What We Learned From A Week at WPP House
After much anticipation, last week saw the arrival of the South by Southwest Festival in Sydney for the first time, bringing the creative community together at a major global event.
Incorporated into the weeklong festival was an advertising track sponsored by WPP, which retained a presence on the SXSW campus throughout the week at the Powerhouse, WPP House.
Featuring presentations from WhiteGrey and Dylan Alcott, Wunderman Thompson, Hogarth, AKQA, VMLY+R, and H+ K, the WPP House was lively every day of the festival with creative and marketing energy.
Rose Herceg, WPP president of Australia and New Zealand, was thrilled with the response to the WPP House.
“WPP was delighted to be the official Advertising and Marketing track sponsor at the inaugural SXSW Sydney,’ Rose said.
“We've had fantastic feedback from our clients, who found the content informative, innovative and inspiring – equipping them with the knowledge and tools to flourish in the year ahead."
If you missed out on SXSW Sydney, or your schedule was overflowing with food for thought, LBB has all the key takeaways from a week at WPP House.
The Creative Capital Index is Here to Stay
WPP introduced their Creative Capital Index, showcasing the pivotal role of creativity in driving tangible income growth. This index reveals that creativity surpasses trust, innovation, purpose, and status as the primary driver of financial success.
During an open house session, WPP president Rose Herceg and other industry experts explored how the Creative Capital Index can empower brands to excel in financial markets by harnessing the value of creativity.
How quickly the index comes into use outside of WPP remains to be seen. But the announcement doubled as a declaration that businesses must value creativity more than ever in times of economic uncertainty. One thing is for sure: companies are seeing more and more value in quality creative.
For Once in Your Life, Trust Your Intuition
Speakers Paul Nagy, Roger Boyd, Alison Tilling, and Jake Barrow led VMLY&R's SXSW Sydney 2023 session, which emphasised the enduring value of intuition in today's data-driven landscape, offering actionable insights for more effective decision-making and brand success.
By exploring the historical significance of gut instincts and backing it with neuroscience, the panel highlighted real campaign successes rooted in intuition. Attendees learned how to boost decision-making by 20% by following their instincts, thanks to what VMLY&R call the proper intuition-data equilibrium.
Coming from some of the highest-placed professionals in Australian advertising, trusting your intuition just got a hell of a reference.
AI is Getting a Whole Lot Smarter
Hogarth's session, "The Art of AI: Breathing Life into Tech-Driven Solutions Today," focused on translating AI capabilities into real-world value. The practical discussion covered designing workflows and safeguarding work when infusing AI-driven solutions into our professional lives.
The speakers, Orrie Tzamouranis, Mikhail Tokarczyk, and Raphael Ruz, brought their expertise in change management, technology, and creative technology to explore the practical application of AI in the present.
Curious attendees probed the panel, seeking clarity about the future of ‘prompt-engineering’. For the team at Hogarth, prompt engineering is fast becoming a thing of the past despite futurists declaring it an essential skill. But for Hogarth, the AI has already come so long that even non-specific prompts can lead to exceptional AI-generated content.
In a surprise to no one, AI is set to continue becoming a whole lot smarter. What is surprising is how quickly this change is happening.
Too Many Generalists in Media and Journalism
H+K's session, "The Battle for Truth & Influence: How Old and New Media Can Win," delved into the challenging landscape of truth in the era of citizen journalism and new media platforms.
In their exploration of traditional media outlets grappling with credibility in a generation that trusts peers over established figures, the panel featured speakers Rose Herceg, journalist and consultant Jim Carroll, Cat McGinn, Jed Horner, and Rebecca Huntley.
Delving into the role of old and new media in delivering truth, addressing issues of authenticity, bias, trust, and the framework needed for future generations, those in attendance were treated to a feast for the curious professional.
The most straightforward takeaway came from Jim Carroll, who declared that the rise of ‘Journalistic Generalists’ in the media has detracted from the value and credibility of more specialised journalists, contributing to spreading misinformation. And the solution could be a long way over the horizon.
CX in Branding is More Important Than Ever (Seriously)
In addition to their panel on intuition, VMLY&R also explored the growing importance of customer experience in the branding landscape.
Addressing the alignment of brand promises with a unified customer experience vision, the panel recognised this alignment as a marketing priority. Poor experiences can no longer risk breaking a brand promise or underselling a great experience.
Through the lens of Australian apparel brand Rip Curl, the session explored technology's role in branding, as well as real-world examples. Panellists Thomas Tearle, Michael Scott, and Miles Cox put it to those in attendance that the digital age’s evolving interconnectivity has made branding a journey that starts before the landing page.
