Customer Engagement 2018 - A round up

We know that creativity, data and technology create magic together, but we wanted to know just how that interplay worked.

At our flagship engagement summit, we discovered how to build a love story with customers that would last the test of time.

A day filled with blistering creatives, innovative uses of data, and captivating case studies we got up to speed on all things engagement. Led by our hand-picked experts, innovators, agencies and brands if you missed out, don’t worry – here’s the highlights reel.

We kicked the day off with Josh Mcbain, director of consultancy, Foresight Factory who spoke in depth about their latest research, Customer Engagement 2018: How to win trust and loyalty. The research reveals how twice as many people claim to feel less loyal than they did this time last year and that it is functionality rather than emotion that drives customer loyalty.

Next up was a DMA Gold Award winning duo Will Davis, group planning director, Medialab and Ian Oxley, head of membership recruitment, National Trust. Will and Ian discussed the problem of too many new members not renewing, making recruitment spend less efficient than it could be. The decision was made to shift focus to put value, not price cuts, at the heart of the acquisition strategy.

One DMA Gold Award winner followed another, this time it was O2 and LIDA’s turn. Claire Cootes, managing director, LIDA and Gareth Hussey, performance marketing director, O2 discussed how customer needs are evolving when it comes to subscription-based businesses. Both explained how creativity alongside personalisation was key to increasing successful customer engagement.

‘Talk is cheap, ideas are easy, it’s about relentless delivery that matters’ TFL’s Christopher Macleod didn’t hold back when he spoke of the challenges TFL face on a day to day basis when it comes to keeping their customers happy. With over 30 million journeys a day, Christopher pinpointed TFL’s clear purpose ‘to keep London moving, working and growing, and make life in the city better.’

Next up was Clare Willets, brand director and head of customer experience, Virgin, who focused on why we should combine the digital with the human to create the ideal customer journey.

We finished the session with Kate Ancketill, CEO, GDR Creative Intelligence, Kate discussed the rapidly changing expectation of today’s consumers and how this speed of change is unlike anything that has ever existed in terms of consumer and brand expectations.

Innovative, insightful and inspiring work was celebrated in all its glory; as we explored what makes great customer engagement. The event provided those in attendance with a real understanding of the inner workings of what makes customers come back for more.