byBrick Talks 2019: The Evolution of Communications

After you check in, enjoy a light breakfast spread as you network with industry peers and prepare for a day full of insightful discussions and presentations. 

As we welcome you to the first day of our event, we'll share what to expect, information to remember and activities and presentations to look forward to.

Today's consumers are becoming increasingly elusive. Advertising fatigue is widespread, interest in anything other than lifestyle-related brands is low and consumers spends more time than ever in entertainment platforms—far from the reach of ads. So, how do you stand out, arouse interest and create a brand that customers actually want to interact with—for real?

Join us for an opening keynote that questions the limits of marketing and brings smoooth ideas to the table. Christian Cabau, director of marketing at Klarna, will show you how daring you can be and how far you can push the envelope in an industry that has long focused on responsibility and security. Glean inspiration as he shares the company’s brand journey and how they tackled these challenges to be Sweden’s online market leader and a fintech brand making waves throughout Europe.

As Gen Z consumers (those born between 1996 and 2011) is coming of age, companies are battling to capture their purchasing power. This age cohort, which accounts for roughly 25% of the global population, is not enamored by established brands or celebrities. To appeal to the generation that was born with a screen in-hand, marketers must be transparent, authentic and communicate their company's values. Social media is the perfect channel to do this. Evan Thomas, head of social media for NA-KD, will reveal insights and lessons learned from the brand’s skyrocketing online following, traffic and revenue, thanks to social media success—along with how to best cater to your fans and followers and stay ahead of the social media curve. 

Takeaways:

• How Gen Z differs from Millennials
• How and why social media is going to radically change
• How to stay relevant on social media in 2020
• New and upcoming social media platforms
• What's next for Instagram and Facebook

Sophie Linnusaar, Starbucks' brand manager in Norway and Sweden at UMOE Restaurants, will share her experiences and lessons learned from an award-winning initiative that started as a project manager for the commercial elements for the opening of the first-ever Scandic signature hotel, Haymarket by Scandic--and ended with a PR and marketing manager role and seat on the executive board. 

Takeaways: 

• How to change perceptions, especially when contrasting new and existing brands
• Ways to collaborate with influencers
• Ideas for taking risks and standing out by being different
• How to base marketing campaigns and branding efforts on neuropsychology

In a sea of endless content choices, it’s only content that stands out which will attract consumers’ eyes and reporters’ interest. Sarah Martzloff, global social media manager, and Bronius Rudnickas, marketing manager at Hasselblad, will share some of the fascinating ways they use engaging content in their online marketing efforts as well as share tips for making product campaigns more compelling.

Takeaways:

• Ways to work with brand ambassadors so they'll leverage the brand's core characteristics
• Tips for creating content that strikes audiences’ emotions
• Secrets for finding stories people want to read, view and share
  

Enjoy a lunch spread as your network with industry peers and participate in activities. 

Marcus Bjärneroth, director of public and media relations for Garmin Nordic, will answer questions about technology, data and storytelling along with sharing results from the Garmin Fitness Report 2019 and ways he's used it to grab headlines, build brand buzz and more.

The task of communicators is to grab buzz for their businesses, whether it’s through PR pros securing media coverage and interviews or social media experts sparking online engagements and viral threads. Yesterday’s way of thinking and old strategies no longer cut it in a media landscape where consumers are bombarded with messages and oversaturated with content. Instead, you must look at new ways of thinking to stand out and tell your brand’s story. In this panel featuring Veronica Nyblom, PR and communication manager for The Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers; Tina Lindahl, founder and CEO of Skill X; Ulrika Stjernfelt, social media manager at Blomsterlandet; and Ebba Johannesson Källeskog, head of PR at Liseberg, you’ll learn how to grab attention and move the needle for your organization using current best practices, content, technologies and more.

Takeaways:

• How to embrace hot and new trends in PR, marketing and social media, no matter your organization nor industry
• Ways you can adjust your thinking—and skill set—to meet the growing demands of communicators and changes within the PR and marketing industries
• Tips for using technology to better understand your core audience and break through the noise
• Ways for getting heard, despite a crowded (and quickly changing) media landscape

Join Sara Lindström, global PR manager at Mynewsdesk, and Ann-Sofie Krol, CEO and partner at byBrick Insight, for a fireside discussion about how the media  landscape has shifted in the last several years and how savvy communicators are adapting their media relations strategies and pitches to meet these changes head on and grab headlines amid shrinking newsrooms and a fight for consumers' attention. 

Continue the conversation with attendees and speakers as you enjoy a selection of sweets, snacks and coffee. You'll also get a chance to interact with our booths and activities before diving back into presentations. 

Diversity and inclusion efforts aren’t just a nice thing to have in today’s increasingly global and diverse markets and campaigns. Instead, leading with values and highlighting diversity and inclusion through messages, strategies, campaigns, recruitment, workplace culture and more are crucial to your organization’s success. Foregoing these initiatives can bring devastating consequences, too—including PR crises, increased turnover and tarnished brand reputation. In this fireside chat, Angela Kristiansson, global EX insights manager and head of inclusion, at Tieto, and Suzan Hourieh Lindberg, head of diversity management and brand partnerships at Volvo Car Mobility and CEO of The Social Few, will discuss the importance of these aims along with what the future is bringing to integrate them into your organization’s brand and mission.

