A future-focused conference for retailers and retail marketers brought to you by NZ Marketing magazine in association with MediaWorks.
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Navigating the nuances of modern retail marketing
The events of the past few years, combined with significant tech advancements have led to a greater opening up by retailers to more customers. As shop owners navigate the nuances of modern retailing, one thing remains constant – the need for an effective marketing strategy.
Retail marketing not only satisfies customers’ needs but ensures their delight. As retailers look to increase their capabilities across new and exciting channels using the latest tools and tech, marketing will be essential in bringing these evolving retailers to their customers in ways that are relevant, targeted and creative.
This exciting, in-person, full-day conference will bring together retailers and their marketing partners, key industry players and service providers to workshop future-facing marketing strategy that will help you better navigate the challenges faced by the industry in the short- to medium-term.
Within the context of challenging social and economic times, our expert line-up of marketers, creatives, strategists and media practitioners will unpack topics such as:
- Revisiting retail marketing strategy in times of economic uncertainty;
- Retail marketing in the metaverse;
- The rise of AI and its implications for in-store and online CX;
- Retail media: new channels and players to watch;
- What customer retention and loyalty looks like in 2023;
- Striving for excellence in FMCG marketing; and more…
Conference Speakers and Panelists
We have tapped into our extensive network of local and internationally-renowned marketers, creative and media agency representatives and strategic industry thinkers who will interrogate topics on e-commerce, media planning, channel utilisation, creative advertising and customer experience, all with the aim of helping you improve your marketing to retail customers.
Keynote topics
Understanding what customers care about in the current climate
Gemma Rasmussen of Consumer NZ will delve into how current environmental pressures like the cost of living and environmental concerns are affecting consumer purchasing behaviour, and the way they perceive businesses. Does it matter if you’re a big or small business when it comes to trust and expectation? According to a shopper – yes. Off the back of fresh Sentiment Tracker data, Gemma will outline the varying levels of satisfaction different businesses are experiencing, based on factors like size, industry and the type of service they provide.
About Gemma
Years ago, Gemma was charged for a single Jetstar flight multiple times in a ticketing error – they refused to refund her money. Taking on a giant airline (and winning) gave her a taste for the complexity of consumer rights. With a background in journalism, data, and communications, she started her advocacy journey at CHOICE, Australia’s consumer organisation. Currently she is the head of research and advocacy at Consumer NZ, where she is responsible for leading the investigative, communications, advocacy, and grants teams. She is passionate about demystifying complex consumer information and driving change through advocacy to empower New Zealanders.
AI and the future of shoppable content
Will the rise of AI change how people shop online and brands connect with consumers? Though it is still early days, AI-powered tools like ChatGPT could be used to provide personalised shopping recommendations, answer questions and more.
With social media and other channels continuing to offer opportunities for brands to connect with consumers in new and exciting ways – including through AI technology – this panel discussion will explore technology currently in market, how brands and marketers are (or could be) using it to reach more customers and offer greater personalisation and an enhanced online shopping experience.
About Matt
As Marketing Director Matt Bain is responsible for Sparks Brand Experience, Experience optimisation, Marketing, and data analytics teams at Spark, and Qrious – Sparks Data Analytics consultancy. Matt was previously based in Amsterdam as European Managing Director for agency AKQA – one of the world’s leading innovation and brand experience agencies, with responsibility for 700+ consultants and makers across five countries. Over a 24-year career Matt has built an impeccable international reputation with some of the world’s greatest brands – Nike, Heineken, Mini, Rolls Royce, Siemens, EA Sports, Audi, Phillips, Tommy Hilfiger and KLM amongst others. Matt has extensive experience using data and technologies like Artificial intelligence (AI) to enable organisations to better understand and predict their customers’ needs more accurately.
About Nick
Nick Houldsworth is board chair at Ambit, independent director at Melodics, and co-founder of early stage AI fintech, Prosaic. Previously he led the App Store team as Exec GM at Xero, and was the first employee and CMO at Vend. He is a passionate advocate for cutting edge technology that levels the playing field for small and medium businesses.
About Connor
Connor Archbold co-founded Tracksuit in 2021 after five years of scaling kiwi growth companies in NYC. He brings deep experience running and growing martech, saas, and direct-to-consumer businesses having been COO of Mish Guru and Head of B2B and Business Development for Noissue. Connor started his career as a corporate lawyer and found his way to start-ups after raising a fund to launch Auckland’s first accelerator program, Lightning Lab. Despite being a bit of an operations and metrics nerd, Connor generally views the world through a creative lens – and he LOVES good brand building.
