Earlier this week, the RampUp: Virtual Marketing Summit drew more than 3,000 registrants, and for good reason: never has there been a more appropriate time for marketers to ensure customers and their needs are being met. Hosted by LiveRamp on June 10, the Marketing Summit was the second virtual conference hosted on the On24 platform, the first being RampUp: Virtual Political Summit last month.

During opening remarks, LiveRamp GM of Strategic and Media Alliances Daniella Harkins and President and Head of Product and Platforms Anneka Gupta set the tone of the event by recognizing the current state of the world; now is the time to create and contribute to the world we all share. Several speakers expanded on this notion throughout the day, sharing their own support and reflections on the present tribulations of America—not only to do with the global pandemic, but also the continuing injustice to Black communities across the country.

The keynote speaker for the conference, Forrester VP, Principal Analyst Joanna O’Connell, discussed the threat of privacy regulations on audience-centric ad strategies, as well as the death of the third-party cookie. One takeaway from her session was that the allure of walled gardens is here to stay. For mammoth “gardens” like Facebook, Google, and Amazon (being the newest), their unprecedented mechanisms to deliver ads will continue to keep brands so close. As for the future of advertising? Joanna believes it will be “less wild west and more gated community.” And when it comes to refocusing your measurement ethos, an integral part of the marketing strategy, teams should simply shift from ‘did it work’ to ‘did it deliver value.’

Throughout the day, we heard from panels, presenters and fireside chats across two tracks of content. During the Main Summit, which was more thought leadership-focused, a range of topics were discussed, from data-driven measurement and analytics to omnichannel premium video strategy in a recession. Speakers from Wells Fargo, Reynolds Consumer Products, The Walt Disney Company, U.S. Bank, and more took to On24’s virtual stage to share valuable case studies and powerful strategies that dove deeper into the themes of the day.

On the LiveRamp Innovation Studio side, Comscore CRO Carol Hinnant and LiveRamp GM of TV Measurement John Hoctor explored “The Next Generation of TV & Video Measurement.” Sharing how their new partnership will provide greater accountability to marketers, the two parties also explained how it will make TV data more actionable.

Some other takeaways from the day:

There has never been a better time to invest in new video measurement tools as COVID-19 has accelerated shifts in consumer behavior that were already underway.
Small, simple executable steps will drive the biggest benefits when starting your measurement journey.
Accurate B2B identity is vital for effective cross-channel B2B measurement.
Empathy is essential to moving forward - pivot when necessary, focus on customers and their needs, lift up the community, and allow customer feedback to guide decisions.

The On24 virtual platform allowed attendees to watch speakers, as well as view their slide decks in real-time, thus creating the feel of an in-person conference. Participants could submit questions that speakers were delighted to answer live, and short survey responses were requested on that same session homepage, giving the digital summit a concise and user-friendly appeal. As with the recent Virtual Political Summit, it was easy to see how LiveRamp took advantage of On24’s customizable options. See below screenshot of the conference for a more thorough view: