Marketing gets personal: harnessing data is key to bringing brands into the conversation

London, 18 March 2014 – Over 150 senior marketers gathered in London yesterday for The Big Rethink to discuss how technology, mobility and social media are changing their industry for the better. Delegates at The Economist’s flagship marketing event - now in its fifth year and sponsored this year by Siegel and Gale and Sitecore - were encouraged by leading experts to rethink their approach to brand marketing in order to make their organisations relevant to an increasingly social audience.

Creating a personalised and relevant experience for consumers – through tailored offers, purchase suggestions, site recommendations - is increasingly seen as a priority for organisations, allowing marketers to make their brands part of the cultural conversation and drive business growth. Delegates also discussed the latest developments in data analytics, mobile technology and social media during the day of the high-level discussion.

Lane Greene, Business Correspondent, The Economist commented: “Personalised marketing is becoming increasingly important for brands and for businesses. To the extent that even those who fail to adopt risk falling behind the curve and losing out to their competitors. While it’s by no means a ‘silver bullet’, striking the right balance between insight and privacy can be a powerful tool for marketers.”

Speakers at The Big Rethink 2014 included:

Event Chair: Lane Greene, Business Correspondent, The Economist Jaime Robinson, Vice-president, Executive Creative Director, Pereira & O’Dell Matt Atkinson, Chief Marketing Officer, Tesco Bruce Daisley, Managing Director, Twitter UK Simon Etherington, Managing Director, Sitecore UK Thomas Mueller, Chief Experience Officer, Siegel+Gale Ed Pilkington, Marketing and Innovation Director, Diageo Western Europe Andrew Warner, Senior Marketing Director, EMEA, Expedia Tom Standage, Digital Editor, The Economist Tom LaForge, Global Director of Human and Cultural Insights, The Coca-Cola Company Bjorn Timelin, Partner, McKinsey & Company Tamar Kasriel, Managing Director, Futureal Shira Feuer, Head of Social Media EMEA, The Walt Disney Company Amanda Mackenzie, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Aviva Moray MacLennan, Worldwide Chief Executive Officer, M&C Saatchi Laura Jordan-Bambach, Creative Partner, Mr President Mr. Bingo, Illustrator and animator Chris Maples, UK Managing Director, Spotify Rob Reason, Founder, HiddenCity

For more information on the developing landscape of marketing visit: http://www.economistgroup.com/leanback/

For more information please contact: Matt.Samra@tvcgroup.com & Paula.Joof@tvcgroup.com +44 (0)20 7380 8000