Get the most out of DMX Dublin – even before you turn up!

DMX Dublin is on next Thursday 5th March 2020 in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin at 9am. Here's what to look forward to!

DMX is now Ireland’s biggest marketing conference, and it’s been my privilege to programme the event for the last seven years.

There is a reason for the success of DMX Dublin. And it’s not just the great speakers.

Those attendees who keep coming back year after year say the same thing. They know that DMX Dublin is the one time and the one location in the calendar where they will get to meet everybody they want to meet in marketing: clients, creatives, account managers, CMOs, tech startups, CEOs and even finance folks. Yes, they are all there!

So, how can should you prepare for the marketing highlight of the year?

Start by taking a leaf out of Robert Cialdini’s book, ‘Pre-Suasion’. Cialdini is famous for his book, ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’ – a must-read book for all marketers. His latest book, ‘Pre-Suasion’, focusses on ‘arranging for recipients to be receptive to a message before they encounter it, and guiding preliminary attention

Who is the person you should ‘pre-suade’?

Yourself!

Let me explain. Rather than turning up with no set plan or idea, you need to think through in advance – ‘pre-suade’ yourself - so you can maximise everything from coming along to the Aviva next Thursday.

It starts with knowing what you are looking before you go to the event: understand the actions that you have to take before, during, and after an event so you get the best result. You number one responsibility when going to DMX Dublin is to know the opportunities that you are actually looking for!

It’s the chance conversation and the accidental meeting - as well as the great speakers - where the real action is to be had at DMX Dublin. Think through who do you want to meet, who do you want to see, what opportunities are you looking out for, what learnings do you want to have? Think intentionally instead of randomly. It will make a world of difference to your experience.

With this in mind, who am I excited about for DMX Dublin 2020? (Yes, the picture is me at last years DMX trying to calm the crowd!)

Where do I start?

Well, let me give you some of the speakers I’m looking forward to.

The Big Names - the Three DMX Keynoters

DMX Dublin starts at 9am on Thursday morning with Professor Jenni Romaniuk, International Director of the world-famous Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and author of Building Distinctive Brand Assets and How Brands Grow Part 2. Jenni is a leading expert in brand equity, mental availability, brand health metrics, advertising effectiveness, distinctive assets, word of mouth and the role of loyalty and growth. Through her work at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute she has advised many of the world’s biggest brands.

Building Distinctive Brand Assets is one of my favourite books, and is perfect for anyone with a brand, to help future-proof any brand's identity and learn which strategies work, and which don't. It is THE book that helped me articulate and put into words what I wish I could have when discuss logos, assets, typeface, taglines and what have you.

Professor Romaniuk is on the main stage in the President's Terrace at 09:00.

JP Hanson is the CEO for international consultancy Rouser, a globally recognized authority on business and marketing strategy, columnist for MarketingWeek and a popular headline speaker. He has delivered keynotes at some of the most prestigious events in the world, from Reykjavik to Mumbai and London to Dubai, always with an equally entertaining and refreshing no-nonsense approach.

JP Hanson is known for his firm belief in critical thinking, observable evidence and complete freedom from hype. And I strongly suggest you read the Rouser Manifesto before you come to DMX - guaranteed to expand your mind!

At DMX Dublin, JP will be talking about 'A Matter of Time' : Times are changing faster than ever before, or so we are told. Companies of all sizes must transform their strategies, become agile and act like startups to handle a new competitive reality, or so they are told. Time is of the essence. Change is the new normal. Adapt or die. But is it all actually true? In this entertaining keynote, strategy expert JP Hanson challenges what have become accepted industry truths in a strategic masterclass that will change how you see the world. Myths will be busted, narratives revisited and toes undoubtedly stepped on.

JP is on the main stage in the President's Terrace at 13:45 with all attendees in the room. I can't wait!

The final keynote of the day at 15:45 is Wiemer Snijders. Wiemer is curator and editor of the international bestseller Eat Your Greens: Fact-Based Thinking To Improve Your Brand's Health. Eat your Greens is a compilation of 42 chapters written by 37 practitioners and scholars of branding, advertising, and marketing including luminaries such as Professor Mark Ritson, Kate Richardson, Rory Sutherland, Peter Field, Tess Alps, Jerry Daykin, Mark Earls, Becky McOwen-Banks, Phil Barden, Richard Shotton, Bob Hoffman, Tom Goodwin and Rosie and Faris Yakob.

