Influx

Yesterday’s conference went really well and I would like to thank everyone who attended and of course, our great speakers.

Jonah Bloom (Ad Age)- Encouraged us to believe that advertising agencies do have a future, but only if they can move into new arenas

Christian Simm- Explained how Switzerland, a country of just 7.5 million people and is the world leader in innovation, reaches out and starts important conversations using Swissnex (part conference space and part C21st technology attache).

Sarah Rich (Dwell)- Reminded us that the environment does matter and that brands need to start thinking about doing the right thing, but they need to be honest, if not, they will get caught out and ridiculed.

Kent Nichols (Ask a Ninja) and Chas Edwards (Federated)- Showed us how brands can participate in conversations and in the new world of online video entertainment.

Gregory Kennedy (Millions of Us)- Convinced us that virtual worlds like Second Life are now important media for teenagers, but showing us some nice work for Scion, WWE and WB.

Scott Wyatt (NBBJ)- Showed us how architecture can be a poweful force in branding, by helping to motivate and engage a brand’s most powerful asset, it’s own employees.

5X5 Speakers- Who braved stage fright, technological glitches and the chalenge of a 5 minute slot to share some very interesting perspectives.

Becky Saeger- Explained how Charles Schwab and made the massive brand shift from Chuck talking to Talk to Chuck and explained that it was not just about an ad campaign, but making changes to the organization. She also highllighted the need for CMOs to stay curious about the changing marketing world, in order to remain relevant.

Finally, I would like to thank Stacey Price of Pfeifer Price for organizing the confernce and making sure we all ate local, organic and sustainable food and Neal Zimmermann and his team for really great design work.

Posted by Ed Cotton