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Agency professionals must stay informed about the latest trends and industry insights to excel in the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of marketing and advertising. While attending panel discussions on relevant topics is a great way to do so, actually serving as a participant on a panel can be just as, if not more, beneficial to an agency pro’s career.
As the members of Forbes Agency Council know, serving as a discussion panelist at an industry event allows one to share hard-won insights, actionable strategies and innovative ideas with peers, establish credibility and enhance public-speaking skills, all while networking and making valuable connections. Below, 19 members share their dream topics if they were to take part in a panel discussion, along with reasons why.
1. Is PR Dead?
I’d love to tackle the question, “Is PR dead?” I think too many communications programs are deploying legacy strategies that no longer deliver results. The traditional way that public relations was practiced must be cast aside in favor of an integrated approach that brings earned, owned and paid media together into one streamlined program. Those that get this right will achieve their goals. - Nathan Miller, Miller Ink, Inc.
2. The Combination Of Digital And In-Person Networking
The combination of networking in real life and digitally would be my dream topic. So many people can do one or the other, but so few are good at the combination. If you meet someone in real life, it’s vital to connect online to extend the relationship; and if you meet online, you need to find an opportunity to connect in person. Ultimately, meeting in person is where the magic really happens. - Nancy Marshall, Marshall Communications
3. Harnessing The Power Of Data-Driven Marketing
An exciting panel discussion for me would be “Harnessing the Power of Data-Driven Marketing.” In today’s era of personalized experiences, marketers must use data wisely and ethically to understand customer behavior and preferences. With such insights, we can create more targeted strategies, improving engagement and ROI. - Mohamed Elhawary, BeUniqueness
4. Performance Marketing And Channel Effectiveness
My dream panel would discuss performance marketing and specific channels’ effectiveness in driving down-funnel conversions. There are common misconceptions about the effectiveness of media channels such as podcasts and connected TV when compared to that of traditional radio and television media. It would be exciting to explore this with other industry professionals. - Geoff Crain, Kingstar Media
5. Personal Branding On Social Media To Generate Business
I love speaking on panels about how to build a personal brand to generate business by utilizing social media. My favorite part of this topic is that I have done it firsthand and can share my personal experiences that have led to success. Many entrepreneurs and business owners in the audience can utilize my stories and knowledge to find similar success for themselves. - Tony Pec, Y Not You Media
Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
6. Social Commerce For Every Industry
I would love to dive deeper and understand how social commerce can improve and benefit all industries. Currently, it’s a big hit for beauty, fashion and other small businesses. But I would love to see how social commerce will disrupt all the other B2B and software as a service industries. This would truly change the notion and magnitude of social media! - Candice Georgiadis, Digital Day
7. How New Tech Helps Level Up Marketing In Real Life
With today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, many of our conversations remain abstract. I’d love to see a panel of organizations discussing real-life use cases of how new technologies helped them level up their marketing strategies. Specifically, I’d love to watch legacy players compare their work with that of pure-play startups. - Hugo Loriot, fifty-five
8. Full-Funnel Marketing
Full-funnel marketing is a great discussion topic for a panel discussion. We need to be specific about examples involving a large lead pool, illustrating where they are acquired from and tactics to convert the leads to customers. - Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne Advertising
9. The Value Of Influencer Marketing
For far too long, we’ve seen brands bash the impact of influencer marketing or argue they don’t see any ROI from it; it’s almost a daily output in the press. My argument is that people only say influencer marketing doesn’t work because, quite simply, they are doing it wrong and have no strategy in place to drive actual results. - James Hacking, Socially Powerful
10. How To Get Customers To Talk Passionately About Their Business
So many business owners forget why they got started and why they do what they do. There’s nothing more exciting than working with a client who remembers and communicates their story. This passion shows in their products and services. - Vinny La Barbera, imFORZA
11. Ethics In AI: Charting A Responsible Path Forward
The ethical challenges posed by the expanded use of AI across industries is a crucial discussion. We must encourage the thoughtful consideration of biases, privacy and social impacts. By fostering awareness and collective responsibility, we can navigate the AI landscape with integrity and ensure a better future for all. - Fadi Agour, RPM
12. The Impact Of LGBTQ+ Influencers
It would be exciting to discuss the impact LGBTQ+ influencers. They can help break stereotypes, influence consumers’ behavior and establish diversity and inclusion as our lifestyle. I believe these influencers can bring value to brands, and it would be captivating to engage in a widespread discussion about this value. - Michael Kuzminov, HypeFactory
13. Managing The DT Journey: Industry Leaders’ Lessons
Leaders who have successfully experienced digital transformations in many areas could be on this panel. They could discuss their insights, difficulties and methods for adjusting to the digital world. - Sashien Godakandae, MBA, Zap Media
14. The Intersection Of Marketing And The Culture At Large
Branding does not work in a silo. I would love to go beyond marketing- and business-speak to talk about how marketing intersects with the intellectual and artistic work being done in the culture at large. For example, how does current literary fiction or television writing affect the way we create messaging? Or, how does the return of surrealism in art impact the way we design brands? - Tom Silva, Silva Brand
15. Creating Content Based On The Audience’s Funnel Stage
One of the dream panel topics I’d like to be a part of is creating marketing content based on audience requirements, intent and interest at different stages of the funnel. There are far too many discussions about “creating content” these days, but not enough on the importance of a funnel and buyer stages, and this is resulting in more noise and fewer results. - Vanhishikha Bhargava, Contensify
16. The Future Of TV: Navigating Digital Disruption And Evolving Consumer Demands
The TV landscape is changing fast, with fierce competition between streaming platforms, changing viewer habits, increased product placement and evolving production techniques. Exploring how to shape the future of TV is something I’m surprised isn’t a bigger topic today. - Tom Elstner, Zoogency GmbH
17. Leveraging AI For Accurate And Predictive Marketing ROI
I feel that with the help of AI, we could be on the cusp of cracking the code when it comes to attributing success and predicting customers’ next steps. A panel of minds from marketing, creative, business intelligence and AI would make for a fascinating conversation about how AI can help solve this and pave the way for the future of marketing strategy. - Bernard May, National Positions
18. What B2B Marketers Should Stop Doing
I’m a huge believer in the power of focus for B2B marketers. If you can be clear about your target audience, your message and the results you want and double down on them, you can generate great results. - Mike Maynard, Napier Partnership Limited
19. The Future Of Content: Embracing AI And Human Collaboration
I’ve been invited to take part in an industry event, and my panel topic will be “The Future of Content: Embracing AI and Human Collaboration.” This topic fascinates me because it explores the evolving relationship between AI technologies and human creativity in content creation, distribution and consumption. - Dmitrii Kustov, Regex SEO