About Spencer
Spencer Bailey has extensive experience in the Media, Advertising and Tech industries, having worked in leadership roles for some of the world’s leading companies in these fields, including; Meta, Daily Mail (UK), Universal Media, Express Newspapers, Time Warner and NZME. In his current role, as Head of New Zealand, Spencer is responsible for Meta’s commercial operations in the local market, as well as playing an active role in the Advertising industry in NZ, as a passionate Digital specialist and a board member of IAB NZ.
How m-commerce has changed the consumer journey to purchase
Rob Leach unpacks a combined research study from Kargo, Mediascience, and Smart Commerce on the effectiveness of shoppable ads and how standout mobile experiences drive consumers to carts with just one tap.
About Rob
Rob Leach boasts over two decades of experience in the advertising and media industry. He has worked with some of the world’s leading media brands, such as BSkyB, Newscorp, and BBC Worldwide. With an Economics degree from Oxford Brookes University, Rob has an exceptional track record of launching and expanding digital businesses, leading high-performing teams, and providing profitable strategic solutions. Rob is credited with launching Interactive TV Advertising at BSkyB, MCN Connect Australia, and the BBC Global iPlayer. He is recognized as a thought leader in content monetization across multiple digital platforms, with international experience as a speaker at conferences and events worldwide. Currently residing in Sydney, Australia, Rob holds the position of General Manager Kargo, Asia Pacific.
Proof points: Taking customers on the ESG journey
New Zealand consumers have a lot on the list of priorities with respect to brands they purchase and align with; the economic climate and cost of living crisis are top on that agenda and coupled with supply-chain continuing to wreak havoc across many verticals in a post Covid world, we are seeing people tick the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) boxes a little further down the consideration priority list than we’ve seen in the past.
However, what we know is that the issue of sustainability is crucial to how we operate in the long-term; from ensuring that our businesses are set up to support ongoing sustainable and ethical practices for long-term growth, through to answering justified customer demand for well-structured ESG principles from the brands they choose.
From a marketing perspective, it’s increasingly important to ensure we are telling these stories to our customers and practicing our own principles throughout our organisations, but avoiding the term ‘green-washing’ is of utmost importance.
Nicky Greville, Managing Director of Spark Foundry NZ, holds a panel discussion with Westpac NZ and Toyota NZ on their journeys in this space and the advice they have for brands and organisations undertaking similar journeys.
About Nicky
Nicky Greville has worked in the media industry for 20+ years, with a wealth of experience spanning across most major categories. Having worked for over 10 years in global and local strategic leadership roles, Nicky has developed speciality skills in communication and channel strategy, thought leadership, research and insight development across major global and local clients. Prior to launching Spark Foundry as Managing Director, Nicky has spent the last few years in agency leadership roles and has honed further skills around business development, people management and integrated thinking.
About Rachel
Rachel O’Connor is a marketing and communications leader with a career jam-packed full of global experience across a range of industries. She has worked within large and complex organisations such as Fonterra and Massey University in New Zealand; financial institutions including Société Générale in Australia and Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs in the UK; local and central government at Palmerston North City Council and Housing New Zealand; a couple of stints with a not-for-profit regional sports trust, Sport Manawatu; and even spent a couple of years running her own marketing and communications company.
After a year as General Manager of Marketing for The Factory, an organisation that works with entrepreneurs, start-ups and scale ups, Rachel now leads Toyota New Zealand’s marketing team.
Passionate about empowering others to succeed, Rachel regularly mentors’ marketers across the lower North Island and has shared her knowledge on marketing and communications at events around the country and across the ditch.
About Suraiya
Currently Chief Marketing Officer of Westpac New Zealand, Suraiya Phillimore-Smith is a passionate brand storyteller, customer advocate and strategic thinker. She is an experienced international leader, who has achieved great success in building high performing teams and developing people to meet customer and business outcomes. With global and local experience, working for some of the world’s largest brands across multiple categories including Technology, Telecommunications and Financial Services, Suraiya thrives in complex environments helping to solution business problems.
Understanding the connected experience for omnichannel businesses
Consumer expectations and changing behaviours have put increasing pressure on the traditional retail funnel, in particular on businesses that operate in an omnichannel environment. Hearts & Science with Animates discuss the increasing importance of a connected experience to succeed in an omnichannel business, how communications strategies must change to ensure marketers are intercepting the moments that matter and how we should change the way we consider and measure success.
About Nathalie
Nathalie Moolenschot is the General Manager of Marketing & e-Commerce for Animates Vetcare NZ, which encompasses 44 retail stores and 18 veterinarian clinics. While there is an overlap of customers/clients between the stores and clinics, the customer behaviour, journey, and expectations are significantly different, an understanding that Nathalie has cultivated.