 At DMX Dublin Wiemer will be speaking about 'Data-driven Dead-Ends'. The abundance of data and technology available to better understand the people to whom we are selling our products and services. However, they are rendered useless if we don’t know how to use them effectively. Unfortunately, this is all too often the case. Wiemer will not only counter some of the hype and nonsense in the industry, but also to provide perspectives on how marketing can better itself, inspired by the advances in marketing science, and use data to drive commercial results instead of stopping us in our tracks.

Wiemer is a partner at The Commercial Works in The Netherlands; he works with clients in understanding and applying facts and evidence to increase the effectiveness of their marketing investments. He has worked (internationally) with a broad range of clients in automotive, financial services, FMCG, energy, travel, retail, non-profits and e-commerce.

DMX Workshops

Hands-on practical workshops are a stand-out feature of DMX Dublin every year.

Each DMX Workshop is practical, hands-on and in-depth where you can learn not only the best practices but also advanced concepts and strategies to deliver superior marketing results. The workshops are run at the same time as the rest of the conference and are 70 minutes long. Space is at premium for each workshop – so get there early, as experience has shown us that they fill up almost immediately.

In 2020, there are three workshops:

1. The Untapped Potential of Insightful Thinking: Tony Franco, Founder, Franco London. This hands-on workshop will explore what Insightful Thinking is and describe and explain all the critical thinking tools and techniques required to create true insight into the core functions of brand strategy, positioning and communications.
2. Aligning your Brand and Commercial Goals: Denise Doyle, Retail Republic. Commercial strategy and brand strategy need to work together. Aligning marketing to commerical goals helps marketers create the right brand strategy to achieve the strategic goals for the brand - and for the business. The workshop will equip attendees with an understanding of the components of a brand, the steps involved in brand development and linking these directly with commercial and business goals.
3. Run with Foxes: Make Better Marketing Decisions: Paul Dervan, CMO National Lottery and author 'Run with Foxes'. Marketers are under pressure to creating a culture of effectiveness to show how they are driving business growth. Building a deep understanding of effectiveness and its measures means that marketers can ensure that their value is understood by the businesses and their influence increased in the board room. This workshop will reflect his expertise on and show practical ways to improve marketing decision-making, building a culture of effectiveness, understanding the right measures and metrics for your brand & business, advertising effectiveness

Paul's new book, 'Run with Foxes' is out next month. Run With Foxes is a blistering, must-read collection of real-life stories from this fascinating world, revealing the messy reality of decision-making in marketing and the secrets of making better decisions.

The workshops have their own dedicated rooms seating just 40 people upstairs from the central area.

Strategy Stream

I am particularly looking forward to seeing this stream - won't be hard for me as I will me MC'ing this session! Here are my personal highlights.

Neil Perkin is the founder of Only Dead Fish, a digital consultancy that specialises in applying strategic understanding of digital and emerging technologies to help businesses innovate and become more agile. He is the author of two books that provide a definitive blueprint for organisations looking to capitalise on the intersection of digital transformation, organisational agility and leadership: ‘Building The Agile Business’ and Agile Transformation (both through Kogan Page). Neil is also the curator of the quarterly series of Firestarters thought leadership events on behalf of Google UK.

Richard Hammond is the CEO and Founder of Uncrowd, as well author of best-selling books on retail customer experience, Richard is the global leader in the emerging science of friction/reward. FvR as friction/reward is becoming known offers a unique methodology for understanding how CX stacks up across a customer's full option set. I've worked with Richard before and he is a FANTASTIC speakers. At DMX Dublin, Richard will be speaking about.. Where’s the reward in friction?

In the post Amazon world, retailers have developed an obsession with reducing purchase friction. Customers though are cleverer; they weigh up not only friction but also reward. For what effort do I obtain what gain? Richard will be talking about the concept of friction versus reward as a metric and show you how to use it to become your customers’ first choice.

Siobhan Maughan is the founder of IntegratedThinking, a Strategic Marketing and Product Management consultancy – mentoring businesses across sectors in how to capture and interpret market insights, that will allow them to articulate sustainable value propositions. Siobhan is a Strategic Marketing Mentor & Coach with Enterprise Ireland’s Strategic Marketing Review function, is Lecturer and Academic Programme Director with Trinity College Business School and has delivered workshops for Technology Ireland and Skillnet Ireland. At DMX Dublin, Siobhan will speak on …. Do Cockerels Lay Eggs? … The Value of Insights over Observation. In a world where we are saturated with content, Siobhan will speak about the benefit of asking the right questions and of interpreting observations to generate meaningful market insights. Deep insight fosters the creation of “aha moments” when you least expect them, helping to unlock opportunities and inspire the creation of meaningful content for your target audience.

