Committees | Events & Webinars | Brand Purpose - Growth for Good | ANA

Brand Purpose - Growth for Good

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

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

Session I. The Missing Link in Marketing: How Empathy Influences Buyer Behavior (11:20am - 11:55am)
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

Session II. Real Help for the Other Part of the Fight (11:55am - 12:30pm ET)
Pink Fund was overlooked in the highly active “pink” breast cancer cause marketing space, with the lion’s share of corporate sponsorships going to other, more, well-known cancer not-for-profits, Pink Fund was championing another, very real part of the breast cancer fight: financial toxicity. Women will often forgo treatment if they cannot afford to provide for their family or pay for other necessities – mortgage, auto, utilities. With the help of LUDWIG+ who created the award winning campaign opened the aperture on this important issue and inspired corporate donors to give “Real Help for the Other Part of the Fight.” Recognised by ANA Purpose Campaign of the Year and Ad Age Purpose Campaign of the Year. 

Speakers: 
Barbara Yolles Ludwig,
CEO/Founder, Ludwig+
Molly MacDonald
, CEO, Pink Fund

Closing Remarks (12:50pm - 1:00pm)

**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.




Barbara Yolles Ludwig, CEO/Founder, Ludwig+

LUDWIG+ was born of necessity by marketing visionary Barbara Yolles Ludwig after building a multibillion-dollar fintech brand…for the second time. She and her team’s creative and business smarts led the company to an acquisition. In an ironic twist, the marketing team she built was no longer needed. Rather than face layoffs, she decided to “save her people.”

FROM IN-HOUSE TO IN-BUSINESS

Barbara convinced her then employer to give her 90 days to win clients to “pay for the team.” A business development all-star, formerly CMO of McCann and Campbell Ewald, she successfully invented and pitched the idea of a shared in-house marketing team, and landed five clients who would, in fact, generate enough revenue to pay for every single person. An ad agency inside of a mortgage company? It was time to spin off. Hello, LUDWIG+

WE GREW UP FAST

LUDWIG+ has grown 1300% to more than 45 teammates and 25 clients since opening its doors in 2019. The company built a significant financial services practice – 7 of the top 15 lenders in America hired LUDWIG+, including rebrands for the top three players: UWM, Rocket and Pennymac. With a tight growth plan and investing in highly decorated talent, LUDWIG+ has expanded its client base into CPG, Auto, Healthcare, Tech, Energy and Agriculture, including Ram Trucks, Milo’s Sweet Tea, and being named the first woman-owned lead agency for FIAT North America.

WHY L+

Led by former CMOs, CCOs and CEOs, LUDWIG+ combines the shrewdness of a consultancy with the brilliance of a world-class ad agency. LUDWIG+ believes that a brand’s ability to differentiate and grow is based on unleashing its potential from the InsideOut. That’s why several of LUDWIG+ clients have realized 2-10X growth.

Barbara’s leadership has led LUDWIG+ to win multiple creative and business impact awards, including twice being recognized by ANA Small Agency of the Year (2022 and 2024), EY Entrepreneur of the Year (2022), Inc. 5000, and ANA Brand Purpose and Ad Age Purpose Driven Campaign of the Year for Pink Fund (2023).


Molly MacDonald, CEO, Pink Fund
Molly MacDonald is a 19-year breast cancer survivor and co-founder and CEO of Pink Fund, a breast cancer nonprofit that provides financial assistance to women and families in active treatment for breast cancer.While undergoing treatment for her own diagnosis in 2005, Molly and her family faced the potential for catastrophic financial losses, including the loss of their home. Molly witnessed countless other women in treatment waiting rooms who, like her, were forced to weigh their options between continuing treatment or returning to work to keep up with their daily household bills.

When MacDonald’s quest to Get Help was met with blank stares, she became determined to Give Help to others suffering from lost income because of their own diagnosis and treatment.

In 2006, she co-founded Pink Fund with her husband. Pink Fund provides 90 days of non-medical financial aid to cover basic cost of living expenses, such as housing, transportation, utilities, and health insurance.

By providing this financial bridge, Pink Fund helps to meet basic needs, while decreasing stress levels, allowing patients to focus on their healing. These factors improve treatment adherence, improving survivorship outcomes and quality of life.

Under Molly’s leadership, Pink Fund has made $8.2 million in direct bill payments on behalf of more than 4,000 breast cancer patients in active treatment. Pink Fund believes no on should have to choose between their life and their livelihood.

A passionate Patient Advocate, MacDonald is a thought leader in the breast cancer space, specifically in cancer-related financial toxicity. She is a sought-after keynote speaker sharing her personal struggles which led to the founding of Pink Fund while advocating for improved patient care. She is a member of the American Cancer Society National Breast Cancer Roundtable, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance and sits on the board of directors for the National Breast Cancer Coalition.