Analysis, takeaways and key quotes from the Digiday Brand Summit

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Brand Summit Recap: Marketers face looming identity crisis

After a tumultuous year behind us, 2021 may feel like it holds promise for respite — perhaps, for some, even a return to some version of normalcy.

But for brands, the path forward is anything but. Once again, they’re being tested to retool their marketing strategies to prepare for significant shifts both in the short term and on the horizon.

One looming change is the death of the third party cookie, which threatens to erase everything brands thought they knew about harnessing data. This is taking place in a landscape where the acceleration to digital retail is crowding platforms with customers, and it’s no longer enough to rely on only a handful of online touchpoints. Diversification in approach and engagement is crucial to survival, as low CPM on the likes of Facebook and Instagram is a thing of the past, not to mention customers are more discerning than ever.

Overheard

“I think the world has changed a lot in the last 12 months, and we can’t just go back and pretend when the world comes back that this didn’t happen. The starting point is 2020 – that’s when we started, not 2019.” — Faby Torres, CMO, VP Energy, PepsiCo

“A good product will attract a lot of customers and a lot of consumers, but a good product with a soul and the right message, and the right purpose will convert those consumers into advocates.” — Sonika Patel, VP Marketing, Danone

“One of the more interesting opportunities from gaming in general is that it’s not just a new, fun, innovative, cool way to do marketing. In many respects, I think it’s a better one.” — Jonathan Stringfield, VP Global Marketing, Measurement and Insights, Activision Blizzard