mix discussion. Subject experts will provide insight into the strategic approaches and latest models and tools being used for optimizing and assessing marketing mix.