Data and Analytics Stream

Data is arguably the hottest topic in marketing - as well as the newest and least well understood and scoped. Whilst there is a lot of talk about ‘data’, big or otherwise, GDPR-compliant or otherwise, it can be hard to understand what exactly is meant by ‘data’.

Eleanor Barlow currently works as a Director in Digital and Data at HSBC Securities Services where she partners with product and client teams to design and deliver digital solutions for clients using disruptive and new ways of working.

Previously in IBM Eleanor led Digital Transformation projects managing teams to execute major change for global brands. Eleanor has founded Insight & Analytics functions in global digital agencies and in 2009 acquired a ‘first of its kind’ Msc in Cyberpsychology

In June 2019 Eleanor was shortlisted for the Women in Banking and Finance Tech Star award acknowledging her contribution within the Fintech and Digital space and is the HSBC 2019 winner of the Sibos STAR Scholarship scheme specifically designed to foster future female talent within the Financial Services industry.

 At DMX Dublin, Eleanor will be speaking about...Psychology, data, and digital innovation.

I have talked to Eleanor about her presentationg - and I think it will spectacular! Her session will explore how data and insight can help us understand the psychology of our use of technology and consider how digital and emerging tech has altered the way we think, relate, communicate and behave. Having an in depth understanding of people’s behaviour psychologically can help us design and develop more ‘innovative’ and unique experiences, products and services setting us apart from our competitors. This session will discuss what this means for brands and businesses today and tomorrow referencing concepts encompassing Digital Identity, Computer Mediated Communication and Social Networking Theory.

Andy Letting, GLH, Head of Digital Marketing has over 18 years experience as a digital marketing professional and over 8 years a digital marketing lecturer / trainer. Andy’s training and lecturing has taken him all over the world, Boston, Dubai, China and Saudi Arabia. At DMX Dublin, Andy will be speaking about AI: Revitalising and Automating Email Marketing. Companies need to find new ways to be relevant and timely to maximise the engagement of their customers. With the pressure on media budgets, the need to drive acquisition is getting tougher. AI and automation technology offers organisations large and small the opportunity to deliver a personalised and 1-2-1 experience.

eCommerce Stream

Did you know that eCommerce is now 19% of ALL retail sales in North America and 49% of that is just through Amazon. The UK is not far behind, and, Ireland is finally coming of age with respect to eCommerce. Everybody must have an eCommerce strategy today, and DMX is the place to learn about it.

Claire Hennah is the Global Beauty and Personal Care eCommerce Director at Unilever. She is responsible for the eCommerce strategy, execution & capability globally. Before joining Unilever, Claire led the digital marketing and consumer engagement team at Selfridges. Responsible for the acquisition, retention and social media strategy as well as defining a new programme of investment (capability and technology) for the CRM approach for the business. Claire will be speaking about Creating a sustainable eCommerce strategy. Globally, 1.5bn consumers use a beauty or personal care product from Unilever every day. Spend 30 minutes of your Thursday afternoon being beautified, to get insight into; how to get an organisation behind your strategy, how Unilever is creating a global eCommerce strategy for sustainable growth and how Unilever is creating brilliant experiences online around the world

Aidan Duffy: DF5 eCommerce, eCommerce and Amazon Specialist, help Irish brands launch on Marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay. Aidan works with Irish B2B and B2C brands selling to international markets while shipping from Ireland. These brands profitably sell to five European Amazon markets: UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. They either use Amazon as their sole online channel or in addition to a .com website. At DMX Dublin, Aidan will be speaking about How Irish brands can sell on Amazon - and make money

I know Amazon is the biggest opportunity in the history of eCommerce to grow a business; but its hard to execute. Aidan will be giving deep insights insight into what Amazon is; why it works, what makes it difficult, and how to make Amazon work to reach your brand goals.

Final Thoughts..

The (very) odd time I hear grumblings about DMX Dublin after the event (and you can never keep everybody happy!), it is always about a version of the following mindset: the person is expecting the event to impress the hell out of them.

In reality, it is up to us all to create the experience we want to have – whatever event or conference you attend. Your prep in advance will make all the difference to how much you enjoy the day.

As you can see, we’ve done our best to get the best speakers, the most relevant ideas, and convince the top marketers to speak. The other part of DMX success is up to you too!

We have put our heart and soul into it, so, of course, we think you will love it! See you there!

Colin Lewis, DMX Dublin Programmer