Marketing Innovation Summit

Thursday, October 15, 2026

• 9:00 AM Breakfast and Registration
• 10:00 AM Opening Remarks

  Brandon Gutman, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Brand Innovators

  Marc Sternberg, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Brand Innovators

• 10:10 AM Customer First Is a Strategy, Not a Slogan

  Putting the customer first requires more than messaging—it demands structural alignment across teams, incentives, and decision-making. This session explores what it truly means to operationalize customer centricity inside an organization. Learn how leading brands embed customer thinking into product development, marketing, service, and culture to drive measurable growth.

• 10:40 AM The Customer Reality Check: What’s Changed, What Hasn’t

  Today’s customers are more informed, more empowered, and more selective than ever—but some fundamentals remain the same. We’ll unpack the evolving expectations around value, trust, convenience, and personalization while separating trend from truth. Walk away with a grounded understanding of what customers actually care about in 2026.

• 11:10 From Insights to Action: Making Research Matter

  Data is abundant. Action is rare. This session focuses on closing the gap between insight and implementation—turning research, analytics, and voice-of-customer data into decisions that shape campaigns, products, and experiences. Hear frameworks for prioritizing what matters and mobilizing teams around it.

• 11:40 AM Networking Break
• 12:00 PM Experience Is the Brand: Every Touchpoint Matters

  From first impression to post-purchase engagement, every interaction shapes brand perception. This session examines how organizations design seamless, intentional experiences across digital, retail, service, and live environments—ensuring consistency and emotional resonance at every touchpoint.

• 12:30 PM Belonging as a Brand Strategy

  Belonging is no longer a campaign theme—it’s a growth strategy. Explore how brands build authentic community, foster inclusion, and create spaces where customers see themselves reflected. We’ll discuss how belonging strengthens loyalty, deepens engagement, and drives long-term brand affinity.

   

• 1:00 PM Lunch
• 2:00 PM Multicultural as Customer-Centric Strategy

  Multicultural marketing isn’t a segment—it’s the market. This session reframes multicultural strategy as core to customer centricity, not an add-on. Learn how brands authentically engage diverse audiences, avoid performative efforts, and build strategies that reflect today’s cultural realities.

• 2:30 PM From Feedback to Feature: Closing the Loop

  Customer feedback is only valuable if it leads to visible change. This conversation explores how brands systematically collect, analyze, and act on customer input—turning feedback into product enhancements, service improvements, and innovation that customers can see and feel.

• 3:00 PM Turning Advocacy Into Growth

  Your most loyal customers are your most powerful growth engine. Discover how brands cultivate advocates through community-building, referral strategies, social proof, and experiential engagement. Learn how to measure and amplify advocacy to drive acquisition and retention.

• 3:30 PM Networking Break
• 3:45 PM Breaking Silos to Serve the Customer

   Customers experience one brand—not separate departments. This session dives into the organizational shifts required to break down silos between marketing, product, sales, and customer experience. Hear practical approaches to aligning teams around shared customer metrics and outcomes.

• 4:15 PM Loyalty Is Earned Daily

  Loyalty is not a program—it’s a promise kept consistently. Explore how brands build everyday loyalty through relevance, recognition, value, and trust. We’ll examine how to evolve loyalty strategies beyond points and perks into meaningful, ongoing relationships.

• 4:45 PM Caring for the Future: Building Sustainable, Customer-Led Growth

  Today’s customers expect brands to act responsibly—environmentally, socially, and economically. This session looks at how sustainability and long-term thinking intersect with customer strategy, and how purpose-driven growth can strengthen both brand equity and business performance.

• 5:15 PM Wrap