Tickets for Another Marketing Conference are available now . An early bird ticket (available until August 31st) costs £299, while a standard ticket costs £399.
Ben Fountain writes .. It often happens that way. Someone becomes so frustrated at not being able to find what they want or need on the open market that they decide to bring the elusive thing into being themselves. Such is the case with Another Marketing Conference , taking place in Cambridge in the autumn. /mrpunto via photo pin cc
Host and co-organiser, Neil Cooper was so tired with attending the same kind of conference, where sponsors set the agenda and where the focus is unrelentingly on tools, tips and tricks at the expense of strategy and core issues, that he decided to do something about it.
We talked to Cooper about what will make Another Marketing Conference different, how they managed to attract the likes of Google, The Guardian and Aurasma to speak at the inaugural event and why he doesn’t like to have to pay to listen to a sales pitch.
Names tend to carry a great deal of weight in the world of marketing. What’s behind yours?
It came out of discussions at the initial concept development stage with the guys at creative agency The District , who are our creative partner. ‘Another’ could mean the same, but it can also mean the opposite to this. We wanted to play on that concept and no matter which way you approached the conference you’d be impressed by the agenda and would acknowledge that it was indeed very different.
Feeling underwhelmed by the quality of the conferences you attend is one thing, organising your own another. Why have you taken the step?
Because I like to be inspired and like lots of other people I want to take time to explore new ideas. We all need it during our day jobs, to be challenged, provoked even. I went to the TEDxGranta conference at the Junction earlier this year and was blown away by it. The organisers did a great job and that was the catalyst really. I asked myself, why can’t you get this type of thing in marketing? I also chatted with other marketers at the event and they were all in agreement.
Why Cambridge?
Part of our ‘another way’ ethos was to examine what the average conference did and challenge it. Normally they pick an average hotel function room in central London. Cambridge has a thriving business sector and a large number of marketing people who are currently under-served. It also has good train links. Plus, it is the home of learning, innovation and inspiration – I can’t think of a better setting really.
Why do you think there is this gap in the market? (i.e. a marketing conference that takes a ‘macro’ rather than ‘micro’ approach).
A gap exists because the people who are organising the other conferences focus on getting sponsors for their event, and the sponsors are the companies who provide services and solutions. They much prefer marketing people to talk about email platforms, marketing automation, social media measurement, etc because at the end of the day, that is what they are selling. We don’t have sponsors because to us delivering a valuable experience for the delegates is the primary focus.
In terms of macro vs micro, we all have different customers, sectors and priorities. By focusing on the macro issues we can translate these into plans and tactics that are relevant to us and our businesses. Too many conferences jump on the bandwagon and focus on ‘why Twitter is key’ and ‘SEO 101’. Because budgets vary considerably across marketing from multi-millions to thousands of pounds, the conversations about tactics and techniques become difficult to apply. Promoting washing powder is very different from promoting a high-tech service based business. The tactics and channels at our disposal are so radically different, yet the core issues that we face are the same.
Does the prevailing approach to marketing conferences reflect wider problems with the way marketing is approached in the UK, do you think?
I think there are problems in marketing. The VP of marketing for Unilever said something recently that really struck a chord. He said that marketing should be “more about magic, less about logic”. Marketing fuses creativity with processes and data – but we sometimes don’t focus on all of these in equal measure.
Plus, there is too much emphasis on proving our worth, whereas we should be demonstrating our value. I think that comes from financial pressures, but it also comes from business leaders not really understanding marketing’s role. We, as professional marketers, need to find other ways of expressing what we do and then fitting this to how our specific organisations work.
How has marketing changed in the time that you have been involved?
When I started out in marketing in 2000 it was at the point where the internet and email were becoming central to everything we did. But they were used like traditional advertising – basically shouting at people in the hope that somebody heard you. Now, marketing is about three things: content, engagement and influence. We need to generate content that we can use to engage with the market. And we need to understand what and who influences our customers when they make decisions, and then work out the best way of connecting with these influencers. Yes, this involves some aspects of social media, but it also impacts on the more traditional aspects like direct marketing, PR and event marketing, which are still very important today.
How could UK marketing – particularly within the tech sector – up its game?
I think that there are two things that we, especially in the tech and service sector, need to do, and they are related. Firstly we need to understand our customers and what makes them reach decisions, this requires a much deeper knowledge of how people behave. Often we think that people behave rationally, but they don’t. How many serious business decisions are made because of fear, risk or personal gain? This also comes on to my earlier point about understanding what influences those decisions. You need to look at your ‘target’ customer and think about their organisation environment as well as the wider picture.
Secondly, we can use this information to clearly explain to our organisations what marketing really does and what it can do. This is a much better place from which to discuss investment, new ideas and, above all, how we add value.
As a new conference, how easy was it to attract the kind of speakers you wanted?
Refreshingly straightforward. I wasn’t expecting it but because our conference had such a good name, identity and ethos we seem to have hit on a universal acknowledgement – that marketing conferences don’t really deliver and that there is another way.
In what ways does your agenda reflect what you are trying to achieve with this conference?
We’ve tried to touch on all the aspects that people need to think about – behaviour, trends, new technology and skills. We’ve also picked speakers with something to say. Don’t turn up expecting a bland presentation from somebody in a suit, delegates will really feel provoked and will come away challenging what they have been doing. I really want to break the mould.
What do you view as the cardinal sins as far as marketing conferences go?
Confusing sponsors and speakers is the main one. I want to listen to somebody with an opinion and an idea. I don’t have to agree with that opinion but I need to be moved to really think about their point of view. I don’t want to pay good money to listen to a sales pitch from somebody. That is a waste of my time and my company’s money.
What are your long term aims for the conference?
I’d like this to be an annual event that gets even better each year. I want it to be an essential event in the calendar and a catalyst for marketing people to meet new people around it. I’d love to see more collaboration, not just in Cambridge but also further afield.
Is there much of a support group for marketing people in Cambridge?
There are a few little groups that form now and again either virtually or in the real world.Claire Ruskin at the Cambridge Network is trying to encourage more marketing people to get together, which is a great start. I’m hoping that the Another Marketing Conference will play a key role. After all, we all have the same challenges, issues and concerns and if we share them and listen to new ideas we could make our day jobs far easier and much more rewarding.
Neil Cooper is the host and co-organiser of a new marketing conference that is coming to Cambridge on October 18th. Called Another Marketing Conference , it has bold ambitions to challenge and inspire marketers and has attracted a number of high profile speakers. Outside of the conference, Neil is the Head of Marketing at Team Consulting. During his career he has also worked for many other high profile Cambridge companies such as Cambridge Consultants, Analysys and TTPCom.
Tickets for Another Marketing Conference are available now . An early bird ticket (available until August 31st) costs £299, while a standard ticket costs £399.