They Said It at the ANA Brand Masters

By Bill Duggan

ANA

The ANA Brand Masters Conference, presented by Twitter, just wrapped. This year’s theme was “inspirational branding” and below are some inspirational takeaways from conference speakers.

• “Purpose has material impact on business performance. Purpose-led brands outperform the stock market.” — Sarah Long, Mars Wrigley North America
• “Authenticity and transparency are no longer optional for brands.” — Amy Smith, TOMS
• “Engagement, not churn, is our No. 1 KPI.” — Mike Belcher, T-Mobile
• “You can do big things with small budgets as long as you listen.” — Chris Connolly, San Diego Padres
• “People prefer to be addressed like people, not targets.” — Jennifer Brain-Mennes, Mondelēz International and Courtney Pappas, Twitter
• “Value is no longer about price. Value is experience and relationships.” — David Angelo, David & Goliath
• “Companies leading the way in inclusion seek input from people with mobility challenges on product design/development and include those with disabilities in how they represent their company or consumers to the public.” — Chris Carlisle, BraunAbility
• “Diversifying the labor force accelerates innovation and competitiveness.” — Erin Harris, Lobos 1707
• “Over 90 percent of us trust the opinions of influencers and trusted creators over the opinions of friends and family.” — Kelsey Foremost, Tagger Media
• “Marketing is about positioning, which is about the art of sacrifice. The word ‘and’ shouldn’t be in a positioning statement.” — Doug Zarkin, Pearle Vision
• “Today people are more focused on the ‘We’ rather than the ‘Me’ and are attracted to brands that focus on making the world a better place.” — Esi Eggleston Bracey, Unilever North America
• “Asian Americans are part of our community. Avoid addressing Asian Americans with they or them.” — Telly Wong, IW Group

And thanks to Russ Findlay of H.I.G Capital for superbly hosting the event!