Agenda schedule and speaker lineup is subject to change. Stay tuned to BCAMA communication for updates!
Date & Time: Tuesday, May 28, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PDT.
Where: Online or In-Person at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (520 E 1st Ave, Vancouver, BC)
A welcome message from a BCAMA Board Member.
HOWARD CHEUNG
Canadian Portfolio Lead for Communications, Media, and Technology
ACCENTURE
Click here to learn more about Howard.
Session Overview:
A commitment to having a customer-first approach, also know as customer obsession, has been the best and most successful growth strategy to date.
However, things are changing. Economic considerations are forcing cuts throughout enterprises, driving friction between customers and brands – in the form of price increases, illogical subscriptions, and poor customer service. The obsession appears to be on the decline, and customers are taking notice. So, how do brands keep their product in the basket in the long term? Accenture’s Life Trends 2024 report looks at the changing customer, the influence of generative AI, the balance of tech benefits and burdens, and people’s new life goals. A resource for brands looking to develop stronger relationships with customers, the report offers a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as businesses seek to keep up with changing customer trends and habits.
We will explore 5 key trends:
- Where’s the love?: Necessary cuts across enterprises have shunted customer obsession down the priority list—and customers are noticing.
- The great interface shift: Generative AI is upgrading people’s experience of the internet from transactional to personal, enabling them to feel more digitally understood and relevant than ever. But what does that mean for brands, and how do you preserve your identity in a billion personalized conversations?
- Meh-diocrity: Creativity was once about the audience, but has become dependent on playing the tech system. Will marketers find themselves into a state of creative stagnation?
- Error 429: Human request limit reached: Technology feels like it’s happening to people rather than for them—is a shift beginning, where they regain agency over its influence on daily life?
- Decade of deconstruction: Traditional life paths are being rerouted by new limitations, necessities and opportunities, significantly shifting demographics.
Grab a snack, hit the restroom, return a phone call.
TODD BROOK
Managing Director
UNCHAINED
Click here to learn more about Todd.
Session Overview:
The presentation, titled “Breaking the Chains: AI Empowerment in Your Business,”, explores the transformative potential of AI in modern businesses. He will share his personal journey of how he broke free from traditional, time-consuming methods and embraced AI to elevate his business operations. We will highlight practical examples of how AI has transformed his businesses, from automating research for sales presentations to streamlining HR processes. These real-world applications provide a clear demonstration of the transformative power of AI, moving it from a buzzword to a tangible tool for business improvement. The presentation will also delve into the realm of mindset, discussing its pivotal role in helping employees to adopt new technologies like AI. We will detail his experience with Unchained, a service that guides clients to implement AI solutions, highlighting how this can free up employees to focus on tasks that require human ingenuity. Lastly, we will provide an overview of AI tools available in the market, offering practical examples of how these can be utilized immediately. The discussion will also cover our approach to deploying these tools, providing attendees with valuable insights and takeaways.
By the end of this presentation, attendees will:
- Understand the opportunities and threats that AI presents to their businesses.
- Gain practical insights from real-world examples of AI adoption in a successful agency.
- Recognize the crucial role of mindset in adopting and leveraging AI.
- Be familiar with a variety of AI tools on the market, along with practical examples of their use.
- Understand the speaker’s approach to implementing AI in businesses for improved efficiency and insights.
This presentation promises to be an engaging and enlightening journey into the world of AI, equipping business owners and leaders with the knowledge and inspiration they need to transform their own businesses. Prepare to be unchained!
MARC LOW
Director of Innovation, Growth & Emerging Tech
KPMG
Click here to learn more about Marc.
Session Overview:
With the arrival of Generative AI, every one of us has access to cognitive superpowers for our work – this is both exciting and potentially a little terrifying. How should we be thinking about skills and future-proofing our careers? What are the tools good for, and what are the traps? Whether you’re curious about GenAI or just curious about what comes next, this session is for you. We’ll explore real-world use cases and separate fact from fiction, leaving you with a fresh, practical and actionable framework to assess how best to leverage AI in your domain.
