Engage 2019: watch the sessions

Tim Grimsditch, CMO at Thread

Tim Grimsditch, CMO of online fashion styling service Thread, speaks about the need to make retail choices easier for shoppers and how combining algorithms with human stylists has created a better experience for shoppers, built around personalisation.

Karen Fraser, Director of Credos, and Claire Enders, Founder of Enders Analysis

Karen Fraser MBE, launches the Advertising Association’s Advertising Pays 7 report, created with the help of Enders Analysis. Karen shows that the UK’s advertising revolution had led to an explosion of new creative possibilities in advertising, “We are number one in Europe in terms of ad spend, and, in terms of GDP, we are a the world leader.” Claire Enders, founder of Enders Analysis, continued saying that the UK’s current “tricky” political situation makes this success story even greater.

Will Scougal,International Creative Director at Snap Inc

Will Scougal, International Creative Director at Snap Inc., explores the "new era of digital creativity" and questions the mantra that people have the attention spans of goldfish. If they did, "Netflix and podcasts would not exist".

Instead, "people are just choosing to spend time paying attention in different ways and in different spaces", Scougal told delegates.

Natalie Bell, Managing Director, Manning Gottlieb OMD

Digital technology has revolutionised how we work, play and even sleep. But how has it changed our brains? Natalie Bell, Managing Director at Manning Gottlieb OMD, takes to the stage at IAB Engage to explain why we should be ‘advertising to four-year olds’.

Drawing on new neuroscience research to demonstrate how digital has changed our brains, Natalie said that advertisers should focus on repetition over inconsistency, enter the world of their audience and think about mood states – principles that work with advertising as much as they do with young children.

Caroline Criado Perez OBE, Writer and Campaigner

Writer and campaigner Caroline Criado Perez OBE delivers an illuminating session at Engage 2019, highlighting the invisible gender bias women still face in their everyday lives.

Drawing on an impressive range of case studies, stories and new research from across the world - uncovered during the process of writing her book, 'Invisible Women: Exposing data bias in a world designed for men' - Caroline explores the unintended, damaging and often dangerous consequences of such bias. She warns that if the data algorithms receive is biased, they will continue to replicate that.

Dr Peter Day, Chief Technology Officer, Quantcast

What is it that enables some companies to land success after success, survive in any climate and create great products that disrupt the conventional with lasting impact?

Dr Peter Day, Chief Technology Officer at Quantcast, outlines how autonomy, velocity and fearless positivity is reshaping the business structure of successful companies.

Truly great companies are organised for autonomy, he said at Engage 2019. “The opposite is death by committee,” he warned, adding that "the agency of the future" incentivises, makes people feel part of a team, learns, automates and is optimistic.

Ari Lewine, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, TripleLift

TripleLift's Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer focuses on the need to deliver ads that truly engage people. He urged delegates at Engage 2019 to design ad experiences that prioritise people, rather than brands or consumers (a term he said brings to mind walking cheque books rather than human beings), while also debuting TripleLift’s new branded video initiative.

Anna Kessel MBE, Women's Sport Editor, The Telegraph plus special guests from the world of sport

A masterclass in agenda-setting journalism - The Telegraph's Women's Sport Editor Anna Kessel MBE is joined by special guests from the world of sport, including professional footballer Jordan Nobbs and Founder of Goals4Girls Francesca Brown.

Joanna Lawrence, Managing Director, Strategy and Client Development at The Telegraph introduces the session, saying: “Life is more complex than ever. To really navigate and understand all the information available today requires time, resources, expertise and access.”

The discussion that follows sees Anna Kessel MBE sit down with England Vice-Captain Jordan Nobbs, Goals4Girls’ Founder Francesca Brown and Goals4Girls footballers Aisatu Jabbi and Demi Shaw, to discuss encouraging the next generation and the role journalism plays in inspiring girls to get involved in sport.

James Chandler, Chief Marketing Officer, IAB UK 

Mobile, in the Year of Mobile. It’s official. After a decade of being talked up, shouted down and arguably over-egged, the much heralded ‘Year of Mobile’ has finally arrived. UK advertisers are now investing more in mobile than any other media - so should we be basking in the glory of mobile’s ascendancy? Or does it once and for all confirm that mobile no longer requires a ’year of’?

James Chandler, IAB UK’s CMO, outlines why 2018 was finally the year of mobile – after a number of ‘mis-starts’ – with 51% of all digital ad spend now on this channel. The conversation should now change: “It’s time to stop talking about the device. It’s time to talk instead about mobility and to think about factors such as context and need states.”

Chandler also describes gesture as “the forgotten younger brother of voice”, illustrating how it could revolutionise the way we use touchscreens. Haptics is another growing industry, he added, describing it as a “new way for machines and humans to communicate”. “You need smart planners and smart thinkers who can think about new behaviours,” he concluded.

Charlie Craggs, Trans Activist, Author and Founder of Nail Transphobia

Having started Nail Transphobia as part of her final project at university, Charlie Craggs has since launched a movement that sets out to tackle transphobia by educating, humanising and sharing. She talks about her transition, social media presence and mission to change perceptions.

She illustrates how important it is to represent marginalised groups in a respectful way in the media. “There can be a lot of eye rolls when you talk about under-representation – often from people who don’t know how it feels not to be represented,” she said, revealing how, after years of abuse, she set out to build allies through the launch of Nail Transphobia, which offers free manicures in exchange for a chat with a trans person: “There is so much power in conversation. It’s about humanising…ripples make waves.”

Craggs went on to urge brands to work with marginalised groups in the right way – so, rather than tokenistic gestures, being respectful, educating themselves and understanding the word diversity in its truest sense.

“If you are going to use a community struggle to sell, it’s important to give back”, Charlie Craggs, Engage 2019.

Right on Charlie!

Nigel Tierney, Head of Content at RYOT, part of Verizon Media

Are brands ready for content in a 5G world? With consumers expecting, more than ever, to make emotional connections with their favourite brands, RYOT Studio’s Nigel Tierney takes a look at how immersive technology and the launch of 5G can help brands stay ahead of the curve. This next era heralds “ground breaking” improvements in immersive entertainment and an array of richer, more personalised experiences, he told delegates.

Alex Jenkins, Editorial Director, Contagious

As we teeter on the brink of a new decade, Contagious’ Editorial Director Alex Jenkins outlines how to think about the future as well as the traits, attitudes and knowledge required to set you up for success.

Alex shares pointers about how to stay ahead over the next decade, stressing the importance of adopting ‘agile long-termism’ and warning against excessive ‘rigidity’ in ways of working. His main advice? Know more than the person next to you.

“Everyone wants to build rockets but knowledge is your launchpad. It’s fuels creativity, it fuels strategy... the more you know, the more valuable you are”, Alex Jenkins, Engage 2019.