Recently I attended the DMA's Customer Engagement 2019 event to learn more about the DMA's commitment to champion the combined strength of creative, data and technology in driving great customer experiences.
Many conferences can be autonomous and uninspiring.
A handful of well-known speakers often churn out their favourite one-liners and the latest buzzwords, and the next day everyone is posting, tweeting, and reporting back to their bosses with the same line.
This was not the case at this recent DMA event, where it was a full house in a smart conference room near Smithfield Market in the City of London.
The Chair set the scene of the event by clearly stating that good data, creative and technology will always drive better customer experience and ultimately a positive ROI.
The first presentation was focused on acquisition and the consumer mindset.
It was interesting to see that a survey showed that 68% of the people interviewed, said that email is their preferred communication channel but influence is much broader with TV and online and referrals featuring highly. Also podcast consumption is growing rapidly.
It was said that six million people downloaded a podcast in 2018, almost double 2013’s total.
This was followed up with a lively and very interactive panel discussion with some seasoned marketing practitioners.
The debate around email was the liveliest discussion, with one of the panellists arguing that email’s superiority was justified but only worked best when stress-tested with marketing mix modelling.
One of the most entertaining presentations was on customer strategy.
Useful insight was given on developing winning digital and data marketing strategies at scale.
The key takeout emphasised how to make it simple to shop but also focused on delivering a great customer experience as integral to success.
The most emotionally engaging case study was delivered by WaterAid and their agency. The audience was taken on a journey to the Sierra Leone community of Tombohuaun. The initiative achieved £4m donations in three months!
The event concluded with more informative presentations that covered print and analysis.
This was a fast moving, interactive event with relevant topics and delegates. Held at London's Farmers and Fletchers in the City, the event lasted from 10am -1pm which was a good period to hold the energy of the audience.
The delegates and speakers then spilled out of the room for more debate and networking over lunch.
You can find out here more about the DMA's Customer Engagement campaign
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