Spring wasn’t the only thing springing to action. This year’s POSSIBLE kicked things off this season and has been more collaborative and enriching in its second year. Some of the most renowned game changers in the industry once again came together to discuss topics that are buzzing the marketing world. Marketer to marketer, here are some of the highlights of this year’s expo.
Tell me about AI without telling me about AI
Although almost every session flirted with AI in one way or another, one thing almost universally missing was the application of AI; which isn’t necessarily a bad thing since we live in a world where our LinkedIn feed is already full of “the next big, hot generative AI tool.” Instead, the narrative focused on how we, as marketers, can use AI to enhance our jobs, not replace them. By using AI as a tool, the same way we use other tools in all our Ad and MarTech stack, we can replace mundane and repeatable tasks, letting our entire team elevate how we work (which is in line with a recent EMARKETER study). Instead of spending hours sorting through the data, we can spend time actioning it. Instead of simply measuring, we can now invest cycles in applying. The takeaway: use AI to run your strategy, don’t build a strategy for AI.
Social is the medium
Gary Vaynerchuk wasn’t there to hawk his book. In fact, he outright told us not to buy it: “Download it on the torrent sites, I don’t care” if I were to paraphrase. Instead, he focused on telling us why we need to stop ignoring our social feeds. He advocates that, for the first time, “the creative creates the reach,” and CPG is the next big shift in transportation. He says it’s time to take social seriously by building ads for social, not putting your ads on social. He made a great point about putting creative and media back together, and I certainly agree.
The new T&Cs
Like a pro, Michael Kassan pushed through his personal controversies to compare marketers to the dinner table scene in Curb Your Enthusiasm, where often we are left to elevate the discussions in our circles:
(Discretion advised.)
Last year, Michael shared his new “T&Cs” and this year he went a bit deeper. A few I noted:
- Talent and Tech (roles and tools to make a CMO successful)
- Transformation (everyone is part of this new journey)
- Content drives Commerce
- Community (including skill set at the board levels)
Overheard
Other great tidbits heard throughout the 3 days:
- Monday: Does CMO now stand for Change Management Officer? As marketers, it often falls to us to embrace transformations, and this is the best time in our history to be in marketing. Let’s lead the charge in our companies.
- Tuesday: DTC means direct to consumer, or is it direct to creator now?
- Wednesday: The leadership trifecta is like an orchestra between the CEO, CFO, and CMO – and it should hum. But if procurement is in the first chair, are we letting the money lead decisions instead of creativity?
All that data
Two other big standouts should be of no surprise: cookieless and retail media. Countless articles have already been written on these topics, so I won’t delve into details here. But instead let me focus on what wasn’t said: solutions are not sitting on a database of first-party data. Too many discussions were very high-level, by the likes of Walmart, Instacart, and Target’s Roundel, leaving behind the smaller brands that will struggle when cookies are off the menu. But don’t worry, we have you covered.
And while I’m being critical, one more thing: although Kit Hoover’s addition as MC added some star power, I think a “celebrity” within our own ranks would have been more relatable. Kit seemed ill-prepared, relied far too much on the teleprompter, and added awkward pauses between some major presenters.
All that booth
We had a great time meeting other marketers and partners and fueling them for that messy middle! Thanks for all the great conversations.
See you next year, POSSIBLE!
