"You don't need me to tell you that the world we are operating in now is fundamentally different to where we were just 18 months ago," says Dr Caitlin Ferreira, a marketing specialist and lecturer in marketing at the Luleå University of Technology.  Ferreira is also an adjunct lecturer in marketing at the University of Cape Town.

"Major changes across industries were implemented virtually overnight and we've spent the last few months getting into a new rhythm, a new normal: The next normal," adds Ferreira. 

The paper invites marketers to view their discipline through the lens of collective introspection, with content grouped around six seminal 'moments' that aim to define today's marketing environment. These include:
  1. An opportunity to be better
  2. Have we lost our way?
  3. First and foremost, we are human
  4. Change is the only constant
  5. Being the best version of ourselves, and
  6. The future of the industry.
CEO of the Nedbank IMC Dale Hefer says that while the conference, themed 'Marketing. The Movie', was high energy and inspiring, the central tenet remained one of viewing marketing as business.

"Our conference paper captures this essence, highlighting key messages and actionable takeaways that marketers could adopt to help guide their businesses in a world in flux," concludes Hefer.

The paper contains gold nuggets from some of today's leading global and local marketing stars. Included among a host of critical actions are the learnings from marketing during a pandemic, which is outlined by Marcel Marcondes, US CMO: AB InBev. and a Forbes World's Most Influential CMO of 2020.

A 'creative process' toolbox to deliver consistent creative brilliance is shared by Susan Credle, who is the global chief creative officer of FCB. Sydney Mbhele, the chief executive brand at Sanlam and MASA chairperson, suggests the valuable steps to wooing African audiences.

Tebogo Motsepe, head of brand and client insights at Nedbank CIB offers practical steps for marketers to ensure they retain control of the marketing function to deliver a powerful combination of logic and magic.

The paper is available as a free resource here

For more information, visit www.imcconference.com. You can also follow the IMC on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram