Stellar speakers to headline Africa's largest marketing conference

“This conference is known for speaker excellence and dynamic discussions, and I’m really blown away by the quality of the speakers this year. Rapid innovation makes planning for the future a daunting task for marketers. IMC 2018 is your opportunity to engage with award-winning leaders in their fields as they share their insights, case studies and experiences,” says Hefer. “With three streams of content running simultaneously covering nine key themes, the most difficult thing will be what to choose.” This format is a first of its kind in South African marketing.

The morning streams include Katherine Madely of Alexander Forbes and Lee Naik from TransUnion Africa on Artificial Intelligence and Big Data; a Consumer Insights session including Bongani Chinkanda from HDI Youth Marketeers on connecting with township youth and Jason Stewart from Have You Heard on the evolution of insights; and a third stream on eCommerce and Inbound Marketing featuring Dan Matthews of Episerver.

Session choices including Digital Marketing Technologies featuring Walter Penfold of Everlytic; Matthew Barclay of Meltwater on Content & Reputation Management; and Digital Disruption take us to lunch.

Highlights of the afternoon sessions include Daniel Padiachy of McDonalds on Customer Experience; digital leaders on Influencer Marketing; or BBDO CEO Boniswa Pezisa, Funeka ‘What’s your next” Montjane of Standard Bank and Ann Nurock of Relationship Audits and Management on Creative and Big Idea Creation.

International speaker Nurock, previously Grey South Africa CEO and Grey Canada President and CEO, takes a look at the Cannes Lions Trends and Case Studies, showcasing the most awarded work. She also covers the McKinsey & Co report on how consistently creative companies outperform those who are not, and The Burger King presentation on “how to suck less as a client.” Picking up on key conference themes, her talk will wrap up with fascinating information on AI and the implications for marketers, why brand purpose is more important than ever and why gender stereotypes in marketing don’t work.

“Don’t miss this opportunity to evaluate, consolidate and integrate,” says Hefer. “It’s about fast facts and inside tracks; sharing influential views on exciting opportunities, challenges and hot-button trends; it’s about embracing emerging marketing spaces in South Africa and the continent of Africa. I’ll see you there!”

Major sponsors include Everlytic and IBM, with additional support from Kulula as our Travel Partner, thenetworkone, HDI Youth Marketeers, Basadzi, Neural Sense, Global Access, Mpull, Smoke Customer Intelligence, Blue Magnet, Episerver, Clockwork Media, Have You Heard, and R2Digital.

For more information about IMC 2018 and to buy tickets, visit the website.