Inspiration: Trendspotting #2 2026 | Scotland
Scotland
2:30pm to 5:30pm BST // Wednesday 7 October 2026
Trendspotting brings The Marketing Society’s community together to explore the forces shaping marketing today. In a landscape where strategy and creativity are no longer separate conversations, this event examines how the two combine to drive stronger thinking and more effective work.
Through insightful talks and honest discussion, speakers will unpack the cultural, commercial and creative tensions facing brands, and how marketers can respond with clarity, courage and optimism.
Designed to spark fresh perspectives and practical takeaways, Trendspotting equips marketers with the insight they need to stay ahead, make better decisions and deliver work that truly resonates.
Members - you can book a spot now for free as part of your membership.
The Speakers
Quentin Boyes
Ian Duncan
Venue
The University of Edinburgh Business School29 Buccleuch Place
Edinburgh EH8 9JS
Date
Wednesday 7 October 2026Time
2:30pm - 5:30pmDress Code
CasualTHE SESSIONS
Innovation is easy (getting it to land is the hard part)
Creating something new is the easy bit. Getting it through a business, then having the patience to back it in market, is where most good ideas stall. Kerrin Lumsden shares what really goes on client side: why decisions get made, why odd things launch and why good products vanish without a trace. Then Ian Duncan looks at AI search, why most of what brands publish is invisible to it, and why the winners will be the ones with something to say rather than the most to say.Boomers and Gen Alpha: too old for the brief, too young for the feed
Two generations marketers get wrong in opposite ways. Quentin Boyes asks who we actually mean when a brief says 55+, a group that now spans 30 years of adult life, and how a sharper view of Baby Boomers changes the work. Gabriella Mascia looks at where Gen Alpha culture goes as their access to social media changes, and how brands can follow. Same fundamentals at both ends, or something genuinely new?Who do you believe? Media and trust
Drawing on her book, The construction of public opinion in a digital age, Professor Catherine Happer will look at how opinion is shaped today, why trust in mainstream media is slipping, and what that means for anyone trying to reach and persuade an audience.Other events for you
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