5 KEY TAKEAWAYS

ANA 2015MASTERS OF MARKETING

1DISRUPTION IS MORE THAN A GREAT IDEABrad Jakeman of PepsiCo: “Disruption doesn’t hinge on ideas at all. Marketers shouldn’t confuse great creativity for being a disruptive brand.”

Disruption is more than a great idea or innovative campaign. It’s a fundamental change of a business model. And that means brands must be relentlessly agile and responsive to emerging trends and cultural shifts.

2AGE IS JUST A NUMBERForget about Generation Z, millennials, and baby boomers. Progressive CMO Jeff Charney looks not at age but at “APT” — the “age people think.”

Rather than rely on general stereotypes, tap into available data in order to narrow down the APT. We’ll make sure we have the best available means of gathering just the right data to inform our creative strategies.

3LOOK OUTSIDE THE INDUSTRYHiring outside of the industry is a great way to keep innovative thinking and creativity alive.

Another: working with those on the outside. We live in a world that’s far too complex to allow us to operate in isolation. We need to always be on the lookout for smart partnerships. The companies that thrive are the ones that bring people together to spark creative ideas.

4DON’T OUTSPEND; OUT-CREATEWhen Airbnb took out a full-page ad in The New York Times announcing the launch of operations in Cuba, the ad was shared via social media many more times over than the separate social campaign.

Our fragmented media landscape has made it tremendously more difficult to buy people’s attention. And so we need to earn that attention via creative content that compels, inspires, amuses, excites, and involves.

5EVOLVE YOUR LANGUAGEThe way we talk about our work matters. As the industry evolves, so too should our vocabularies:

• “Digital marketing” is not a separate bucket. Everything is digital now.” It’s all “marketing.”

• The phrase “best practices” is a roadblock for innovation. Let’s focus instead on “insights” that constantly inform iterations.

• The client relationship has changed. Rather than “agencies,” we should think of ourselves as “partners.”

“LAST THOUGHTS• The most critical thing a 21st century brand must do is stand for something. — Jonathan Mildenhall, Airbnb

• I don’t think advertising is dead. I think it’s craving courage. — Robert Lynch, Arby’s

• Young people don’t own cool, growth or innovation. Products can adjust, logos can change entirely, but meaning is ageless. — Mark-Hans Richer, Harley-Davidson

• Content is content. We fall in love with great storytelling. — Linda Boff, GE

• Flexibility is the new stability. — Kira Wampler, Lyft

• To really engage a lot of people, you have to be prepared to lose some people along the way. — Melissa Goldie, Calvin Klein