ANA Masters of Marketing Conference Kicks Off With Focus on Industry Pride
Industry has “much to be proud of,” says ANA CEO
ORLANDO, Fla. (October 15, 2015) — With more than 2,700 attendees on hand, ANA President and CEO Bob Liodice kicked off the 2015 ANA Masters of Marketing Annual Conference today by praising the industry for its unrelenting efforts to transform the marketing and media landscape through creativity, innovation, and the use of technology and an expanding array of customer channels. “My assessment,” he said, “is that our industry has much to be proud of, and that pride is reflected in a great body of work…. This is generating brand loyalty and better business results, and improving shareholder equity.”
Liodice pointed to six specific advances driving the industry’s revolution and evolution:
- Multi-screen and integrated marketing programs
- Efficient programmatic media strategies
- Addressable, interactive, and connected campaigns
- Intelligent expansion of social media
- Expansive strategies using outdoor advertising, digital place-based media, and real-time marketing
- Leveraging one of media’s hot buttons: connected TV
Liodice cited the second annual Marketing Disruption Study, a collaboration between the ANA and McKinsey & Co., as further proof that the “legacy marketing model is being disrupted.” Among its key findings, the study found that marketers are moving to networked organizations and away from command-and-control structures, are more focused on the customer journey, and have recognized that “agile leadership” is a prerequisite for success.
However, Liodice also pointed out some “red flags” identified in the study, including marketers trying to “do it all,” the need to improve data management, limited understanding of the customer, and inadequate staffing.
Additionally, Liodice addressed the importance of industry stewardship programs, such as the Trustworthy Accountability Group, to “overcome our own issues that hamper our ability to optimize our growth potential.” He also asked attendees to embrace the concept of brand purpose in order to make a true difference in people’s lives.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Growth — Mastering Brands and Driving Results.” Throughout the event, attendees will hear insights on how success was driven by some of today’s top marketers, from brands including Mondelēz International, GE, Airbnb, AT&T Mobility, McDonald’s, Calvin Klein, Carhartt, and Lyft.
The conference runs from October 14–17 at the Orlando World Center Marriott. The conference hashtag is #ANAMasters.
About the ANA
The mission of the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) is to drive growth for marketing professionals, brands and businesses, the industry, and humanity. The ANA serves the marketing needs of 20,000 brands by leveraging the 12-point ANA Growth Agenda, which has been endorsed by the Global CMO Growth Council. The ANA’s membership consists of U.S. and international companies, including client-side marketers, nonprofits, fundraisers, and marketing solutions providers (data science and technology companies, ad agencies, publishers, media companies, suppliers, and vendors). The ANA creates Marketing Growth Champions by serving, educating, and advocating for more than 50,000 industry members that collectively invest more than $400 billion in marketing and advertising annually.
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Duke Fanelli
dfanelli@ana.net
917.922.1858