As a passionate pet parent to Cara and Meela, she is focused on prioritising the development of customer-centricity innovation and loyalty to ensure Animates Vetcare NZ achieves its purpose of making the world a happier place through the love of pets. Her passion focuses on leveraging insights to enhance customer experience through relevance and differentiation.
Nathalie has over 20 years of experience in marketing in both the service and retail industry, having held senior positions at The Warehouse Group, Air New Zealand, Westpac, ASB and BNZ.
About Rebekah
Rebekah Gierlinska, Managing Director of Hearts & Science New Zealand is a media and communication strategist with over 20 years of local and international agency experience. Her passion for the Hearts & Science proposition of ‘building meaningful connections that matter powered by best-in-class data and technology’, enables her to successfully lead the delivery of the agency’s customers’ media planning, communications and activations to the highest quality and value. Her passion for Animates was driven by her two gorgeous cats, Loulou and Dexter!
Rebekah initially worked as Hearts & Science Head of Strategy before being promoted to Managing Director in June 2022. She is a true leader with a strong focus on culture which allows the Hearts team to bring the best of themselves to work every day.
Striving for excellence in FMCG marketing
As a winner of the Long-Term Marketing Excellence Award at the 2021 TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards, Pic’s Peanut Butter has a rich marketing history in the FMCG category. New to the role of CEO, Aimee will speak to the challenges of marketing in the sector and how she plans to steer the Pic’s marketing efforts in the current market.
About Aimee
Building great brands is in Aimee McCammon’s DNA, with the executive helping shape some of New Zealand’s best-loved brands, including Whittaker’s, 42 Below, Toyota, Lotto and Tourism NZ and now her latest feat, Pic’s Peanut Butter. This year she takes the reins of the family business as CEO of stepfather Pic Picot’s famous peanut butter business, following a decade on the advisory board. Most recently Aimee has been CEO NZ of entertainment, advertising and technology company Augusto Group, and before that was the General Manager of Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production as well as stints at Saatchi & Saatchi both here and in New York.
Exclusive research findings: Customer loyalty and engagement in 2023
Lizzy will be presenting the latest findings from their inaugural research into the state of New Zealand’s rewards and recognition programmes and data driven customer engagement (DDCE). The study, conducted by independent research company First Point Research & Consulting and loyalty programme consultancy The Point of Loyalty, surveyed marketers, retailers and data decision makers across country.
Attendees at The Future of Retail Marketing Conference will have an exclusive first look at some of the key findings of the research including:
- What does customer engagement and loyalty look like in 2023?
- How are New Zealand marketers and retailers using data to engage with their customers?
- What are the challenges that they are facing?
- And how do they perceive the future shaping up in this area?
Loyalty NZ is best known for the Flybuys programme, New Zealand’s most universal loyalty ecosystem, and the specialist data driven customer engagement business LAB360. The Loyalty NZ team specialises in collaborating with partners to drive measurable returns on marketing investment through leveraging the loyalty ecosystem and data asset in a way that suits their business.
About Lizzy
Lizzy Ryley joined Loyalty New Zealand as Chief Executive in September 2017, commencing a journey of business and cultural transformation. Before joining Loyalty NZ, Lizzy held a number of C-suite roles with Woolworths plc, in Australia and New Zealand, leading Marketing, Loyalty & Data Analytics, and Corporate Affairs. Prior to this, Lizzy spent 20 years living in the UK, working in executive level marketing roles in major global retail and FMCG organisations, and spent a number of years as a senior lecturer in marketing and business on MBA programmes at two UK Universities. Lizzy holds an MBA from Sheffield Hallam University (UK), is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a member of Global Women and the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.
Your MC for the day
Trudi Nelson is a broadcaster with over three decades experience across radio, television and online. She’s the voice NZ-wide of More FM and a regular newsreader. She’s also enjoyed several TV newsreader roles with Newshub and marketing management roles at MediaWorks Radio and Prime TV. Also known as Trudi the Foodie, she started popular recipes website fresh.co.nz 17 years ago and is past president of Foodwriters New Zealand. A proud mum of three sons, Trudi loves creating in the kitchen, cycling, scuba diving when she can and her weekly volunteer work.
@trudinelson on Twitter
@trudinews on FB and Instagram
Premier Sponsor
MediaWorks is committed to creating and delivering great content, experiences and results for their audiences and customers. The team believe in being the best in connecting, enriching and inspiring Kiwis every day.
Conference Partner
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Vernene Medcalf via email on [email protected].
Download our Media Kit, here.
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