Helina’s Takeaways from MADFest, London
Career

Helina’s Takeaways from MADFest, London

Last week, I attended MADFest in Shoreditch, London! 🤩 It was a jam-packed day with many amazing brands and speakers joining together to celebrate the world of advertising and marketing! Being new to marketing, it was invaluable for me to be amongst and hear from many senior and experienced marketers.   Here are some of […]

July 13th, 2022
*

Abby.

Founder

A search expert making key hires for over twenty years.

Last week, I attended MADFest in Shoreditch, London! 🤩

It was a jam-packed day with many amazing brands and speakers joining together to celebrate the world of advertising and marketing!

Being new to marketing, it was invaluable for me to be amongst and hear from many senior and experienced marketers.

 

Here are some of my highlights & key takeaways from the event:

  • George Papadopoulos from Reckitt emphasised that we need to make the consumer the heart of everything we do. Do what’s right for your consumer, always – it’s a matter of survival ⚠️

 

  • I really enjoyed hearing from Yann Le Bozec at Crocs who outlined their marketing journey and how they responded to the highs and lows they’ve been through as a company. It was interesting to see how they incorporate their two values, comfort and self-expression, into every marketing decision they make – however big or small.

 

  • A presentation from the Head of Digital at Nivea, Adam Wright, outlined how they use experimentation for growth. I was intrigued to see their scale of A/B testing and how they break down the experimentation process.

 

  • I was particularly drawn to a graphic he shared with us that displayed the complexity of customer journeys. It visually represented the transition from awareness through to the love of a brand. It was interesting to see the representation of individuals going back and forth and jumping between stages – showing that the process is not always as linear as I thought 💡

madfest 2022

  • What I particularly valued from Adam’s presentation was his acknowledgement of the audience. He recognised that most of us would be looking at Nivea’s experimentation process and be intimidated by its length and scale. Most of us were probably thinking, “that’s much too big of a task – why even try?”.

 

  • Adam reminded us that small steps do make a difference! He referred to this quote which really put this into context and got me thinking:

madfest 2022

  • Finally, I heard from the Marketing Director at Beavertown Brewery, Tom Rainsford, who discussed the power of people and culture. He recognised that although strong strategy, marketing, finance, tech, & sales are important to a company, growth comes from strong productivity, engagement, and other people-related factors. In essence, a healthy culture is what ultimately drives growth 📈

madfest 2022

 

  • He said that to work towards building a healthy culture, we need to start by just being kinder to ourselves and each other. We need to ask ourselves: “What behaviours do we want to be coming back to us?”. Upon reflection, we would probably think better of emailing a colleague about a task on a Sunday evening… 😬

 

  • Further to this, Tom shared a thought-provoking quote with us:

 

“Change is inevitable, growth is optional”

 

  • Change will continue to happen throughout your company’s existence, but you can seize the opportunity for growth by taking action. And, through working towards building a healthy culture, we can lay down the foundations for this growth 🌱

 

  • In fact, a key message I kept hearing throughout the day was that people won’t love your brand if you don’t love your people – a positive company culture has never been so important.

 

Overall, the event was great – the variety of speakers, companies, and topics really gave me a flavour of the different aspects of marketing as someone new to the industry.

I would definitely recommend it! 🙌

 

My top tips:

  • Pack your phone charger! 🔌
  • Bring a notebook or have your phone ready to take notes 📓
  • Cater your day to your liking! For me, that meant taking some time away from the venue to have my lunch elsewhere and take a breather before getting back into it! 🥰
To find out more about how to focus on your brand, get in touch today.
Want to hear about our other articles?
Looking to hire your next superstar?
Keen to explore our latest vacancies?
Yellow Bricks is a female-owned and led executive search firm hiring predominately for software companies with diversity and inclusion at the heart of our offering. To learn more, click here.
Related posts
8 Habits That Will Make You a Better Leader

8 Habits That Will Make You a Better Leader

It’s the start of a shiny new year ✨   Your people will be looking to you for guidance and reassurance as we enter more uncertain times.   Building strong foundations by adopting helpful habits will help you to be the best leader you can be.   Here are our top 8 habits that will […]
5 ways women can level up their careers

5 ways women can level up their careers

As the leader of an independent search firm, I am continually inspired by the exceptional talent and determination of women across various industries. Their resilience and ambition are driving positive change and reshaping the professional landscape.   Recent data highlights the significant progress we are making towards gender equality:   The gender pay gap continues […]
Morning Habits for Success and Why They Work

Morning Habits for Success and Why They Work

What does your morning routine look like? 🌤️ We hear all the time that forming healthy habits in the morning is the key to starting off our day right. But why is that so? We discuss the most helpful morning habits for success and why they work.   Morning Habits for Success #1 – Ditch […]
How getting stage time could boost your career

How getting stage time could boost your career

Do you have insights, experiences, or ideas to share?   Make this the year they are heard! You deserve it, and here’s the big bonus – getting stage time can seriously boost your career.   Now, if the idea of standing up and speaking in front of a group makes you anxious, just remember that […]
Why Leaders Need to Foster a Learning Culture

Why Leaders Need to Foster a Learning Culture

The pandemic brought a transformation to the working world, and as we enter the age of AI, businesses need to act now to future-proof themselves.   Going forward, the growth in technology and workers’ re-evaluations of their working lives means that incorporating a learning culture needs to become a top priority for organisations to future-proof, […]
First Interview Fails: The Mistakes Costing You A-Players

First Interview Fails: The Mistakes Costing You A-Players

How to Make Candidates Feel Valued – From That Crucial First Hello The hiring landscape has shifted. We’re no longer solely in an employer’s market. Savvy candidates have choices, carefully selecting opportunities that align with their career aspirations. This well-needed rebalancing underscores a fundamental truth: the initial interview isn’t just about you evaluating talent; it’s […]
5 Steps to Take Charge of Your Career

5 Steps to Take Charge of Your Career

Did you decide it was time for a new job only to be shocked by how difficult it actually is? Is it time to learn How to Take Control of Your Career Growth in 2025 It’s stressful being on the back foot, panic can lead to bad decisions and before you know it, you have […]
8 Ways to Supercharge Your Talent Pipeline

8 Ways to Supercharge Your Talent Pipeline

The talent landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements and shifting workforce expectations.   In a world increasingly dominated by AI and automation, the human element in recruitment has never been more critical.   Here are our key strategies for a talent attraction strategy in 2024:   Humanise the Hiring Process AI has its […]
Managing the School Holidays as a Working Parent

Managing the School Holidays as a Working Parent

When it comes to planning for school holidays, working parents and guardians face the huge task of making arrangements for their little people and deciding how they will go about managing the school holidays. This can be quite a stressful time, causing families to feel often guilty about not being around all of the time. […]
Wages Rise, but Real Gains Slow: What Does This Mean for Your Workforce?

Wages Rise, but Real Gains Slow: What Does This Mean for Your Workforce?

Wages Rise, but Real Gains Slow: What Does This Mean for Your Workforce? The UK’s economic landscape in 2024 has been marked by significant inflationary pressures. While wages have increased by 4.8%, inflation-adjusted growth has slowed to just 1.9%. Despite nominal pay rises, the rising cost of living continues to erode purchasing power for many […]

People. Culture. Growth.