Thoughtful brings together industry leaders from tech and ad platforms at inaugural event
Digital fashion agency Thoughtful hosted a dynamic event at Ace Hotel that brought together marketing and e-commerce teams to explore the importance of integrating brand and performance marketing strategies with a focus on innovation to drive global e-commerce growth.
Industry insiders shared their insights and experience on how brand and performance marketing should go hand in hand to achieve brand growth, emphasizing a brand first approach towards performance marketing.
Says Prav de Silva, chief growth officer, Thoughtful: “Thoughtful’s purpose is to help brand owners and their e-commerce team reach their full potential with global e-commerce growth and the reason for us hosting Thoughtful Minds Connect was to bring together our clients with industry leaders from tech and advertising platforms for an informative and engaging afternoon of key note talks, panel discussions and industry networking at the after party at Ace which was sponsored by Klaviyo.”
One of the highlights of the event was the thought-provoking panel discussion, including Sam de Kauwe, head of brand at JAG; Morgan Tait, art director of P.E Nation and Elle Ferguson, influencer and founder of Eleffect.
The panel discussion also highlighted the importance of taking a holistic approach to brand-building.
De Kauwe emphasized the importance of a holistic approach to brand building, where every activity contributes to the overall story and customer perception. When evaluating performance, it’s crucial to consider factors such as price, discount, story, and using USP cohesively, with consistency and attention to detail being essential for building strong brands: “Every marketing activity you do for a brand goes towards building a brand – they’re not in separate buckets. When looking at performance, weigh it up holistically whether the focus is on price, discount, the story or USP. I believe that consistency, cohesion and attention to detail help build the strongest brands.”
During the panel on partnering with technology to future-proof business growth, Katie Forcey, digital disruptor at META emphasized the need for test and learn in performance marketing. Forcey suggested that brands must encourage teams to push boundaries and try new strategies by giving them sandboxing opportunities without using ROI as the primary KPI: “Our client has seen success with ring-fencing budgets around the innovation port. When you start to see success, that’s when you move it to BAU and this a rinse and repeat situation.”
Additionally, Kate Massey, head of APAC at Searchspring says e-commerce teams need to switch the conversation from cost to value with demonstrable results as there’s more rigour around business case approvals: “We’re seeing CFO making decisions…lean in on your agency partners and tech partners and learn what is the potential ROI, and build those business cases and learn how to influence up.”
As the event came to a close, Dr Jemma King gave the keynote address on managing stress. BioPsychAnalytics’ director and founder provided a scientific explanation of stress, its impact on health, and strategies to deal with it. Attendees left with a deeper understanding of stress and a renewed commitment to balance work and life.
The event was insightful and inspiring leaving attendees feeling empowered to tackle the challenges of today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving marketplace. The Thoughtful Agency look forward to hosting similar events in the future to continue driving innovation and growth in the industry.