Last week we popped up to Manchester to visit Mad Fest North and as always it was an interesting experience.
While the themes are more consumer-focused than our sector —the underlying principles still give us much to think about how we can apply them in our world.
Gamification was an interesting theme—the Co-op’s success in turning mobile interactions into brand engagement highlights a growing trend. As gaming becomes one of the most dominant media platforms, it raises the question could gamification help drive engagement in PropTech, stakeholder engagement, or other initiatives? The principles of rewarding interaction, personalisation are just as relevant in B2B.
In the world of influencer marketing, there was a clear shift in thinking. The focus is moving away from big-name influencers to niche content creators—people who can speak with real authority to smaller, highly engaged audiences. But the challenges remain the same: getting people to move off-platform. Short-form content is designed for passive scrolling, not lead generation, meaning brands need to be clear on their expectations of ROI.
And finally, responsible media investment is becoming a bigger conversation. With sustainability in the spotlight, brands are starting to think beyond return on ad spend to Return On Carbon (ROCO2) and Return On Responsibility!
Favourite quotes of the day
Creativity and AI – Sabrina Godden, Global Creative Director, Vodafone
“ The big difference between technology and humans, and what makes us human is the stories, our stories. No AI or tech has your story. It is your story.
But you have the chance to use the technology to bring your stories to life, to share your stories, to share your experiences. You’re the creatives, you’re the innovators. Without your creativity, without all of our creativity, without all our innovation, we would not have AI, we would not be here. Technology needs our creativity to thrive.
Responsible media – Phil Cowdell, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Channel Factory
“Fake news is cheap to produce. Genuine journalism is expensive. If we don’t fund it, it doesn’t get funded, it doesn’t exist. Democracy dies in darkness. So, let’s find ways to responsibly reinvest in media.”
Influencer marketing – Ben Kaluza, Creator
“ Everybody talks about hooks, spoken hooks, text hooks, visual hooks. I don’t like that Shortform has created this space where everyone feels the pressure to hook people in within three seconds because it creates a lot of inauthenticity. People are trying to over exaggerate and talk about things in a way that isn’t necessarily true. I think ultimately it comes down to creating content on an idea or topic that is just interesting.”
Thanks to Channel Factory
A huge thanks to Channel Factory team for inviting us up, feeding us and teaching us about the art of positioning content where it should be on You Tube and other channels.
