Brand Management

Welcome and Introductions (11:00am - 11:10am ET)

Roundtable Discussion (11:10am - 11:20am)

Session I. TBD AdAge (11:20am - 11:55am)

Session II. The Missing Link in Marketing: How Empathy Influences Buyer Behavior (11:55am - 12:30pm ET)

There’s a critical gap between artificial and human intelligence. The piece of the puzzle that fits that gap is something everyone is born with the capability to use: empathy. When deployed effectively, empathy can strengthen the quality and impact of marketing programs and increase customer loyalty. This presentation will show you how to engage customers empathetically to drive business results.

According to recent surveys, 90% of consumers expect brands to display empathy with them through the brand’s messaging while 97% of customers say empathy is the most important element in customer engagement. And yet empathy is still widely perceived as a soft skill rather than the superpower that it is and the role it plays in creating successful brands.

Using real-world examples, Rob will demystify empathy and clear up the misconceptions which can lead to mistakes in marketing strategy and messaging. The talk will explore the “5 Steps to Empathy” which can generate authentic connections to all the people who touch a brand –from customers to distributors to employees – leading to greater marketing effectiveness and improved business results.

Attendees will learn:
• The misconceptions about what empathy is and is not
• How the use of empathy is a strength in marketing and branding
• How to overcome common barriers to be empathetic with customer segments
• Practical application tips and examples for empathetic brand engagement
• The tools needed to build your empathy “muscles”

Speaker: Rob Volpe, CEO & Founder, Ignite 360

Closing Remarks (12:30pm - 12:40pm)

**Schedule subject to change

SPEAKER BIOS


Rob Volpe, CEO & Founder, Ignite 360
Rob Volpe is an astute observer of life and a master storyteller who brings empathy and compassion to the human experience. As CEO and Founder of Ignite 360, he built a team of insights, strategy, and creative professionals helping the world’s leading brands apply human understanding to release untapped potential. Clients cut across a range of industries and have included Amazon, Starbucks, General Mills, Abbott Laboratories, Microsoft, Ulta Beauty, Whole Foods, Pernod-Ricard, Wells Fargo, Kraft Heinz, Nestle, and Cargill.

He is the author of the award-winning book Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time. The Independent Book Publishers Association recognized the book as one of the best self-help books of 2022 during the annual Benjamin Franklin Awards. Rob is also the Founder and CEO of Empathy Activist, LLC.
As a thought leader in the role of empathy in marketing, the workplace, and life, he is a contributor to Entrepreneur’s Leadership Network and he frequently speaks on the topic at conferences, corporations, podcasts, and college classes. He’s been quoted in Advertising Week, Mashable, Huffington Post, TheStreet, Hemispheres Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune, among others. He is a regular contributor to the mid-morning lifestyle show Good Things Utah on KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City.