THINK FORWARD >> 2019: IDENTITY CRISIS: RECLAIMING OUR SENSE OF SELF
On the 21st November at 08:30am, we’ll be releasing our fourth annual Think Forward trends report and we’d like to invite you to join us at our London HQ for this exclusive breakfast.
Our Chief Strategy Officer, Mobbie Nazir will be outlining the key findings of our research. Attendees will also hear expert points of view from media, fashion and culture, with guest speakers including Cameron-James Wilson, creator of viral virtual influencer Shudu, amongst others TBA.
Social media is the ultimate representation of globalisation and its gradual blending of cultures. Apart from a handful of authoritarian states, the world is now ostensibly borderless. The ability to engage in conversations with people thousands of miles away, and share similar experiences with different cultures, has been a driving force behind the proliferation of platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Things have been moving at 100mph.
But in 2018, the brakes were slammed hard. And some brands – including ones as big as Facebook – were left with their noses bloodied. Huge numbers of people have felt their identities to be under threat – politically, from surveillance and data capture; culturally, from appropriation and homogenisation. Now they want it back. As a result, some have rallied against social entirely. Others have used it as a forum for change. Many have engaged in a backlash against big data.
Amidst the crisis, brands are expected to have a voice that speaks directly with consumers, as well as a role in driving cultural change. Online marketing is more fraught than ever. Many brands are struggling to find their place for fear of igniting outrage or alienating their audience. People expect honesty. Proper representation. Innovation that’s balanced with responsibility.
That’s why our 2019 Think Forward report unpicks the complex and ever-shifting web of consumer identity and looks at the role brands play in reflecting and shaping it. We’ll arm you with everything you need, from insights into raging culture and gender debates to the new rules of data. There are even AI marketing and a robot influencer or two. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned about the 2019 identity crisis, it’s that the solutions lie in digital innovation. We’ll see you in the near future.
Tickets are complimentary and each attendee will be given a copy of the Think Forward > 2019 report.
We hope to see you there,
08:30 Registration and breakfast
09:00 Welcome
Mobbie Nazir, Chief Strategy Officer, We Are Social
09:05 Think Forward 2019: Identity Crisis:
Caroline Lucas-Garner, Strategy Director, We Are Social
09:30 Panel discussion
Cameron-James Wilson, Creator of virtual influencer Shudu + others TBA