Communicators facing “world of constant change” was focus of Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit and ADWKDC
From the outset of the annual Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit and ADWKDC, communicators were told they are facing a “world of constant change.” Perhaps, said a speaker at the opening session, what communicators really need, moving forward, is “intellectual curiosity” rather than specific job skills.
The full-day event held October 9 in Arlington, VA, brought together hundreds of attendees and dozens of speakers in advertising, marketing, public relations and media thought leaders to share their expertise on current and coming trends that will impact communicators in coming years. Sessions, see agenda below, focused on the changes and challenges facing communicators.
Cary Hatch, former D.C. agency president, stated online that the summit attracted a “star-studded line-up of innovative leaders and brand executives addressing all the issues in play:” Sessions, see agenda below, focused on the changes and challenges facing communicators.
A speaker at the opening session said that communicators face “a blurring of lines,” in terms of roles as communicators have to gain insights on how to handle the overwhelming amount of data that’s available to them and dealing with potential AI legal issues. Also, communicators have to understand the strengths and weaknesses of Ai and, said a speaker, “AI has its flaws.” (Photo above shows opening panel: (L to r) Sean Carton, founder, Applied Understanding, moderator: Cindy Zhou, CMO, KnowBe4; Stephanie Glashow. CMO, IntraFi; and Jesse Comart, CMO and CCO, GoodLeap.)
Other sessions focused on the shift in habits of those who follow the news. Speakers discussed how to make the news more relevant to their audiences.
Chuck Todd, featured in a “Fireside Chat,” said the public is less interested in national news than local news. In fact, he said, the most sought-after news items that people want are local – very local -specifically what’s ahead regarding the weather and updates on local sports. Todd is a journalist who was the 12th moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press and is the current host of the podcast, “The Chuck ToddCast.” (Todd, shown above, in a response to a question from an attendee.) Todd was interviewed by Sara Fischer, media correspondent at Axios and author of the weekly Axios Media Trends newsletter. (Photo above by Jimmy Minichello.)
One line that captured the theme of the event was that marketers are basically storytellers, but the tools to tell their stories are changing.
