DigiMarCon 2024: AI Takes Centre Stage

Among the key sessions, David Hayward from Europa Creative Partner shared valuable tips on using AI to streamline productivity, including reporting, purposeful prompting, and message refinement. Hayward likened AI to an "intern," stressing the importance of establishing checks and reviews to ensure quality. Amie, reflecting on the talk, particularly enjoyed this perspective, appreciating the balance between automation and oversight.

Another great presentation came from Amelia Hooper of Tax Traders, who discussed her approach of employing AI as a personal assistant. She highlighted the importance of identifying pain points and automating repetitive tasks, offering a practical framework that Amie is keen to implement.

Harry Dalton, Academy Agency took a broader view of digital marketing’s evolution, discussing how culture shapes attitudes and behaviours, and emphasising the importance of selling ambition rather than merely solutions. Meanwhile, Hunter Hains brought a fresh perspective, focusing on the role of community in influencing behaviour, offering thought-provoking insights delivered with a touch of humour.

Day two opened with Mark Hayes, TASK Group who stressed the importance of building data-driven strategies, where AI once again played a significant role. Hayes encouraged marketers to move away from outdated assumptions and instead focus on current customer behaviours, backed by cutting-edge tools.

Daniel Birch, UserXD impressed attendees with a demonstration of AI’s potential in web development and design, showing how the technology boosts speed and efficiency. Similarly, Andy Higgs offered a sneak peek into the future of advertising, exploring creative AI-driven ways to enhance customer engagement.

Adding balance to the tech-heavy agenda, Anna Kolomeets of Darkberry Marketing & PR provided a timely reminder of marketing fundamentals. Using a stylish fashion analogy, she emphasised the importance of a layered marketing approach, reinforcing the need to understand customers beyond the allure of AI-powered tools.

Seann Lautner, a CX/UX strategist at IDNZ, rounded out the event with a deep dive into customer experience, a topic of particular interest to Amie. He discussed the importance of integrating customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX) across all platforms to create a seamless omnichannel journey for customers.

Amie found the event both engaging and enlightening, with a wealth of ideas to implement. “Overall, it was a great conference, full of thought-provoking insights into the future of digital marketing and the increasing role of AI,” she said. The event not only provided valuable knowledge but also offered plenty of opportunities for networking over the Hilton’s top-notch food and drinks.

As Amie returns to Aspeq, she’s excited to bring these new ideas into practice, ensuring that AI continues to play a role in shaping Aspeq’s marketing and communication strategies.