The Global Indie Summit

Last week, we had the privilege of attending The Network One Global Indie Summit in London, and what an experience it was! Delegates and members of TNO from around the world, including Germany, Jamaica, Kenya, Singapore, South Africa, and the USA, gathered for three days of inspiration, learning, and networking.

The summit kicked off with a fantastic networking event hosted by Moore Kingston Smith, where we engaged in lively discussions about AI, DSPs, and ROIs (honestly it wasn’t all acronyms!)

Tuesday was billed as a day of Learning and Sharing where topics included:

Top 3 takeaways:

1. Nontokozo Madonsela’s talk “the village behind the underdog” gave an insight into the pressures, challenges and approach of a seasoned Chief Marketing Officer.

Building relationships with your agency’s key people is fundamental, no client has the right to demand certain people stay but if you build that trusted relationship at the top you know they will replace outgoing talent with equal or better.

Also it’s tough for many CMO’s to get a seat at the ExCo table, do everything you can to help that person succeed – that means collaboration and listening to feedback.

2. Jon Bond’s energy and frankly no-nonsense “3 not so easy steps” to building a successful agency was a masterclass for agency and new business leaders:

3. AI is the hot topic right now but we know it is hear to stay. It is certainly transforming the efficiency potential of main agencies across the marketing mix. There are some exciting projects out there, as demonstrated by Ian Chapman Banks CEO of Sqreem in Singapore.

At JAA we have an AI Working Group keeping the agency up to speed on what we need to be using, what we need to be wary of and why AI will help us speed up but authenticity still requires a human touch.

Wednesday heralded the Day of Inspiration

Heather Kernahan brought her experience of silicone valley to highlight the lessons which can be learned from the Tech innovators. Whilst her UNSTUCK model will resonate with many, it was the willingness for Tech companies to remain agile and quickly pivot, often with surprising openness, which can have powerful lessons for agencies and clients alike.

In a presentation with many parallels Dan Egerton highlighted the importance of understanding your core ideology and balancing it with a clear vision of the future you want.

Julian Boulding reminded us that whilst it is easy to be downbeat in trying to grow in troubled times there is such inherent strength in the agility and sense of purpose that independence can bring. Something that we know first hand having successfully been in business for 45 years, riding out 3-day working weeks, global recessions and pandemics.

A huge well done to Julian Boulding and Helen Anderson for managing such an full few days, their energy and commitment to uniting indies across the globe is second to none.

Until next year!