An editor’s guide to The Drum Digital Summit schedule
Ahead of The Drum Digital Summit, a five-day festival which kicks off on Monday 9 November and brings together key players from tech, brands and agencies, our APAC publisher and programme curator, Charlotte McEleny, picks out 10 must-watch sessions.
An editor’s guide to the Drum Digital Summit schedule
Normally at this time of year, I’d be playing referee at Programmatic Punch but, as with all our events this year, we’ve created a much bigger happening online. Instead, I am staring at a schedule of some of the best sessions we’ve ever produced on the topic of digital and wondering, where do I start?
To view the full schedule for yourself, visit The Drum Digital Summit website.
The core theme that runs through every session is ‘speed’, which is reflective of one of the words that is being uttered most regularly in conversations with the editorial team, in every country. Brands, agencies, publishers and tech platforms alike are all grappling with the speed of decision-making, the speed to react in real-time to consumers and the speed to adjust experiences as governments change lockdown and restriction measures. If there is a solution to the challenge of speed, it will be found within the digital ecosystem. And with that, we’ve created a range of discussion to get to the heart of these answers and help the industry in a difficult year.
The content is specifically targeted to our different geographical audiences (and my guide below has been split up in that order) but the beauty of the event is you can digitally travel around the world as all sessions switch to catch-up after they have gone live. So don’t feel confined by your market and take a trip with us into some of the most important topics of the moment for our industry, via speakers from all around the world.
I’ve taken some time to pick my highlights from the schedule, but do scroll through the whole schedule to sign up to the sessions most relevant to you.
Global
Whatsapp global brand lead on being local and global
This session directly addresses the challenge of being a major brand that has to be both globally consistent and locally relevant. Eshan Ponnadurai is a great speaker and a marketer that’s worked all around the world for some of the biggest brands. This session is a chance to learn from his insights and hear what’s next from the Whatsapp brand.
Sign up here to watch the session live or as catch-up.
Alibaba on creating the Singles Day shopping phenomena
Singles Day, which started as a Chinese day to celebrate not being in a relationship, has become the single biggest shopping day in the world, eclipsing Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Alibaba CMO Chris Tung gives a potted history and a glimpse into the future from Alibaba’s perspective.
Sign up here to watch the session live or as catch-up.
Esports star Chiang Wen Jun how brands should work with talent
Esports is coasting through its hype phase and as with all trending industry verticals, there’s a high chance early adopters could get it wrong. This session will help you take some risk out of this by asking an esports star directly about how brands should act.
Sign up here to watch the session live or as catch-up.
APAC
Coca-Cola, Paypal, Essence and Ad-Lib answer questions on creativity
The questions for this session were sourced from The Drum's readers in APAC, putting top creative and digital leaders on the spot to answer the most important topics. Expect to hear topics such as AI and creativity, how to make the most of holiday sales and how creative and media agencies can work better together.
Sign up here to watch the session live or as catch-up
Prudential, Xaxis and Ogury on toxic data and data safety
Data privacy is a high concern to internet users but brands are barely scratching the surface on what being ‘data safe’ really means. Watch this to find out how data safety is going to be a major topic for brands.
Sign up here to watch the session live or as catch-up.
Watch a gaming show about… gaming
Top marketers from Reckitt Benckiser, GroupM, Adcolony and Anzu battle it out in a quiz gaming show all about gaming. The sessions will tackle some of the industry’s greatest misconceptions about gaming in one of the most unique panel formats you’ll catch in the festival.
Sign up here to watch the session live or as catch-up.
Europe
Media Bounty, The Times and House of Lords on trust and transparency in a climate crisis
The relationship between media and ethics is under close scrutiny, with misinformation and trust issues pushing pressure on publishers and brands alike. This panel is as timely as it gets, with sustainability and climate crisis issues top of mind.
Sign up here to watch the session live or as catch-up.
Channel4, News UK, Heycar and LiveRamp on trust
The industry has had to adapt and change to become more trusted and transparent but as viewers fragment across more and more screens, think mobile and CTV, the same issues apply. With a focus on the use of data, the panellists help the industry get ahead on this crucial topic.
Sign up here to watch the session live or as catch-up.
Americas
Pepsi on meeting consumers in the moment
Keeping up with the speed of culture is a challenge all brands face and Pepsi is leading the way with using social and digital data to keep apace. Todd Kaplan gives a rare look into the strategy of the brand.
Sign up here to watch the session live or as catch-up.
Microsoft on purpose as a business driver
Purpose is a topic that’s well worn on the pages of The Drum but how can you apply it to true business results and metrics. That’s exactly what Microsoft has sought to understand and this session will help marketers link the two together.
Sign up here to watch the session live or as catch-up.