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'Vines don’t really work for us. We have too much to say in six seconds.' - Five takeaways from the Incite Summit East’s marketing conference

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By Minda Smiley, Reporter

November 17, 2015 | 4 min read

Last week, marketers from all over gathered in Brooklyn for the Incite Summit: East’s marketing conference to learn about and share their thoughts on mobile strategies, improving customer experience, and using data.

Speakers included chief marketing officer of Pearle Vision Douglas Zarkin, Hiscox Insurance’s head of US communications Hunter Hoffmann, and FreshDirect’s vice president of brand marketing and communications Lisa Kolodny Johnson.

The two-day conference was attended by both B2B and B2C marketers from smaller companies like New York City cupcake company Baked by Melissa to larger ones like Mondelez.

Below are five takeaways from the event:

1.“Sometimes the answer to your future lies in your past.” – CMO of Pearle Vision Doug Zarkin on returning to founder Dr. Stanley Pearle’s vision of offering genuine eye care from a neighborhood doctor to help revitalize the brand. The brand recently moved away from its ‘buy one get one free’ offerings to focus more on the idea that it offers quality care within communities. After launching a rebrand that involved revamped iconography and a new mission, Zarkin said that Pearle Vision saw improvements in both brand consideration and retention rates.

2.“Generation Z connects with brands that make them feel safe in a world that isn’t.” – Food service company Compass Group’s vice president of marketing Patti Girardi during her presentation on how to best connect with Generations X, Y, and Z. She primarily discussed the difference between millennials (which she defines as being born between 1980-1995) and Generation Z (born between 1995-2010), noting the fact that Gen Z has grown up during the financial crisis, 9/11, and a time of mass shootings.

3.“I can’t justify spending on a placement in a magazine or a billboard. I don’t see the return quick enough.” – Mallorie Rosenbluth, brand director at Baked by Melissa, talking about how she prefers to advertise on social platforms like Instagram where she can get real-time results and immediate feedback from followers. She said the NYC cupcake company operates like a start-up and doesn’t have the resources to spend three months on one piece of content.

4.“You don’t know which of your marketing efforts, if any of your marketing efforts, led a customer to you in many cases.” – Jay Dunn, former chief marketing officer of women’s retailer Bare Necessities, on the importance of focusing on post-purchase marketing. During his presentation, he said that “the first sale is only the beginning” and that marketers should spend more time trying to retain current customers instead of chasing new ones.

5.“Vines don’t really work for us. We have too much to say in six seconds.” – Anisha Raghavan, executive director of marketing and consumer engagement at anti-aging beauty brand Strivectin, discussing how not every social media platform is right for the brand to reach its core audience. She said that the Strivectin’s target consumer – a woman over the age of 40 - is “definitely on Facebook and responds to Facebook more than other channels.”

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