Takeaways:

How to use data to approach and solve diversity and inclusion challenges

Ways to increase accountability and get your entire organization involved

The crises that can result as a lack of diversity—and how you can avoid them

Steps for building crucial relationships and partnerships for greater diversity and inclusion aims

Employees are your organization’s biggest asset and not only accomplish business goals—they also are the biggest sources of your company’s stories and can greatly affect brand reputation and advocacy. Maria Jungbeck, global communications lead at Heineken, will share ways the company is digitizing its HR and how internal communications has gone from being the “backdoor” associate to a front-and-center communications functions that informs strategies, campaigns and more.

Takeaways:

• Ways you can creatively engage with your workforce
• Tips for click-worthy content tailored to employees across departments, functions and channels
• Secrets for reaching a dispersed workforce
• How to make internal communications a top priority and gain leadership buy-in

Whether you’re looking to stand out in a crowded social media landscape or are aiming to make your corporate, executive and PR content more powerful, analytics can provide the answers. More importantly, communicators can achieve outstanding efforts and rack up career kudos by understanding what the metrics say about audiences and other stakeholders—and how to push back on requests to “go viral.”

Join us for a closing keynote that will empower you to take what you’ve learned to earn your seat at the table as an expert and leader. Brandi Boatner, social and influencer communications lead for global markets for IBM’s IBM Corporate Communications in New York, will share the secrets of arming yourself with data, audience insights and powerful online measurement tools to accomplish business goals and achieve provable ROI. 

Join us for drinks and tasty hors d'oeuvres as you continue to make connections and discuss ideas at the close of our first day of presentations. 

You'll have the opportunity to join several dinners at restaurants around Gothenburg  to converse with industry peers, one or our speakers will host each table. More information coming soon. 

Join us for a breakfast spread as you prepare for another day of insightful presentations, fireside discussions, panels and more. 

As we welcome you back for our second and final day of insights and networking, we'll share a few favorite takeaways and remind you about important information. 

Cast aside the old view of customers as transactions, because today's consumer craves outstanding and efficient interactions with the brands to which they pledge loyalty. By 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator for brands, so if you don't have a good understanding of consumer behavior and needs, it's time to start. It's not just good enough having all customer touchpoints up and running, either. You have to surpass expectations. 

Fredrik Cederlöf, head of customer experience and analytics at Collector Bank, will guide you through their work with end-to-end customer journeys as a strategic tool for ongoing improvements and how his team harvest data and turn it into actionable insights supporting the product, the business and marketing team. 

MAX isn’t just known for its burgers and other menu items—the chain has taken a stand on climate change with its sustainability efforts and leans into its values throughout its business and communications efforts. But by taking a stand and by being a pioneer in many areas the company meets multifaceted opinions and questions. Marita Wengelin, head of public relations for MAX Burgers, will share how the chain has approached crisis situations, along with how grounded values helps to mitigate risk and be prepared for backlash before your reputation takes a hit.

Takeaways:

• How to be open-minded and prepared for PR crises — no matter your industry or organization
• Tips for responding to crisis situations and increasing transparency while protecting your reputation
• How taking a stand on current issues and trends can boost your brand, media coverage, reputation and more
  
  

No matter your organization nor industry, more and more consumers and other stakeholders and pushing brands to affect positive environmental change and take a stand on issues such as climate change and other social issues. However, sustainability and other corporate social responsibility initiatives have only just begun once your organization sets goals: Communicators must then carry the torch and highlight those efforts to underline company stories, boost branding and media relations efforts, and build stronger and more lasting relationships. In this fireside chat, Kaisa Lipponen, SVP of communications and sustainability at Paulig Group, Marita Wengelin, head of public relations for MAX Burgers, and Hanna Lindquist, communications and customer growth manager at TRINE, will discuss the crucial nature of sustainability efforts, along with how best to relay organizations’ values within storytelling, branding and other communications efforts.

Takeaways:

• Ways to best communicate CSR and sustainability initiatives in ways that drive conversation
• How to develop clear value statements and stances to effectively tell your organization’s vision both internally and externally
• Ways to work with reporters, influencers and stakeholders to add credibility to your initiatives and messages
• How to increase transparency and authenticity when discussing CSR and sustainability efforts

Enjoy a lunch spread as your network with industry peers and participate in activities. 

Brandi Boatner, social and influencer communications lead of global markets for IBM Corporate Communications in New York, will answer questions about artificial intelligence and data, along with sharing the ways IBM is using data and AI to forward business initiatives and more.  

