The Drum & The Trade Desk host digital marketing festival, Groundswell

Register for the festival here.

The pandemic, and ensuing lockdown, has accelerated many customer behaviours and trends while bringing others to an abrupt end. As a result, the marketing handbook is being rewritten as brands forge new bonds with a changed consumer.

Running from Tuesday, 22 September to Thursday 24 September, Groundswell is aimed at marketers responsible for reaching that consumer, and driving post-Covid growth despite global economic, social and political headwinds. Uniting pioneers from across the media and marketing ecosystem, it will focus on data-driven best practices and future-thinking predictions.

Each day will take a different theme. The first day will define a new playbook for growth post-Covid; the second will underscore why, for successful marketers, agility must be the new normal and the third will look to the future and ask ‘where do we go from here?’

The Drum’s three sessions, spread over the three days, will strengthen the resolve of marketers facing unprecedented challenges by sharing inspiring stories from individuals as diverse as Olympic champions to Royal Marines turned TV broadcasters. A limited number of registrants will be invited to attend the recording of sessions, and take part in the live Q&As.

On Tuesday 22 September, The Drum’s managing director of events Lynn Lester will interview double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes. The session, entitled ‘How grit and courage created a legend’ will go live at 11:00am and be available to watch on-demand.

Holmes will share her story about how she defied the odds, from leaving school at 16 to self-harming due to depression around injuries sustained as an athlete, to become a world champion and one of only seven British women to win an Olympic gold medal. Her session will inspire delegates to hope, persevere and put their game plans in motion.

Register here to watch the session.

On Wednesday 23 September, The Trade Desk’s senior director of client services Ilona Lubojemska will learn how to retain team focus under pressure with British TV broadcaster and former Royal Marine officer Monty Halls. The session will run from 11am to 11:40am and will be available to watch on-demand. Again, The Drum will invite a select few registrants to attend the recording of the session, and take part in the live Q&A.

Drawing from experiences such as his team’s discovery of a sunken city off the coast of Mahabalipuram in south eastern India, Halls will share his knowledge of leading teams in some of the most remote and wild environments on the planet.

Register here to watch the session.

On Thursday 24 September, The Drum’s Trends editor Rebecca Stewart will be joined by Tom Wallis, CEO at Gousto, Jonathon Lewis, head of digital and partnership innovation at Channel 4 and Philippa Snare, SVP of EMEA at The Trade Desk. Available to watch on-demand from 11am, the panel session will interrogate how the pandemic has affected TV advertising.

TV viewing has been revolutionised over the last decade as smartphone adoption and vastly improve WiFi speeds have allowed on-demand content to be streamed from almost anywhere. But how should media and marketing plans change as a result of the pandemic? Does linear TV have a future? And how should measurement, targeting and optimisation mature to meet new advertiser demands? Find out by registering to watch this session.