Key takeaways:
- A practical framework to conceptualize and assess AI applicability for audience members
- Real-life example use cases of AI applicability for marketing professionals
- Lessons learned: what works, what doesn’t, and why
In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), establishing robust governance frameworks that prioritize ethics and responsible AI is imperative. This year’s Vision Conference panel brings together marketing experts in AI ethics and governance to discuss the development and implementation of effective frameworks that ensure AI technologies are utilized responsibly and ethically.
This session will cover:
- Regulatory Challenges: Assess the need for governance and regulation as industry standards – where we are vs where we need to be and the laws around it.
- AI. Ethical Responsibilities: Discuss the importance for marketers to consider how AI impacts society and the ethical responsibilities that come with it.
- Bias in AI: Talk about how AI algorithms can be unfair to different groups and ways to make sure they’re fair for everyone.
- Privacy and Data Security: Address the challenges and solutions associated with protecting personal information in the era of big data and AI.
- Tools for Responsible AI: Provide examples of tools that marketers can leverage to build responsible and trustworthy AI practices.
Join us for an engaging discussion that empowers participants to navigate the ethical complexities of AI. Gain actionable insights and strategies for fostering a more responsible and inclusive AI ecosystem.
Co-hosted by:
Session Overview:
Artificial intelligence will reshape every aspect of Customer Experience Management; from planning, to execution, to analysis. In this session, you will learn Adobe’s AI vision and cutting edge capabilities being developed across the marketer journey. Through live demonstrations and interactive sessions, you’ll gain valuable insights into the endless possibilities AI offers while delving into the crucial topics of benefits, risks, and ethical considerations surrounding its implementation.
Covered in this session:
- Customer Experience Management & Personalization at Scale
- Adobe’s Vision and Approach to Generative AI
- Live demonstration of Adobe GenStudio
Lunch will be provided!
Since 2008, Canada has seen a significant shift in its media landscape, with the closure of 518 local radio, TV, print and online news operations across 344 communities in Canada. Despite this, the appetite for news and local content among Canadians remains strong and Canadian-owned and operated outlets continue to maintain a leading position with public confidence.
In a landscape of Bill C-18, fake news and AI generated content – how do we know what to trust? And how does this impact our communications work?
This Vision Conference panel brings together marketing and content experts who have witnessed firsthand these changes and have experienced the direct impact. The panel will delve into the crucial role local media plays for Canada, communities and their own marketing work as well as the implications of Bill C-18 and the strategies they have adapted to navigate an evolving media landscape.
This session will cover:
- The continual changing landscape in local media in Canada and impacts it has had
- Where Trust and Attention – critical for recall and growth – lies for Canadians
- How Marketers are navigating the impacts of Bill C-18 and how its impacted their communication work
- Our responsibility as marketers in supporting a healthy Canadian media ecosystem and how it will benefit results
NICK SO
VP of Operations
CONVERSION
Click here to learn more about Nick.
Session Overview:
In today’s whirlwind of marketing & technology innovation, where the future is unwritten and data from yesterday can’t predict tomorrow, businesses are navigating uncharted waters. The old playbook of data-driven decision-making falls short in a world where history offers little guidance, and the cost of betting on the wrong strategy is too high.
Enter the realm of evidence-based decision-making, or what we call ‘decision-science’—your new compass in the digital odyssey. By harnessing a unique blend of qualitative insights and quantitative analysis, you can decode consumer behavior, ensuring your business’ decisions around technologies and marketing tactics are not just shots in the dark but strategic moves that deliver real value to your business and enhance your customer’s digital journey.
We’ll dive into a case study that showcases our crafted experiments, utilizing approaches like A/B testing, user research, and contextual interviews. These are not mere tests; they’re a quest for evidence, helping businesses sift through the noise to pinpoint the real game-changers from the mere hype; guiding businesses to innovations that don’t just promise but actually prove their worth.
Key takeaways:
- The Hype Cycle and Customer-Centricity
- Introducing the Mixed-Methods Approach for Evidence-Gathering
- Practical example of how we’ve leveraged analytics, A/B testing, and user-research cohesively to provide evidence for our client to make an informed decision on a technology path to move forward with.
Co-hosted by:
COLIN MACRAE, PCC, CLC, CIC
Founder & Chief Business Officer
FLUENCY LEADERSHIP
Session Overview:
When you are being the best version of you, who are you being? What’s going on? And how can you do more of this, more often, more consistently, and more authentically?
