Virtual - The Future of CX and the Human Experience, presented by Accenture

If we think of life as seismic waves, until a few years ago, things seemed to hum along quite nicely (in most places) with the occasional spike here and there. Now, though, the shocks feel relentless and wild, and sometimes it’s extremely unsettling. When circumstances are literally beyond people’s control, it prompts multiple responses designed to stabilize and regain control—often expressed in micro-moments and small opportunities that make people feel like they’ve got a handle on things.

In this session will examine the business impact of behavior change caused by instability; how emerging technology is changing people’s relationship with brands; the importance of work intangibles; why it matters that AI puts creativity in people's hands; and how people may regain control of data in a post-cookie world.

Rami Lama, Managing Director, Marketing and Experience Transformation, Accenture

Rami has spent over 20 years in Design and Experience transformation working with clients shaping and delivering on their brand strategy, marketing, service design and digital transformation. Rami is an engaging storyteller who takes complex ideas and turns them into simple stories with relevance, meaning, and purpose. Stories that are driven by the customer's voice yet grounded in sound business planning and measurable actions.

Rami has been the lead storyteller for the Accenture life Trends (formally Fjord Trends) for the past 8 years and is excited to present this year's report that is rooted in life centricity and examines the ways in which people are adapting their lives and making use of emerging technology to meet their changing needs. There are five emerging trends that will alter the power dynamic between brands and customers. The trends drive tangible insights for businesses on how they engage with people and society in the coming 12 months and beyond.

What is CX without design? A strategic blueprint? A customer journey? Conversely, what is design without CX? Empty decoration? Navel-gazing? We believe the most remarkable work is created when these two disciplines work hand in hand because without the emotional impact of great design, brand experiences run the risk of falling flat.

Through this presentation you will gain a renewed appreciation for the emotional layer design can bring to customer experiences in order to create more meaningful and memorable connections with consumers.

Ryan Crouchman, Partner, Vice-President, Executive Creative Director, Design, LG2

With over 20 years’ experience in branding and design, Ryan has created compelling work for clients across every major sector. His strategic approach and attention to detail have resulted in consistent domestic and global creative recognition, and in 2018 he co-founded the Design & Branding department of LG2 Toronto, helping grow Canada’s largest independent creative agency. Outside his work at the agency, he sits on the board of the Advertising and Design Club of Canada and has over the years juried for various national and international award shows.

Joël Auchu, Executive Creative Director, Digital Experience, LG2

Executive Creative Director in the Digital Experience group at LG2, Joël leads a team of more than 20 creative people dedicated to creating engaging brand experiences. Over the years, he has partnered with local and national clients, such as Domino’s, Bell, Hydro-Québec, Beneva and The Bay, to create websites, mobile applications and customer experiences that perform and delight. His business sense goes hand in hand with his love for people, allowing him to always strive to create a positive impact with the experiences he creates.

It’s time to look beyond age-old marketing terms like B2B and B2C. In the past, we believed different audiences responded to different media and messages. It was all about speeds and feeds for B2B and wishes and wants for B2C. The truth is, it doesn’t matter what you’re buying or if you’re buying for yourself or a business. It’s all about why you’re buying. And we’ve come to learn that decision is more emotional than rational. It’s time to explore the rise of creativity in the B2B world, the shift to business-to-human – and why it’s here to stay.

This session we will go over how humans make emotional decisions, how perspective ignites creativity, and how to make real human connections with creativity and the right messaging.

Key takeaways:

• Understand why people buy

• Define a human problem

• Consider cultural context and how it influences decision-making

• Meet the customer where they are on their journey

• Diversify from traditional B2B channels/play with formats

• Talk to people, not at them

• Evoke an emotional response

Lavana Pauk, Strategy Director, Junction59

Lavana’s curiosity for understanding the why behind how consumers and shoppers behave fuels her work with helping brands uncover insights and develop strategies to build brands and change behaviour. 

With over a decade of strategy experience across a breadth of industries from CPG to Tech and Alcohol, Lavana has worked with brands from Google, Microsoft, TELUS and Starbucks to Hershey’s, Budweiser and Stella. She brings skillsets in a range of strategy disciplines from brand positioning and integrated 360 campaigns, to content, shopper and experiential marketing verticals. 

When she’s not thinking about marketing or going down a research rabbit hole, you can find her hitting up a dance class or attempting a home DIY project.

Increased demands for improved data privacy standards from consumers, regulators and technology companies is spurring the need for a change in the architecture that powers the current online advertising ecosystem. The bottom line is that modern consumers expect their privacy to be respected.

In this session we’ll look at how it's essential to move from viewing privacy as a risk to seeing it as an opportunity, and learn how marketers can embrace data, technology and experimentation to win the attention of the privacy-conscious consumer. If these technologies and principles are adopted today, they can make digital advertising safer for consumers, successful for publishers and more impactful for businesses.

Matt Thornton, Managing Director, Google Marketing Platform, Canada

Matt Thornton is the Managing Director for the Google Marketing Platform (GMP) in Canada, he joined the team in 2012 to begin building Google’s Canadian advertising technology business in Toronto and Montreal.  In his role, Matt and his team are responsible for developing advertising technology, infrastructure, and data strategies with many of Canada's most established digital marketers and their agencies. 

