Agenda

Retailers and brands increasingly view content marketing as an essential part of their digital strategies. Succeeding at content marketing requires more than simply creating compelling, interesting stories, however. Content marketing also requires that stories be told in formats that resonate with consumers, and published in places--including branded media, content aggregators and social platforms--that reach a desired audience. Retailers and brand marketers in this session will share their experiences with the cutting-edge tactics and solutions that help them maximize the value of their content marketing efforts.

Influencers enable marketers to connect with customers by tapping into the personality and style of the influencer. But embracing influencers can be risky: hasty deals based on an influencer’s reach alone may not pay off in a world where audience loyalties can shift quickly and a single questionable action can reduce the appeal and impact of the influencer. This session will help executives understand the benefits that can result from an effective influencer strategy, including how to select influencers who are a good fit with a brand’s image.

Industry leaders are taking a variety of new approaches to sourcing and merchandising to help them differentiate their businesses through unique product offerings. Retailers are at the forefront of many of these initiatives: some are launching programs that identify minority- and women-owned suppliers; others are leveraging technologies that help them source from new, often smaller vendors. At the same time, brands are increasingly looking for ways to source the right materials and ingredients to ensure their products are better for consumers and the environment. In this session, we’ll hear about the strategies and technologies retailers are using to source products that diversify their merchandise mix and make their businesses resonate with shoppers.

Senior marketing executives’ jobs are shifting rapidly: What was once a role defined by relationships, experience, intuition and simple metrics is now much more complex. The media landscape has exploded--at the same time, the once-straightforward relationships between creative and media agencies, brands and media companies now involves a host of adtech and martech vendors. Advertising inventory is increasingly purchased via automated exchanges, with machines displacing human decision-makers. Consumers have changed, too, as the mass audience has become highly fragmented. In this session, C-level executives from brands and retailers will dive into these changes and more as they discuss the future of marketing.