We have always enjoyed working with LiveRamp on their RampUp event series both domestically and abroad, but for the first time ever…. we went fully virtual on a global scale!

The inaugural RampUp Worldwide Virtual Marketing Summit kicked off on Monday, September 28 (US time) in Australia, China, and Japan, then followed the sunrise, with UK and EU sessions beginning the next morning, and US content shortly after. 

Throughout the planning for this event, we had the opportunity to work with speakers from some of today’s biggest and most relevant brands—including Uber, TikTok, AB InBev, L’Oreal, NHL, Fitbit, Roku, NBC, and more. Conference speakers came from 10 different countries, spanning several time zones, and over seven languages.

More than 5,000 attendees registered for 61 sessions focused on privacy, addressability, measurement, TV, data partnerships, and more—there was truly something for everyone! This event also gave us the opportunity to become experts in the On24 webinar platform. The virtual setting didn’t stop attendees from asking questions, answering polls, and getting involved in the group chat. 

We rounded up a few of the takeaways from the Summit below:

• Our Keynote speaker, Omar Johnson, brought valuable experience from his time as an exec at Apple, Nike, and Beats by Dre, and claimed that “marketing found him” after majoring in marine biology in college. He delved into powerful lessons learned, such as concentrating on human uses vs. analyzing stats and figures. He spoke about realizing Beats headphones were being worn as a signal (‘don’t talk to me, I’m busy’) rather than their normal use as an electronic gadget, and opined on one of his most successful campaigns: producing country-specific headphones for athletes at the 2012 London Olympics. We learned there is no B2B or B2C—it’s more B2H (business-to-human).

• One of my personal favorite sessions, “Powering Diversity from the Inside Out,” brought together two Microsoft Diversity & Inclusion change-makers—one who focused on diversity within the company, and one through the company’s marketing efforts externally. They both shared that, from their early days at the brand, senior leadership made them feel included and encouraged them to “not work for Microsoft, but make Microsoft work for you.” Naomi Boyd, Community Manager, Learning and Engagement Team, drove home the point that you can’t build an effective strategy if you don’t know what you’re trying to solve for. 

• Mark Adams, SVP and Head of Innovation at VICE Media, gave a compelling presentation on “Winning in the New Media Landscape”—after all, if you open your talk by reflecting on your time working with Lady Gaga and Madonna, you’re going to have the audience glued in from the start. He urged attendees to focus on who needs you most right now, and suggested that consumer demographics really aren’t as congruent as we all hope they would be. 

• We explored ‘Mastering the Phygital Frontier’ with Lockie Andrews, CIO and CDO of UNTUCKit, who shared that “there is no new normal” and that many recent behavioral consumer changes are permanent. In order to achieve success in the competitive retail world, your teams must produce both agile thinking and infrastructure. 

• The summit’s closing session wrapped things up nicely with a keynote panel led by LiveRamp CEO Scott Howe, joined by Dropbox (a cred client) CMO Tifenn Dano Kwan, Bayer VP of Digital Platforms, Channels and Capabilities, Jeff Rasp, and Hearst Magazine CMO of Media Platforms, Brand Experiences, and Autos, Michelle Panzer. The hearty conversation focused on improving the consumer experience.

There were many other powerful sessions at the Summit, including “What COVID-19 Teaches us about Mobile Marketing,” “Put Consumers at the Heart of Your Data Strategy,''“Managing a Post-IDFA world,” and several others available to watch on-demand now. 

The overarching theme of the conference was that, clearly, our world has changed in many ways throughout these past months, but one thing hasn’t—we are all going through it together. We really enjoyed helping LiveRamp bring this summit to life, and look forward to more RampUp events in 2021 and beyond! 

Interested in hosting an event like the RampUp Virtual Summit? Get in touch!