10 speakers not to miss at our Festival of Marketing

The Festival of Marketing is about inspiring marketers and providing them with valuable tools to help them do their jobs. It includes 120 sessions across ten streams of content, advice clinics and networking opportunities.

The theme of the event is ‘transformation’. Marketing is being transformed every day, by new technology, media channels, data, content, regulations and more. Our speakers will explain how they are dealing with these issues, offer practical case studies and advice, and demonstrate best practice.

1. Kenny Jacobs, chief marketing officer, Ryanair

The man tasked with bringing marketing rigour to Ryanair, Kenny Jacobs has a background in digital services and retail, with previous roles at Moneysupermarket and Tesco. His creation of the mysterious Ryanair Labs promises to “reimagine the online travel sector.”

2. Alastair Campbell, strategist

The man widely credited with masterminding Tony Blair and inventing ‘New Labour’ Alastair Campbell has also written 10 books and teaches media at Cambridge University. He is a campaigner about issues relating to mental health and advises everyone from businesses to governments on communications strategy. He is sure to provide an uncompromising view into storytelling and strategy.

3. Laura Wade-Gery, executive director of multichannel, Marks & Spencer

Laura Wade-Gery is revolutionising M&S’ operations from the inside. Recently given the remit of all UK retail stores alongside her existing ecommerce responsibilities, she is now responsible for the brand across every shopping channel. Transforming a historic brand is no easy job and Laura Wade-Gery will explain how transformation works in practice.

4. Philippa Snare, chief marketing officer, Microsoft

The woman who once worked on a Marketing Week award-winning segmentation project that referenced Star Wars, Snare is famous for arguing the value of marketing in the boardroom. “I think now is the time for marketers to step up and share the kind of conversations and challenges they have been struggling with for years,” she says. Don’t miss her hard-hitting, practical advice for marketers who want to reach the top.

5. Rufus Radcliffe, group marketing director, ITV

Credited with rebranding ITV and building on its strengths in a multimedia era, Rufus Radcliffe has a career innovating in TV brand extensions. He was part of the launch team at Channel 4 for More4 and the pioneering 4oD service. He is now focusing on launching two new channels in 2014 – ITV Encore and ITVBe.

6. Lars Silberbauer-Anderson, global head of social media, Lego

In keeping with the Festival of Marketing theme of transformation, Lego has transformed itself over the past few years. Now a multimedia brand that can be seen in films and gaming as well as the plastic bricks that made it famous, Lars Silberbauer-Anderson oversees Lego’s global social engagement. If you saw the Lego co-creation team talk at this year’s Marketing Week Live, you’ll know the brand has one of the most sophisticated community interaction strategies around.

7. Albert Hogan, head of digital strategy, Universal Pictures

Bringing some Hollywood glamour to the agenda, Albert Hogan has led strategy for marketing some of the most prolific and successful Hollywood film releases of recent years including Despicable Me, Fast & Furious, Les Misèrables, The Wolf Of Wall Street and Ted.

Since you can’t move on planet Earth for Despicable Me’s little yellow minions, it’s fair to say he’s done a good job.

8. Harry Dromey, mischief champion, Paddy Power

Paddy Power has managed to create a standout brand in the gambling sector with its cheeky and often edgy approach to marketing. The company achieved record complaints earlier this year for an ad focusing on the Oscar Pistorius murder trial. Famous for its newsworthy stunts, most recently pretending to cut C’MON ENGLAND into the Amazon Rainforest, Harry Dromey will explain how to create mischief in your sector.

9. Aaron Eccles, senior social media manager, Cancer Research

The #nomakeupselfie became an internet meme earlier this year. While it started purely as an awareness drive, Aaron Eccles and his team managed to convert it into a donation opportunity, bringing an unexpected £8m windfall to the charity through its agile actions. A case study in perfect tone and consumer understanding, Aaron Eccles will share his learnings from the charity’s experiences.

10. Mike Bracken and Russell Davies, Government Digital Services

Alright, we’re going over the 10 speaker limit here by focusing on these two. But what could be harder to transform than the sprawling organisation which is central government? Mike Bracken and Russell Davies will talk through the strategic transformation at the heart of their work on the UK government’s digital services.

BONUS ADDITION TO THE LIST:

11. Sonia Carter, head of digital and social media, Mondelez International

We’ve added Carter to our list of don’t-miss speakers after a stellar turn at Marketing Week Live this year. She argued passionately that social media is not free and exposed the Mondelez strategy of amplifying social reach through paid media. One of the most interesting and smart operators in the world of social media marketing, she will bring you the kind of insights that change your marketing forever.