It wouldn’t be an industry event without core topics like brand safety and best practice, but sometimes it’s the left of centre talks that can open our eyes to new ways of working. Here’s our selection of the Advertising Week Europe 2020 sessions set to challenge traditional thinking.
Think you can’t talk about porn at work? Think again. Your new professional role model could soon be Gavin Hay, porn-star turned entrepreneur, who says the industry catalysed digital innovations such as real-time credit card verification, video on demand and SEO, while also being streets ahead on issues of race, disability and gender. Gavin will take the AW stage alongside #NotYourPorn founder Kate Isaacs, who fights for victims of revenge porn and has put pressure on brands such as Heinz and Unilever to pull their advertising from sites like Pornhub. Hay has also spoken previously in the media about Pornhub driving down rates for actors and a need for content restrictions.
Shut down those gamer stereotypes of twenty-something guys in hoodies eating pizza and drinking beer. According to Activision Blizzard Media, a significant proportion of the two billion strong global gaming audience is “gamer mums”, and it’s women who have become not just the players, but the leaders and creators of the video gaming world. With women continuing to hold up to 80 per cent of family purchasing decisions, this session will identify the vital nuances of this growing segment. Or take a Leadership Lunch with top game developer Cara Ely, the brain behind Bejeweled Stars, who’ll discuss exclusive insights into female gamers, while also sharing her own experience as a woman working in the gaming industry.
92% of professionals in marcomms have struggled with their mental wellbeing in the past 12 months, but only 39% have spoken to their employer about it. In response, The Drum Network is hosting its own take on the happy hour, but it’s less about the cheap drinks, and more about what the most progressive agencies have in place to ensure staff happiness. Perhaps more happy hours with a difference are what’s needed in an industry traditionally fuelled by long lunches and boozy nights. Project 23 hosts this honest panel discussion about how we can use “mindful drinking” to move past using alcohol to build business relationships.
When a 15-year-old Essex boy won nearly £1 million at the Fortnite World Cup last summer, parents all around the country began to realise that a career as a professional gamer is no longer a far-fetched fantasy. Brands too are starting to pay attention to the explosion of the esports industry, with a fan base projected to grow to two billion tech-savvy gamers globally. Electronic Sports League CMO Rodrigo Samwell will reveal the opportunities for brands, while Edoardo Spinelli from Procter and Gamble features in this session about best practice for engaging gamers, and justifying the strategy to senior leadership.
The gap between youth audiences and business leaders is growing, with businesses struggling to connect with and understand Gen Z customers. Media choices, expectations of brands and trust in institutions are all drastically different for a younger demographic. In this session, industry insiders and talented youth will share how different generations can work together to embrace disruption and get ahead. And this session delves further into what we’re doing with the ‘New Gen’ when they get through the doors – fit in, hit the ground running, or bring in new thinking? Go one step further and hear from a panel of four seven to 16-year-olds on how they are influencing behaviour in the home and in the world.
Like it or not, men still carry the majority of power in almost every industry and culture around the world. It may be problematic, but this session questions what role men play in creating positive cultural change in today’s society. How can brands engage appropriately and constructively in the discussion of what it means to be a man? Fernando Desouches of New Macho will explore the do’s and don’ts of marketing modern masculinity, while Mark Sandford of The Book of Man discusses perceptions of masculinity within mental health and advertising.
Advertising Week Europe 2020 takes place at Picturehouse Central, London, from March 16th to 19th. The full schedule is available here. Tickets are available here.
