Recently, a few of us had the opportunity to attend a conference in Louisville with marketing peers from AMIN, the global network of independent agencies in which Planit is a member. Between the bourbon tasting and the horse racing, we enjoyed a packed agenda and thought-provoking breakout sessions among like-minded (and sometimes differently-minded) marketing pros. Here are just a few of the ideas spurred by heady conversation and potent mint juleps:
Brand Stories Still Have Power
The opening keynote speaker was Bill Samuels Jr., the 7th generation descendant of the Maker’s Mark founder. His captivating storytelling ability left a lasting impression on the importance of brand narrative. He wove an almost storybook tale that traced the brand’s history, from the iconic bottle designed by his grandmother, to the unique tradition of hand-dipping each bottle in red wax (a practice cherished for its heritage despite its inefficiency). Coupled with a curated (and strong) bourbon tasting, his talk fully immersed us in the Maker’s Mark story, making the brand truly come alive for the audience. It was a powerful reminder of the impact a well-crafted brand story can have on an audience.
The Double-Edged Sword of Technology
Marketing has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years. Technology has streamlined many tasks and introduced powerful tools like programmatic advertising, influencer marketing, and artificial intelligence. These advancements have undoubtedly simplified the process of reaching target audiences and crafting compelling campaigns. However, the sheer volume of marketing messages bombarding consumers today creates a cluttered media landscape. This overload, along with threats like deepfakes that erode trust, can negatively impact brand salience and mental health. The current marketing landscape feels so vast and unruly that even the term “omnichannel” seems inadequate. Clients have gotten smarter and more sophisticated about marketing, themselves, and demand greater ROI, transparency, and immediacy than ever before.
Is “Going Younger” Always the Answer?
Fellow member agencies commiserated over every client trying to “age down” their brands, and research presenters shared how this is a common marketing objective for many businesses. Our takeaway, however, was that younger isn’t for everyone. Brands like Disney and Monopoly exemplify businesses that have capitalized on appealing to older, not just younger, demos. The trend in “newstalgia”—a desire for familiarity and comfort from yesteryear mixed with a dash of what’s new—was highly resonant. So while it may seem hip to seek a youth movement for your brand, it’s important to remember two things: 1) what’s old is often new again—look no further than baggy jeans or the resurgence of vinyl and now even CDs for confirmation; and 2) if the buying power rests with older audiences, there’s no shame in that. Your brand’s opportunity to get younger may be nuanced versus a dramatic paradigm shift. Trying to transition marketing from an aging audience directly to what you think Gen Z wants to see might miss valuable targeting among Millennials and Gen X, or even disregard a more fascinating blur of non-generation-based behavioral interests altogether.
AI has IQ but not EQ
AI can be very effective at tackling marketing tasks like parsing segmentation data, forecasting financials, or even rapidly prototyping basic ideas from design to copy to planning and strategy. Agencies are using it for briefs, prompting creative headlines, storyboarding, and much more—but AI doesn’t do full projects, and it doesn’t (yet) anticipate the unexpected. Even more notably, it doesn’t understand emotions, cast artistic judgment, or build real relationships. Spending quality time with other agency folks like our smart allies in the AMIN network, for example, exposes us to unique, personal stories and perspectives that aren’t just data indexed on the internet at a particular point in time. There’s a more abstract value embedded in that kind of personal emotion far beyond what an efficient process or smart tool can offer. Lucky for us, that abstract value—coupled with a talent for shaping and molding AI’s IQ—is exactly what good agencies can still do better than most.
Spark Creativity by Embracing Failure
Speaking of sparking creativity, one session we attended called “Let’s Lightbulb” challenged our entire approach to brainstorming. This session emphasized the importance of quantity over quality in the initial ideation phase. By using an extremely short amount of time to throw out as many ideas as possible, even seemingly silly ones, the session encouraged us to embrace failure and develop resilience as a stepping stone to innovation. The facilitators argued that by silencing our inner critic and focusing on sheer volume, we could unlock a treasure trove of hidden gems—ideas that might never have surfaced otherwise. This approach certainly yielded a record number of ideas in just minutes during the session. The key takeaway? Challenge yourself to brainstorm at least 10 new ideas a day, even if most of them fizzle out. As we say in our Planifesto: “Trust your gut and be willing to fail. As long as you fail fast and learn from it.” It’s how creativity thrives.
If you need help implementing any of these heady ideas, contact Planit!