REINVENTION

Navigating the Relentless State of Change

Heraclitus said that the only thing that is constant is change. To reinvent is to survive, and in some cases, it is to thrive. The power of reinvention is upon us. Transformation is everywhere.

View photos from the event on our Facebook Page.

Panels included:

WeWork has gotten a lot of press for its goal of changing the way employers and individuals think about work, but the company’s mission is even bigger than that. Jennifer Skyler, Chief Communications Officer enlightened us about more ways the company is driving massive social change, and the lessons learned as they raise the bar for a mission-driven company.

Connected devices, machine learning, and Artificial Intelligence have quickly become a part of many successful business stories. Throw in digitization and advanced analytics, and it’s clear that brand communicators are now required to add “technologist” lens to the growing list of essential core skills. Today’s most successful brands are exploiting technologies to uncover real marketing insights and execute brilliant campaigns that elevate the brand experience and engagement. During this panel, communications experts discussed their wins in this new reality and shared some of the backstories that made them happen.

Over the past two years, it’s almost impossible to remain neutral on any political, social, cultural, or moral topic. Brands have certainly not been immune to or isolated from this trend, and a number of them received both adulation and searing condemnation for actions that were taken. Should brands work harder to appear neutral or should they develop thicker skins along with an understanding that consumer sentiment around any particular issue has much less to do with facts and more to do with the tribal affiliations consumers choose to associate themselves with?

Keynote: Oath’s Digital Prophet, Shingy (David Shing)

We are in a world where over 2 billion smartphones occupy our visual attention and it feels like we are stuck thumbing through life. But we have quickly evolved to include other senses that aren’t limited to AR, VR, MR, or RR. How are creatives going to adapt and reinvent in a world of transparent interfaces? We are in the age of the hearable, feelable and wearable technology—powered by data, intelligence, sensors and more. Shingy discussed how this impacts consumer behavior and ensure technology makes us more human.

Emceed by: Fred Cook, Chairman at Golin

Director of the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations

To learn more, check out the 2017 forum on our website.