Why You Should Attend the We First Brand Leadership Summit
By Simon Mainwaring
Originally published by We First
Your time is more precious than ever in light of an ever-increasing workload and the rising competition that we face today as marketers. That said, there are times when it’s critical to step outside your company or industry to understand the best practices of other brands that have built their brand reputation, sales and social impact. The We First Brand Leadership Summit is such an occasion. Let’s take a look at who should attend and why.
CMO’s and Brand Marketers: Given the transparency and accountability imposed on brands by the web and social media, the reputation of a company is now driven by its supply chain all the way through to customer service. Companies can no longer hide behind the boardroom, corporate veil or entertaining marketing, but rather must demonstrate their positive impact on the world. The Summit lays out this new marketing landscape and provides actionable strategies, tactics and case studies that show how your brand must respond to lead the future.
Corporate Communications Officers: Increasingly corporate communications are as much about the CSR, sustainability and philanthropic work that a brand is doing, as it is about the company and its products. This shift is being driven by the need for companies to communicate the positive difference they are having on the world and to clarify their corporate social responsibility efforts to that end. The Summit specifically looks at how to align corporate communications, sustainability, CSR and Foundation efforts into a simple, consistent and seamless message that internal and external stakeholders want to share.
Sustainability Directors: Sustainability has rapidly becomes table stakes for brands and yet such efforts are wasted if their stories are not told well. Both because the brand won’t get the credit and reputational benefits for its work, but more importantly because it won’t inspire employees, customers or consumers to participate and scale the positive impact. The Summit reveals the latest research, best practices, and case studies around effective sustainability storytelling so that your brand can get the credit it deserves and increase its positive impact.
CSR Officers: Corporate Social Responsibility is already a tent pole of almost all organizations, but it’s importance will only rise in light of the compounding social crises we face such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, access to clean water, and beyond. Meanwhile, new mandates for contribution are emerging being driven by initiatives such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals being announced this September. As such, what was once a ‘nice to do’ rather than ‘must do’ is now a key competitive advantage for a brand. The Summit looks specifically at the most innovative, creative and engaging ways that brands are sharing their social responsibility efforts to inspire all stakeholders to join and scale your brand community.
Cause Marketing Leaders: Cause marketing has now become a critical expression of the core values of a brand. But rather than simply listing the amount of money that a company donates or the hours that its employees volunteer, a brand must frame such communication with a focus on the people being impacted, rather than the brand itself. The Summit examines how to communicate your well-intended and meaningful efforts most effectively so stakeholders want to associate themselves with your brand.
Foundation Officers: The integration of corporate communications, CSR and foundation work is well underway in many major corporations. For too long philanthropic efforts have been silo-ed off to the side as a luxury for a brand once profits have been made and taken. With greater demands for social responsibility from Millennials and Gen Z, a brand’s foundation work has become a central part of its communication strategy. The Summit looks specifically at how to integrate a brand’s foundation work within its overall marketing to build its reputation and cultural leadership.
Start-ups and Entrepreneurs: Founders and entrepreneurs are constantly pulled in multiple directions and too often there is little time or resources for branding and marketing. Yet when you consider that 90% of startups go out of business, you quickly realize that your product or company will not succeed unless you market it effectively. The Summit is that rare opportunity for founders and entrepreneurs to learn how to define their brand from the world’s top marketers in an affordable and time-effective way.
Non-profits: Too often non-profits are challenged by a lack of resources especially when it comes to marketing. Yet with more for-profit brands becoming purposeful, non-profits must now compete with these brands in communicating their purpose, story and social impact. As such it is more important than ever that they learn best practices in social storytelling from top brands that are experts in bringing their brand’s purpose to life.
Everyone on this list has one thing in common. In some capacity, each is a steward of the purpose of a brand. Given the reality of compounding social crises, connective social technologies, and shifting demographics, that purpose is now a fundamental business driver. If you do not know how to communicate the positive impact that your brand is having on your stakeholders’ lives and the world you are not only ignoring the expectations of key demographics, but you are leaving yourself open to consumer or media activism that can greatly damage your reputation and customer loyalty. On the flip side, if you do you can leverage these new market drivers you can inspire all stakeholders to build your reputation, community, sales and social impact.
Register now for the We First Brand Leadership Summit on October 6-7 at the W Hollywood Hotel. In addition to the reasons laid out above, the event itself is truly unique in 3 ways:
- SOCIAL BRANDING BLUEPRINT: Every attendee walks out with an actionable marketing roadmap for 2016 specific to their business so you get real value in your hands.
- EXPERT COLLABORATION: You get to create that plan informed by the insights of some of the top marketers in the world that you won’t find gathered in such an intimate forum anywhere else. This year’s list of global marketing experts includes:
- Virgin Unite – Jean Oelwang, CEO
- Levi Strauss & Co. – Michael Kobori, VP Social & Environmental Sustainability
- Coca-Cola – Global Marketing Director, Sustainability
- Sony Pictures Television – John Rego, VP Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility
- Timberland – Colleen Vien, Sustainability Director
- THRIVE Farmers – Ken Lander, Founder and CSO, Thrive Farmers Coffee
- UN Foundation – Aaron Sherinian, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer
- PwC – Shannon Schuyler, Corporate Responsibility Leader
- FREE NON-PROFIT GUEST: Every attendee gets to invite his or her favorite non-profit for free so you get to make a contribution in alignment with your core values simply by attending.
The Summit is limited to 200 seats and sells out so get your individual and group tickets today at WeFirst15.com
