D:Pulse 2018: Meeting place for marketing visionaries

It may sound like a mantra that is repeated almost thoughtlessly. But it's true: digital marketing is not only the future, but also a large part of the present. Companies and agencies are in both a spirit of optimism and a gold-rush mood. There is a lot to try, a lot to risk and - ideally - a lot to gain. This also became clear at the second edition of the D:Pulse conference, which took place on February 1 in Hall 622 in Oerlikon.

Get-together of the industry

Initiated and organized by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), D:Pulse is a place for networking, a startup fair and a place where international digital marketing personalities talk about their visions for the future, starting with Gregory Galant, digital entrepreneur and CEO of the "Shorty Awards". Every year, Galant and his team ask social media users to vote for the best clips, tweets and presentations on the Internet. The speaker's tip for Swiss companies: Have the courage to run campaigns that provide a creative interruption to the user experience on social networks. If you want to be remembered in the long term, you have to be courageous.

How do you bring corporations "up-to-date"?

One of the next speakers, Nestlé's Global Head of Digital Marketing Pete Blackshaw, focused on the digital transformation of large companies, saying that no matter how many employees and product lines you have, you have to take every customer contact seriously, especially if it is public (e.g. via Twitter). Otherwise, a fatal dynamic could develop that quickly generates negative publicity. This is why Pete Blackshaw sends Nestlé's managers to special digital camps, where they learn how to think online in workshops.

Live streaming as a marketing tool

The input from Burkhard Leimbrock, Commercial Director Europe at Twitch, was also exciting. The company has developed a live streaming service that allows people to watch each other play e-gaming, among other things: Direct interaction via chat and small donations to the streamers are possible, and Twitch receives a share of the proceeds from the latter. According to Burkhard Leimbrock, more and more companies are feeding their advertising directly into the streams - and paying a fee to both the streamers and Twitch.

Start-up spirit and relaxed conversations

Although the location in Hall 622 could have been improved - there was too little seating and several visitors complained about the spartan catering, especially at lunchtime - there was also an inspiring atmosphere at the small exhibition stands near the Center Stage, where numerous founders from the digital sector came to present their products, establish relationships and initiate deals. They were complemented by established agencies and media companies, which had representatives on site.conclusion: A successful day for digital marketing in Switzerland, with some room for improvement in terms of practical implementation. The visitors will be happy to return.The Digital Marketing Award 2018 was also presented during D:Pulse. You can find the article here here.