The Changemakers Impact Conference | Review | England

Sausage-roll jewellery is this season’s must-have, AI isn’t new, and there’s a £275,000,000,000,000 opportunity for us all out there.

These are just some of things I learned at The Marketing Society's Global Changemaker's Conference 2024.

I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time and boy, did the day deliver. It was like jumping into a jumbo-sized plunge-pool of imagination, inspiration and innovation – a bit like a day in our office at Ozone... In all seriousness, The Marketing Society is a community of the world's premier marketers, committed to promoting excellence, responsible and more sustainable marketing; values we Ozoners live by.

The Conference was a day that would challenge my perceptions, ignite my creativity, and leave me buzzing with ideas. Aptly themed "Impact," the day brought together a diverse array of thought leaders and changemakers who spoke on topics ranging from the soul of Dr. Martens to the AI revolution, from Greggs' talkability moments to the untapped potential of the post-carbon economy. Truthfully, it was a rollercoaster of emotions with exceptional content from sensational speakers.  I won’t deny that I was moved to tears more than once.

I've picked my top three moments that really made an impression – things I'm going to hold onto and revisit long after the conference dust has settled.

The Soul of Dr. Martens: Truth, Joy, and Creativity

First up, Ije Nwokorie, Chief Brand Officer (and future CEO) of Dr. Martens, kicked off the day with a keynote that was equal parts inspiring and grounding. Ije shared the brand's philosophy built on three core principles: truth, joy, and creativity. His assertion that "The only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born of creativity" struck a chord with me. It was a powerful reminder that in our industry, amidst all the data and strategies, it's creativity that truly sets us apart.

Ije emphasised using "words of life and words of humanity" instead of jargon. This call for authenticity is crucial in marketing today. His insights on balancing heritage with innovation while staying true to core product values are lessons I'll be taking back to the office.

The AI Revolution is not what you think

Next up, Dominique Rose Van Winther's session on the AI revolution was a mind-bender. Top fact - AI isn’t new, machine learning has been around a long time, the reason it's now on the top of every agenda is because you no longer have to be a programmer to use it – the interface is now open to everyone. What really resonated was her emphasis on the importance of transforming a company’s culture in order to get the most out of the AI revolution. You don’t need to hire a bunch of tech-heads, you need to hire AI evangelists, "90% of everything is about people". It's a crucial reminder that amidst all the tech talk, we can't forget the human element.

Oh and here’s a hack  – don’t just sign up to one platform, use all of them – each has different strengths depending on what your objectives are. Whilst delivering her compelling talk, Dominique was using multiple AI tools on screen creating an international marketing strategy for a new shoe brand. Now, that’s multitasking.

The Post-Carbon Economy is good for your P&L AND the planet 

My third standout moment came from Leo Rayman and David Ferguson's session on the post-carbon economy. Their assertion that this transition is "more disruptive than digital" certainly got my attention. The statistics they shared were staggering, a £275 trillion market opportunity over the next 30 years? 

It chimes with what we have been doing at Ozone. In the last year alone, we have reduced our CO2 per billion bid requests – ultimately our business currency – by 14%, at a time when our advertising business grew by almost half. We introduced our ECOzone for Brands carbon reporting last year, which means we can tangibly demonstrate to our partners the carbon impact of running campaigns on our platform, with greater transparency than most.

What hit home most was their concept of `demand switching' in marketing - moving consumers toward cleaner alternatives rather than just generating demand. It's a whole new way of thinking about the role of our industry.

As the day drew to a close, I found myself energised, moved, and motivated. The Marketing Society Global Changemakers Conference 2024 certainly lived up to its promise of impact. It reminded us that in our fast-paced world, sometimes we need to pause and reimagine what's possible. Based on what I saw at this Conference, the possibilities are endless.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some AI tools to experiment with, some demand to switch, and a whole lot of creativity to unleash. The future's calling, and thanks to this Conference, I feel ready to answer.
 

Ozone are partners of The Global Changemaker's Conference 2024

Authored by Jhan Hancock-Rushton, Client Director, Ozone
Published on 27 November 2024