The Nedbank IMC 2021, themed Marketing. The Movie and billed as “Thriller. Action. Drama. Always a Love Story”, surpassed expectations on Thursday, 29 July 2021 when it streamed a sterling array of marketing stars to more than 1300 delegates from 14 countries.
This year’s event saw a total of nineteen “top guns” of marketing, using movie titles to describe their talking point, appearing live from Cape Town, Joburg, Nairobi, San Francisco and New York. They shared with, inspired, equipped, and entertained delegates throughout the full-day event.
Dale Hefer, CEO of Nedbank IMC says, “Last year’s conference was acclaimed as a benchmark virtual marketing event, so there was high expectation to repeat its success this year. Our speakers more than delivered the goods and our marketing delegates, active on social media, were swift in providing overwhelmingly positive feedback. In the post-conference survey, marketers rated each aspect of the event as excellent. This year has delivered one of our most successful events to date.”
A broad content spectrum shared by speakers included practical suggestions that marketers could take away and implement. Along with this were strategic insights into how the disruptions that we are currently facing around world are moving the needle on the discipline of marketing, creating significant opportunities for its reimagination.
A central message that emerged from the speakers was that now, more than ever, marketers should be engaging their audiences with the authenticity of messaging, shifting from the transactional perspective to building deep and meaningful engagement.
Successful marketing campaigns must strike a balance; on the one hand, they should add value to the brand’s business; on the other, they should articulate respect for, and understanding of their target audiences. Simply put, marketers should be creating messages that stay with the consumer, which point them towards the brand, and makes them love the brand.
Living up to its name, the Nedbank IMC 2021’s “Marketing, The Movie” was, at its heart, always a love story. But as the saying goes, movies and movie stars are only as good as their last performance. From the caliber of the marketing star speakers and their enthusiasm on the day, to the positive social media commentary that feted the conference throughout the event, and the audience ratings as the movie wrapped, it appears that for Nedbank IMC its trajectory remains firmly in ascent.