Brand building plays a vital role as organisations look to navigate the post pandemic environment.
That's the central theme of Branding: Vital for Ireland's Economic Recovery 2021, a major thought leadership seminar from IAPI, the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland and IoD, the Institute of Directors in Ireland.
This year’s event features a stellar line-up of speakers, including Dubliner Fiona Dawson, former global president, Mars Inc and non-executive director of both The Lego Group and Marks and Spencer.
“If you look at the companies I’ve worked with, whether it is Mars or Lego or M&S, all are brands that have been around for a very long time. They do this by positioning themselves for the consumers of tomorrow, not just today,” says Dawson.
That’s precisely what brands need to do coming out of this pandemic.
Unfortunately, too many people outside of corporate life – and indeed some inside it - still see branding as a subject for marketeers only.
“But what we have seen through the pandemic, and through movements like Black Lives Matter and most recently through the IPCC report on climate change, is that brands need to be much more than a slogan. They need to be authentic and that authenticity must come from their values,” she says.
Yes, branding is about marketing and advertising, “but it’s also about culture”, she adds, pointing out that both consumers and investors are putting ever greater emphasis on it and subjecting organisations to ever greater scrutiny.
“In the pandemic we saw a return to big brands, the brands that people trust. But trust in life is a very fragile thing, it’s hard fought and easily lost,” she cautions.
Right now the economic augurs look good. Ireland’s economy is projected to grow by 4.6 per cent in 2021, and by 5.0 per cent in 2022, according to the European Commission’s Spring Economic Forecast.
Consumer confidence is at a two-year high according to the KBC Bank Ireland Consumer Sentiment Index.
But buoyant predictions must be tempered with pressures such as food price inflation, supply chain issues and even housing crises, she points out.
“We don’t quite know how the economy will pan out but it’s beholden on brands to refresh and reinvent themselves for the future,” says Dawson.
Other speakers include Gordon Lawlor, managing director of Circle K in Ireland, part of global fuel and convenience store brand owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard.
Gordon worked for ExxonMobil for 17 years – in Ireland with Esso Ireland, and internationally with ExxonMobil in both Brussels and London. He led the Esso business in Ireland as its chairman and director from 2012 until its acquisition by Topaz Energy in 2015. He was at the heart of the rebrand from Topaz to Circle K.
Marketing guru Shenda Loughnane is also speaking. She joined dentsu as group managing director in April 2018 and is responsible for overseeing the Carat, iProspect, Vizeum and isobar brands.
She spent four years as global chief strategy officer for iProspect, based in Germany and ran the digital creative agency, ICAN, for 10 years.
Fellow speaker John Paul (JP) Scally has been chief executive officer of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland since 2015, overseeing 209 stores across the island and more than two million weekly customers.
Following on from the success of previous years, IAPI is once again partnering with the Institute of Directors in Ireland and The Irish Times to deliver the event, which is aimed at chief executives, chief financial officers and chief marketing officers, as well as agency leaders.
It believes that as we emerge from the pandemic there is a huge opportunity for businesses in Ireland and internationally to build a brand that delivers long term value to their business.
By working with Ireland’s experts in consumer insight, media trends and creative communications they can establish a unique bond with both customers and workforces alike.
IAPI members in Ireland, in line with the sector globally, have been expanding their offering significantly over the past decade. The pandemic has seen additional services, such as product development, customer experience, data analytics and operational consultancy become even more vital to clients.
“This annual event supports IAPI’s fervent belief in the value of long-term brand building for the bottom line of organisations. More importantly, our members’ and our client marketers’ understanding of brand goes way beyond customer communications as it permeates every aspect of an organisation, including staff culture, customer services, operations and so forth, up to the boardroom”, says Charley Stoney, CEO, IAPI.
“This is why engaging with the boardroom on this subject is so crucial, not just for our industry sector but for the very survival of Irish businesses and brands as we emerge from the pandemic.”
This free, invitation-only live broadcast produced by Catapult for IOD members, IAPI agency leaders, CEOs, CFOS and CMOs takes place on 26th August from 2pm-3.30pm. To register your interest in attending, please contact katherine@iapi.com