30th & 31st May | – Register here
This year’s theme of IAB Forum is:
2023 says: Call! What strategy for “interesting times”?
Join IAB Poland in Warsaw for their two day event looking at what strategy is best to face the newly changed climate. Click here for more information.
Recent years have seen waves of events causing significant changes in the world. Living and working in the new normal has become a challenge — but certainly not the last we’ll have to face in the near future. The perspective of economic recession and growing unemployment, the cost of operations or the low consumption rate are just some of the factors that affect business and the industry in general. The war taking place right next door, so to speak, is an additional concern.
This is yet another test for the marketing, communications, creative industries as well as for the creators of tools for the digital world. We’ve learned to cope with change and transformation on steroids. The industry’s growth has accelerated, digital spending has surpassed TV, and hybrid work has opened up a range of new opportunities.
In 2023, let’s say it out loud: Call! We’ll see if we have become resilient enough in the areas of business, strategy, technology, media, interpersonal relations in recent years — and if we are managing this energy the right way. We’ll talk honestly about what has turned out to be a typical hype or a catchy buzzword, and what has actually brought long-term change, had a positive impact on business, and what helps the online industry grow. About what we think will work in these “interesting times”.
This is all the more important because we all ask ourselves the same questions: Which strategies work in business? Which areas are the foundation of today’s development? Do we keep business alive or strive for growth? Who bears the cost of change? Is the industry ready? Has digital reached maturity yet? Is the marketer mature enough to cope with the dynamics of change?
Should we increase marketing activity? Should we focus on survival or development? Should we nurture loyalty or perhaps actively look for prospects? Which online channels make the industry grow? How to optimise media spending? Do we go back to our roots or experiment?
Is omnichannel harmful or helpful? How do you keep activities and operations consistent? What approach to communication works? What should we convey in communication? Can we speak of a return to classic marketing strategies and digital fatigue? TV reinvented? Can everything be moved to the online world?
How do you fight for attention in the digital environment? How to maintain brand authenticity? How to address the changing expectations of customers? What is the condition of democracy in society? Can we speak of stratification of society or an emergence of new social classes? How do we make marketing sustainable?
Is the pressure to grow without increasing consumption real? Is ESG a choice or a must? How big is the scale of greenwashing in the industry? Are the existing technological solutions appropriate to the changes taking place? What do we need from technology? Automation or “carbon-based” assets? What about industry security in the new era?
Who is the leader for “interesting times”? Relationship versus loyalty. Can we speak of an employee’s market in the industry? Work quality — at home versus in the office. A loyal employee — meaning? Employer forcing employees to work from the office or one with a flexible approach? Team relationships built only online or rather in person? How to address the issue of employee well-being?
We would like you to provide us with a submission addressing one of the following seven areas of the marketing industry. Let’s take a closer look at the commonly used or ready-to-use strategies for functioning in “interesting times”. Let’s bust the myths and focus on what really works. Let’s show what drives the marketing (online?) industry and its creators and let’s consider the direction in which it will evolve.
