Attending Digital Summit Philly 2024
Tatiana Knies-Smith
Tatiana Knies-Smith
On September 24-25, 2024, the Pennsylvania Convention Center hosted Digital Summit Philadelphia, part of the renowned digital marketing conference series held nationwide.
The event brought together industry leaders and marketing experts to share actionable insights into the evolving world of digital marketing. And several members of the BrainDo team had the opportunity to attend.
Over two days, speakers shared their perspectives on the topics that matter most for businesses looking to succeed in the digital space—everything from video marketing to building authentic brand communities.
Here’s a taste of what Digital Summit Philly covered.
Carmen Collins, Director of Social Media at Generac, took on the topic of Gen Z’s impact on the traditional marketing funnel. Collins explained that the way younger consumers buy today has made the traditional funnel outdated. According to her, Gen Z prefers a non-linear shopping journey.
Claire Frick, Performance Marketing Senior Strategist at Ansira, supported this point with research showing that 43% of Gen Z gets product or service ideas from social media and uses multiple platforms to research before making a purchase decision (Mintel’s “Marketing to Gen-Z US 2024” study).
Collins went on to cite a survey in which 68% of people shared that Gen Z influences how they shop. And influencing Gen Z requires brands to establish trust.
“79% of Gen Z say brand trust is most important, and 79% will interact with a brand to decide if they want to be a customer,” she explained during her presentation.
These statistics emphasize how critical trust-building and authentic engagement are for brands trying to reach younger consumers.
Frick also spoke about engaging Gen Z through authenticity and humor. She noted that 91% of Gen Z prefers brands that are fun, while 72% would choose a brand that uses humor over a more serious competitor (Oracle 2022).
Frick’s message was clear: If brands want to connect with younger audiences, they need to humanize their messaging. Gen Z values brands that aren’t afraid to show personality and communicate in a more relatable, entertaining way.
Michael Hoffman, CEO of Gather Voices, highlighted the rising role of user-generated content (UGC) in the digital space.
Hoffman explained how AI has made it easier than ever to create large volumes of content, but stressed that brands need to focus on producing content that feels authentic and personal. His advice was simple: leverage user-generated content to tell your brand’s story.
Erika Joy Erb, CMO of United Way of Greater Philadelphia, discussed the benefit of UGC during a live taping of The Marketing Millennials podcast with Daniel Murray. She explained how UGC allows brands to involve their customers in their messaging, creating more authentic and engaging content.
“Make them feel invested and like the star,” Erb advised.
Throughout the podcast, Erb also emphasized the value of building a strong community around your brand.
“You don’t need to have everyone following you,” Erb said. “You just need to focus on your community. Do your best to educate and entertain, and if people want to join, great. But you can’t please everyone.”
Murray echoed this advice in relation to creating audience-specific content that builds brand authenticity.
Prioritizing quality over quantity came up in multiple conference sessions. The takeaway: a smaller, more engaged audience is better than chasing after a broad following that doesn’t interact with your brand.
Jon Youshaei (with a resume that includes past positions as Head of Creator Product Marketing at YouTube and Head of Product Marketing, Video at Instagram) discussed the growing importance of video content.
“People say everyone has shorter attention spans, but that’s not true,” he said. The reality is that people are just more selective about what they watch.
His advice? Focus on the first frame. The opening seconds of a video need to grab attention immediately. And if they don’t, viewers will quickly move on to something else.
Youshaei also recommended using different storytelling formats to keep content fresh and engaging.
Digital Summit Philadelphia 2024 focused on authenticity, trust-building, and community engagement. Whether it’s creating UGC, building a strong community, or producing engaging video content, marketers today need to prioritize personal connections and provide genuine value to their audiences.
As these experts demonstrated, digital marketing is evolving, and those who adapt their strategies accordingly will thrive. Thank you, Digital Summit, for organizing such an insightful lineup of speakers!