Matt has almost 20 years of experience in the industry, working for and with the biggest brands of the global internet and media community. Matt previously held positions at Shaw Media and led Business Development at Yahoo! Canada.  Matt began his career in digital with DoubleClick in 2002.

What do McDonald’s, Netflix and TikTok all have in common?

All three brands are prioritizing brand experience - finding creative ways to grow their brands, expand their audience reach and develop new ways to become more relevant in their customers' lives. As a result they have been able to create deeper customer engagement, strengthen their brands and increase revenue.

All three brands also partner with Akcelo, a world-class innovation and creative company who are experts in Brand Experience, helping clients remain at the forefront of culture.

In this discussion Mark Berry, Executive Design Director & Founding Partner, and Smita Challu, Customer Strategy and Martech Director, will showcase how McDonald’s world-leading customer experience innovations are delivering deeper brand loyalty, trust and love. An absolute priority for the McDonald’s brand to remain a category leader.

Three takeaways from this session:

• A deeper understanding of brand experience, what it constitutes and why it matters
• How brands can successfully use brand experience mapping to drive growth

• Tips you can use tomorrow to improve your own brand experience

Mark Berry, Executive Design Director & Founding Partner, Akcelo

Mark is a highly experienced Design Director based out of Sydney, Australia. As one of the five founding members of Akcelo he has over 20 years of agency experience, working with some of the world's most iconic brands, including McDonald's, Netflix, TikTok, Spotify, and SXSW. Throughout his career, Mark has honed his skills in designing engaging, innovative, and memorable brand experiences that create lasting connections with audiences.

Mark is passionate about creating meaningful moments for brands across every interaction. He believes that every touchpoint, from a website to a social media post, should be designed to create an emotional connection with the audience. His focus on creating engaging experiences has earned him a reputation for delivering exceptional results for his clients. Mark's work has been recognized with numerous awards, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, and Webby Awards.

Smita Challu, Customer Strategy & Martech Director, Akcelo Canada

Smita is an accomplished results-driven marketing leader and a designated Chartered Marketer with experience in customer strategy, customer lifecycle management, digital product management, strategic marketing, and retention.

In her current role as Customer Strategy & Martech Director at Akcelo, she leads the Canada practice with a particular focus on creating strategic solutions through the ability to turn research, analytical data, customer needs and experience assessment finding into insights that inform the creation of CX strategy and digital transformation roadmap.

Before joining Akcelo, Smita previously held senior leadership positions within diverse sectors such as telecom, manufacturing, media and most recently the social impact sector. Smita is an advisor to many not-for-profit organizations and has been a CMA multidisciplinary judge. Smita also founded an AI-based start-up delivering solutions for social impact.

Companies have long understood the link between employee experience and customer experience, but how can more organizations actively leverage this connection in a meaningful way to drive better outcomes for their users? Some organizations have established internal platforms and tools for employees to share their ideas on improving user experience, and others have established colleague panels to engage their employees in continuous organizational improvement.

Panelists will share what organizations have been doing to access and leverage the power of the employee voice, harness these insights to create better user experiences, and ensure employees have the training they need to deliver an experience that is support-driven.

Moderator: Daniel Francavilla, Partner & Director of Strategy, King Street Media

Daniel is a marketing advisor, brand strategist, founder and mentor making a positive impact. He is a Certified Brand Strategist, a member of the Canadian Marketing Association’s Not-for-Profit Council, and a recipient of a 40 Under 40 Award. After graduating from OCAD University’s Graphic Design program, Daniel founded Now Creative Group in 2013 which was acquired by King Street Media in 2021. Today the creative performance agency provides branding, growth marketing and content creation to clients ranging from startups and nonprofits to Canada’s largest brands, and partnered to launch CreatorClub in 2022. Daniel is passionate about helping others create social change and founded non-profit organization ACCESS as a student in 2006, through which he supports youth in building their own initiatives for social good.

Aleena Mazhar, Partner, VP, Managing Director, FUSE Create

Aleena has grown up in the ever evolving and dynamic advertising and marketing business, starting in experiential marketing to now leading FUSE Create, an independent creative agency. Her passion for the business surrounds creative problem solving, and working with incredibly smart and talented people, partners, and clients. As Managing Director, Aleena works closely with teams to create work that Turns Heads, fills us with pride, and makes an impact for our clients’ business. 

Through the years Aleena has worked on campaigns for brands like CIBC, Absolut, Ricola, Purolator, Tourism Las Vegas and AIR MILES. She also sits on the board of People of Colour in Advertising and Marketing (POCAM), working to make the marketing industry a more inclusive space for people of colour. 

In her free time Aleena loves to read, write, go on walks with her mini schnauzer puppy, and binge watch the latest on Netflix.

Jesse Bruyn, AVP Canada, Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Jesse Bruyn is the Area Vice President and Canadian Country Leader for Salesforce Marketing Cloud. He's been with Salesforce for nine years and is extremely passionate about helping Canadian organizations succeed in todays global economy. He spends his time consulting with CMO's and senior executives on their go-to-market strategies to identify opportunities to better serve their employees and customers. He believes that technology can enable organizations of all sizes to truly understand their customers and create personalized experiences which drive differentiated brand value. Outside of Salesforce, Jesse sits on the board of Sea Save, an ocean conservation organization dedicated to protecting our oceans and their inhabitants.