Intersectional diversity & inclusion in advertising matters. When done well, it's demonstrably beneficial to marginalised people. And it’s good for business, driving brand preference and improving ad recall. In this session, diversity advocates and activists in advertising will discuss what positive queer representation in advertising and content looks like, and point towards how brands can improve their output.

Alex Wood, Managing Director of Europe at Forbes, will discuss how the business media brand is tapping into the power of global communities - from Under 30s to Billionaires – and building mission-aligned brand partnerships to drive meaningful systemic change and spur conversations around sustainability and social responsibility.

The IPCC report in February described a "rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.” And yet, within the report the “growth in misinformation” is called out as an attempt “to maintain the status quo by actors in positions of power in the face of rising social inertia for climate action.” So what is going to be the advertising industry’s response to this? Are we going to collide or are we going to unite behind the biggest brief of our lives?

The pandemic accelerated trends and placed more responsibility on the corporate sector. In this panel, presented by the World Media Group, we discuss the importance of a purpose driven vision and strategy. Duncan Chater, Managing Director, Europe at Bloomberg Media leads the discussion around how Purpose can drive business transformation and profits, alongside the challenges and opportunities business leaders and marketeers face along the way.

Internationally recognised purpose pioneer, Thomas Kolster, also known as Mr. Goodvertising, takes a hatchet to his earlier beliefs and warns brands about purpose: “Try to fly like a superman, and you will come down like a tin of soup.” Thomas calls it a “Hero Trap”. Most brands today are firmly on the social and environmental issues bandwagon like bees around a honey pot, from oceans plastic to diversity. People are increasingly distrustful towards these efforts, which are often viewed...

Combatting climate change, trading with Russia, taking diversity seriously... if there’s a risk to making a stand on such issues, there’s also a risk in staying too long on the sidelines. Just ask Shell, Disney and the Paralympics, who recently reversed policies after being seen to make the wrong ethical calls. Yet companies still need to sell to stay in business, keep people employed, and drive demand in the economy. This session will ask experts how they know they’re making the right...

Brands can only really understand how to reach inclusive audiences, customers and communities when they do that themselves. Many companies have begun this work under the heading of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), but this broad categorisation has been criticised for lack of nuance. How should brands look at inclusivity today in Europe? This session brings together experts in the space to tackle everything from language to KPIs. Not just for inclusion specialists, this discussion...

Two years ago, organisations scrambled to create impressive pledges of inclusion and promises of race equity. The advertising industry was, rightly, very vocal. Do people in the industry feel change is happening fast enough? When it looks inwards, is there notable progress behind the camera? What’s creating momentum and where has inertia set in? In this session, senior figures discuss positive and practical steps that teams and boards can take to accelerate change.

Implementing a sustainability strategy is a commercial imperative to ensure that your business model and operations are resilient enough to thrive in the long-term. Communicating these sustainability efforts openly, transparently, and authentically is critical. To connect the values you share with your growth audiences; to demonstrate your understanding that “sustainability” means more than just looking after the environment, and ultimately to show the role you play in creating a more...

Marketers are waking up to the opportunities provided by creative data to drive both short and long-term business growth. Join Anastasia Leng, Founder & CEO of CreativeX, and Michael Gewirtzman, Global Vice President, Programming at AdWeek as they discuss the multi-faceted applications of creative data and how marketers at brands like Nestle, Pepsi, Heineken, and more are building creative data capabilities to improve marketing effectiveness and efficiency.

At a time when entertainment choices have never been more abundant, gaming has emerged as a key influencer, playing an increasing role in shaping consumers’ digital entertainment habits and generational media behavior. This session will unveil new research that explores how these gaming and entertainment habits have evolved, from time-of-day engagement to generational influences. It will spotlight how understanding these consumption behaviors is crucial for brands and marketers wanting to...

Gaming is no longer on the fringes of culture; it’s embedded in everyday life. The time is now to evolve outdated ideas of who gamers are and how brands can reach them. This conversation, hosted by Enthusiast Gaming’s COO Thamba Tharmalingam, brings together advertising and marketing leaders to discuss how to create authentic brand experiences across media, content, creators, and esports. We’ll explore traditional and new game advertising tactics that are optimized for engagement, including...