CREATIVITY / CULTURE / TRANSFORMATION / STRATEGY

There are few B2B brands more iconic than IBM. Now, eight months into her role as chief marketer at the tech giant, Carla will share her thoughts about where our dynamic industry is headed. A veteran of Dell, National Instruments and other B2B giants, she will also share views on what has fundamentally changed for B2B marketers forever. Within that context, Carla will also share actionable insights about what we all need to be thinking about next and perhaps, most importantly, what we should avoid at all costs. Tune in.

It’s not like everyone doesn’t want to embrace sustainability. It’s just that it’s not easy! There are real decisions, not just aspirational ones, needed to be made about how B2B businesses should be run. There are also huge benefits for the companies that are actually committing to making sustainability happen. This discussion will go far beyond talking to the talk to the promised land of walking the walk when it comes to truly making an eco-friendly impact.

Is there any word more overplayed than purpose? In another word: No! Every organization is talking about it, but who is doing it right? We will explore the new set of “careabouts” and how B2B companies are getting to the soul of what matters and how it is impacting marketing, hiring, and, of course, sales.

Creativity in B2B is always a charged topic. Is it reaching new heights powered by the trend to more emotionally rich approaches and digital experiences? Is it still held back by strictly rational appeals and a ‘business is business’ mentality? This two-part session probes for answers in a provocative and entertaining way.

In Part 1, top B2B creatives and clients will address the state of creative play – and also issue a brief to the agency and One Minute Briefs (OMB) and communities, asking for the brief to be answered twice, emotionally and rationally. In Part 2, two juries – one ‘creative’ and one ‘client’ – will judge the work. Will emotional impact win out or will rational entreaties rule? Tune in to see who and what rises to the top!

One of the biggest surprises of the pandemic was how successfully the global events industry responded to the existential threat of lockdown. Many event organizers found ways to leverage technology to bring their events to a wider audience than ever before. As a result, virtual events became one of the enduring success stories to come out of the disruption around Covid-19. Now, with organizers and their brand clients adjusting to the changes of the past 20 months, which new ways of working will remain as things return to normal?
In association with The Drum, Linkedin is hosting a panel discussion on the future of events. As a respected industry expert, we would be delighted if you would consider taking part...

During the pandemic and as we emerge from it, B2B marketers have stood up to all the challenges and demonstrated resilient strength and agility. So, are CMOs and their organizations now able to assume the mantle of growth drivers for their businesses, progressing from a more traditional role as sales enabler? At this session, global research conducted by Stein IAS, The Effectiveness Partnership and WARC provides insights – and the strategic roadmap for growth.

B2B marketers have sometimes been behind the curve in experimenting with and adopting new channels. Yet, as they work to sway the business decisions of today and tomorrow, they know they must influence even the youngest members of the team. As Millennials move into leadership positions, it’s Gen Z and even Alpha who will be the next crucial piece of the decision-making puzzle. Here’s what you need to do to speak to them authentically.

Brand vs. demand. Short-term vs. long-term thinking. Such a delicate balance, or is it? We all know that brand has a bigger role in B2B marketing, but hypertargeting is like catnip to ROI-driven organizations. This session will dig into how to take a more customer-led approach. It will also investigate what consumer tactics are being more readily adopted and how B2B budgets are evolving.

With a celebrated career spanning agencies and inhouse—and currently Accenture CMCO—Jill Kramer advocates that the high level of rigor and creativity B2B brands bring externally to clients must now be applied internally to communications, and more importantly, to support and develop a company’s people and teams. That strategy is playing out with positive impact on diversity and talent and is also reflected in Accenture’s latest rebrand and purpose launch. In this new era, adopting respect for all stakeholders—internal, external, clients and people—is crucial for growth.

Tell us if you’ve heard this one before: sales and marketing need to work together. It has been said time and again, but now, it actually appears as if it’s happening. Blame it on Covid, blame it on the convergence of technologies, blame it on the weather – it doesn’t much matter. The reality is the siloed, frenemy existence of these functions may finally be melting away. Here’s what needs to be done to keep the momentum going.

With the Part 1 brief issued and the work now in hand, our two juries – one ‘creative’ and one ‘client’ – will judge the concepts? Will the ‘emotors’ win out or will the ‘rationalizers’ prevail? What makes for better B2B creative? Find out in real time.

It’s competitive out there, maybe more so than ever. You have the tech giants and start-ups, agencies and, oh yeah, your competitors all vying for the best and the brightest. So how can you make your B2B brand an in-bound destination for top talent? How can you dial recruiting for diverse talent and draw big thinkers from outside of your field? Tune in and all will be revealed.

CMOs have to be growth drivers for businesses. But are CMOs and CEOs aligned on expectations? What do CMOs need to do to be successful now that the role has become so complex? Where are the areas where they can win and how can they avoid defeat? And how do they create holistic view of brand from a global perspective? Our collection of top B2B panelists will map out the way forward.

B2B digital ad spend is expected to hit $30 billion by 2023 and that’s just in the US! So how is this impacting budgets and tried-and-true tactics like events? What’s working and what’s not? And what are the best practices for working across teams of tech specialists to deliver the best results? We know you’d like to know, so join us for this session to discover what’s new and what’s next.

No one understands the value of an informed decision more than The Wall Street Journal | Barron’s Group. Drawing upon insights from a new global research study which explores the B2B purchase decision journey, Phillipa Leighton-Jones, Global Editor-at-Large and Anchor of The Trust and Matteo Atti, EVP of Marketing and Innovation at VistaJet will discuss how to effectively inform, educate and inspire an influential community of global decision makers.