In today’s quickly moving business landscape, new technologies, developments and innovation are producing many new opportunities, products and resources. At the center of their successes lies communicators that can harness these innovations, along with storytelling, to effectively reach and inspire the most important audiences. Knowing how to tailor communications to different stakeholders across platforms, channels and purposes requires more than a communicator who knows about business: It takes a business-minded communicator who is savvy with PR and marketing. In this panel, you’ll learn from experts including Anna Eckerstein, vice president of communication at Volvo Group Connected Solutions, Camilla Myhre Sandberg, CEO of Miris, Celine Fierro, COO of Swadd, and Marcus Bjärneroth, director of public/media relations at Garmin Nordic, about how communicators can take charge in the fast-paced world of innovation hubs, startups and more.

Takeaways:

• How to develop your messages for specific audiences throughout stages of the business and your product/service

• Ways to get executives and colleagues to understand the role PR, marketing and other communications play in business success

• Secrets for becoming a trusted expert who is sought for advice when business decisions and strategic moves are made

• How to gain leadership skills and business acumen to heighten your communications expertise, whether at a startup or established organization that innovates

Effective internal social media strategies can give you insight into employee behavior and needs, provide stories and content for external digital media efforts, and encourage greater involvement (not just engagement) across functions, departments and offices. The key is measuring efforts and implementing insights—along with employee feedback—from the beginning. Christophe Eléhn, global internal communications manager at AstraZeneca, will share how they turned their company into a community within a few months and the powerful ways digital boosted internal communications, collaboration and more.

Takeaways:

Tips for internal social media strategies that involve employees in your organization’s projects and decisions, as well as its mission and vision 

Ways to leverage data and digital to inform and tailor internal content and employee discussions

How to tear down silos and focus on bringing employees together, across departments and titles

Ideas for harvesting employee collaboration and activity for external branding and content efforts

The sheer mass of data coming from social media content and conversations can be staggering, but communicators must find ways to pull insights and next steps from the mass of numbers. Ryan Young, head of market for Talkwalker, will show you how the 3.48 billion social media users are consumers within your reach, if you can use social intelligence to understand them. 

Takeaways: 

• How to find potential consumers and brand ambassadors among the staggering numbers of online interactions
• Ways to understand what your audience seeks from brand interactions and beyond
• Tips for being part of active online conversations without being annoying 
• How to redefine your brand through social data and get others in your organization on board with data-defined strategies and campaigns 

Continue the conversation with attendees and speakers as you enjoy a selection of sweets, snacks and coffee. You'll also get a chance to interact with our booths and activities before diving back into presentations. 

Creating and implementing global strategies that also support local teams demands keen insights. Communicators must understand their organization's customers and the market on local level, as well as grasp the local teams' processes and impacting factors (such as company culture). However, a clear understanding of your brand vision, along with your organization's mission and values, is crucial to ensure that both local and global marketing and communications work in harmony to deliver customers coherent brand experiences. Doris Kolem, global marketing manager of Agriculture & Forestry, Marine Segments at SKF Group, will talk about how to accomplish this in a world of endless consumer touchpoints that can vary widely between countries and industries.

Takeaways:

• The importance of understanding your audience--and the challenge of catering to individuals vs. target groups
• Ways to use data to validate “known truths” and find gaps
• Steps to create a strategy that supports organizational processes and teams on a global scale
• Why collaboration over departments brings value and creative solutions

In a quickly moving corporate landscape that’s become increasingly more affected by digital media and innovations with both business efforts and communications, it’s more important than ever to ensure you can properly share your company’s value propositions and bolster its reputation. The task becomes more of a challenge (and even more crucial) when your company has to pivot in response to new technologies and stakeholder behaviors. Johanna Snickars, head of communications for Technologies & New Businesses at Ericsson, will share growing corporate communications trends and how both innovation and change management have become crucial considerations for communicators when sharing your organization’s mission and key messages.

Takeaways:

• Ways to maneuver change and effectively communicate corporate transformations
• Tips for corporate branding that strengthens reputation and boosts the bottom line
• How to harness innovation in both your messaging and corporate communications strategies
• Ways to get executives involved in corporate branding and engagement initiatives

We'll share announcements, along with the winners of our drawing and ways to continue conversations and networking.

In a digital landscape where consumers are bombarded with messages and content, it’s more important than ever to find innovative ways to reach them and keep them hooked before the next trend takes away their attention. That requires a keen understanding of who they are, where they reside online and how their behaviors can dictate your interactions. Enter: insights and influencers. With flourishing communities and the ability to make your brand more authentic than even the best marketing pitch, it’s crucial now to find and work with content creators across platforms to help deliver your messages. Paired with consumer insights and social listening metrics, you can find both your passionate brand advocates and the influencers who most align with your brand voice and values. 

Caroline Perman, global marketing manager, and Sofia Heuer, director of global consumer insights and planning for The Absolut Company, will show how to create excitement around campaigns that both aligns with your brand’s most important messages and goals as well as effectively reaches the next generation of consumers including Gen Z. They'll share how the brand clinched a finalist spot in the 2019 Shorty Awards and grabbed engagement and interest online through the influencer-led campaign “Malibu Games,” along with ways you can fuel your campaigns with consumer insights and takeaways for engaging new audiences with your brand.