Ad bigwigs meet at Moscow for "change"

Ad bigwigs meet at Moscow for "change"

MUMBAI: It‘s Moscow ahoy for all those from the ad and marketing frat as they gather for another jamboree. This time it is for the 42nd International Advertisers Association (IAA) World Congress, which is being held from 12-14 May in the Russian capital at the State Palace Congress Center within the Kremlin.

Held once in two years, the IAA convention brings together the top business marketing and communication experts from around the world to share their views, discuss latest trends and talk on various aspects of the chosen theme.

For this year, the IAA gig will focus on ‘Change:Consequences‘. It has managed to get a top notch bunch of speakers to take part in the various sessions planned.

India‘s top media professional Madison World chairman and MD Sam Balsara and marketing wiz and Britannia Industries MD & CEO Vinita Bali will be speaking on two panels, ‘Media Opportunities for the BRIC Nations‘ and ‘What can we learn from Challenger Brands?‘ respectively.

Among the other big names who will be speaking at different sessions include: IAA chairman and world president elect Alan Rutharford, WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrel, UN under secretary general for communications and public relations Kiyotaka Akasak, Google global sales operations and business development president Nikesh Arora and Grupo Televisa CEO Emilo Azcarraga.
 
The other names include Draftfch CEO and president Laurence Boschetto, Microsoft Advertising VP global agencies Marc Bresseel, McCann World Group CEO Nic Brien, BBC World news presenter Jonathan Charles, Joanne Davis Consulting president Joanne Davis, Omnicom Asia Pacific SVP Serge Durmont, Vivaldi Partners, MD Erich Joachimsthaller, Publics Groupe chairman and CEO Maurice Levy, HP chief marketing officer and SVP Michael Mendenhall, Group M CEO Rob Norman, P&G global marketing and brand building officer Marc Pritchard, Yahoo senior VP Rich Riley, Shaw Media Holdings CEO Darren Shaw and Twenthieth Century Fox VP international digital marketing - Bettina Sherick. 
 
The get together aims to discuss the impact of the recent economic pressure faced by the world and the dynamic market changes that have come with it. It also intends to discuss ways of dealing with the global market slip. 
 
The key sessions of the conference will be: consumer marketing challenges; the digital influence on consumer behavior; how do key advertisers see the new world; the rise of challenger brands; the reaction of challenged categories; key trends in media and consequences for TV, print and OOH - in developed vs. emerging markets; new advertising models and their implications; improving creative effectiveness among others. The mixed format of the three-day program will include exhibitions, Q&A sessions, panels, and keynote speeches, which will provide a variety of ways to access and digest the information and insights, whether for those just beginning their careers or seasoned practitioners.

It is pertinent to note here that more than 1,000 delegates from 70 countries are expected to attend the IAA World Congress.