The conference takes on a TED-talk style format on Thursday, 14 March at Johannesburg’s Fox Junction in Newtown. Here, the IMC Conference provides insights from a range of speakers on topics that will aim to spark interest and robust conversation on the day.

Dave Duarte, CEO of Treeshake will deliver the day’s opening address and will share the truth about digital connectivity. He says, "The ‘attention economy’ changed the game over the past 10 years, and the power in marketing shifted from agencies to tech giants. But how are we going to get our consumers attention when their attention is already maximised?"

Duarte aims to spark a conversation about how marketers and agencies should be operating. "I think we should all be operating from three areas; trust, trends and tech. You have to deliver on your promises flawlessly with your consumer in order to earn their trust," he adds.

"You need to invest in skills and capabilities to align with the trends. And understand that tech is not just about using the latest software but rather about discovering new ways to add value to your customer," he says.

Khensani Nobanda, group executive: Nedbank group marketing and corporate affairs, says, "Consumers no longer invest their time, money and attention in brands that just sell good quality products at good prices. Instead, because they’re so well informed, they carefully consider choices to buy from companies that stand for a purpose and that reflect their personal values and beliefs."

Darren Hampton, GM of digital and CRM for Nandos, who will share the creative process behind Nandos’ campaigns over the years, adds, "There is a lot of novelty in the marketing space."

"Many brands are chasing the latest trend and focus has been lost on what we’re actually doing here. Marketers should be using innovation to help them develop good data about their consumers and what they really want," he adds.

Gillian Rightford, CEO of Adtherapy, will bring up the client/agency relationship. She will ask the question, "why is everyone so afraid of a bad meeting?"

Rightford says that the client/agency relationship is not a service one and will challenge listeners and co-speakers with her thoughts. "Managing the relationship should not be the focus. Creating the best product and doing the best work should be," she says.

Mosidi Seretlo, founder and director of Mosidi K Seretlo Consulting, will be delivering a summary of the day’s conversations. "I am interested in what will come up throughout the day, but I do hope we cover some tough topics like marketing leadership, digital marketing for the sake of it and the difference between misleading marketing and unethical marketing," she says.

Seretlo says she is excited about this year’s theme of stripping marketing down to it bones, getting nak*d. "I want people in our industry to stop fooling themselves and get real. Forget the icing and all the trimmings – do we even have the right recipe to begin with?"

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