I am sure that the start of marketing week each year allows us to all breathe a little better and easier, at least for a little while.
The breakfast sessions are always an interesting indicator as to how well the whole week will go, everybody awake and keen to see what others have been experiencing in their worlds.
Peter Steidi from Mindshare reminded us of the quantity of purchases that are habitual, up to 85% but through tough times, consumers have a greater level of uncertainty.
Key lessons included
Research to find out how the consumers feel about your brand or product
Immerse yourself into the market
Trust, in your brand and your consumers
Our key note speaker, Catherine Eddy showed us the variations within nations, with a focus on South East Asia and what a diverse market that can be with its own set of challenges.
Kim Boehm drew quite a crowd, with stating what could almost appear to be the obvious “when in doubt, ask the customers” such a simple idea but what great results when you ask your market what they think or feel.
The awards lunch was another highlight of the day with a presentation from Justine Milne from Telstra. The lunch also included the South Australian Awards for Excellence, with a hotly contested batch of awards being handed out to some of South Australia’s hottest marketers.
Anybody that attended Brett Minchington’s session on employer branding may have been left with feelings of exhaustion. Bretts energy and enthusiasm for marketing staff becoming involved with Human Resources was astounding. Good thing there were energy drinks on tap after the session.
Wrapping the night up with a presentation from Graeme Hugo, blowing our minds with trends in population and demography, a delight for all the statistics buffs out there.