Just like a brand or a product, everyone has an essence. Essence is the most essential you. It’s all the things that make up your identity and brand. It’s your way of being in the world where you create and contribute, most naturally and meaningfully. And when we are able to work from that Personal Brand Essence as a marketing leader, we are able to create and contribute with authenticity and vitality. Working from essence is how we can effortlessly create the impact in the world that we want. It’s the wisdom of the unstoppable Dolly Parton when she says, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” And the finding out is directed at perhaps one of the most compelling mysteries out there—what makes you, you. Once you find out and do it, then you have all you need to deliver it in your leadership and creative existence. Developed by creative leaders and certified coaches Lance Odegard and Colin Macrae, this session focuses on the Personal Brand Essence, a framework and process that helps unlock your essence, so that you can live and lead out of it, becoming the creative leader you are fully capable of. By taking the principles of traditional brand marketing and combining it with the elements of Life Design and coaching, this session takes a holistic and true-to-you approach to building and understanding your Personal Brand Essence.
From this session, the audience will:
- Get clarity about their core identity as a marketer and leader.
- Articulate the attributes and expertise they can leverage and grow in their career journey.
- Define the clear and unassailable benefits they can bring to their teams and organizations.
- Craft a Brand Promise that inspires and guides their path forward.
TAMEKA BAZILE
Manager, Social Media Strategy
TIME
Click here to learn more about Tameka.
Session Overview:
Over the last 20 years, 5 billion people have created social media accounts. From Boomers who use Facebook daily to Gen Alpha who can’t live without Snapchat, social media may have been born with Millennials, but its relevance spans multiple generations. Brands are looking for profitable ways to engage in these spaces but are at a disadvantage—the platforms weren’t originally designed with their participation or success in mind.
This session will explore current trends, platform preferences, and innovative content strategies to effectively engage these diverse groups. We’ll dissect successful case studies and discuss practical approaches for B2B and B2C brands aiming to convert users into loyal consumers without alienating them through outdated or tone-deaf tactics.
This session will cover:
- Generational Preferences: Understanding the social media habits and expectations of Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha users.
- Emerging Tools and Trends: Exploring innovative social media trends and tools that effectively capture the attention of younger audiences and convert them into active consumers.
- Metrics and Analytics: Learning how to measure success effectively by understanding key metrics and tools for tracking the effectiveness of different social media strategies across generational lines, and refining and optimizing ongoing campaigns.
- Technological Challenges: Examining how technological advancements like AI and metaverses challenge brands’ relevance in the social space and strategies to adapt.
- Ethical Considerations: Discussing what moral and ethical responsibilities brands have to users in the digital landscape.
Grab a snack, hit the restroom, return a phone call.
STAN PHELPS
Goldfish Growth Speaker
StanPhelpsSpeaks.com
Click here to learn more about Stan.
Session Overview:
How do you stand out in a sea of sameness? This keynote provides an unconventional eight-part F.L.A.W.S.O.M.E. framework for achieving competitive separation. Attendees will learn actionable ways to enhance positioning in the marketplace.
Key Takeaways:
- Tools: Get equipped with how to uncover weakness and weirdness in their DNA.
- Skills: Understand how to design in order to amplify uniqueness.
- Empathy: Gain a deeper appreciation for the need to exceed customer expectations.
Some final words and prizes from the BCAMA team.
“Where Do We Go From Here?” is the title of this year’s exciting VISION Conference and we have an answer to that question. The answer is to go to the VISION Reception and Mix It Up Networking Event right after the conclusion of the conference. Mix and mingle with BC’s marketing community, including VISION conference delegates, speakers, and organizers. This event is for attendees of the conference and for people who didn’t attend the conference.
These “Mix It Up” events are a place for marketers of all levels, including marketing students, to come together and connect in a relaxed environment. Chat to your peers about what you heard and learned at the VISION Conference, your latest initiatives, and whatever else is on your mind!
Join us on Tuesday, May 28 from 4:45 pm – 6:30 pm at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design for appetizers and good times.
Learn More & Get Your Ticket