Digital Day is back for 2024
Join us for a day of much-needed connections, thought-provoking conversations and insightful talks. A day designed to inform, inspire and to discover and to overcome challenges that we all face in the digital marketing world.
As we all know, the constant innovation of technologies is a process that will happen forever as technology is ever-changing and ever-evolving. With a broad range of experts and great speakers, we will cover multiple topics, exploring trends and what to look out for in the coming future.
With a mix of presentations, panels, breakout sessions and opportunities to meet and connect with other marketers, the day is designed to inspire and challenge you.
We've handpicked an amazing collective of digital thought leaders, experts and changemakers, who will demystify, simplify, cut through the noise and help you find the digital opportunities that work best for you.
SPEAKERS
Zoe Scaman 
Founder, Bodacious
Zoe is the founder of Bodacious, a strategy studio focused on illuminating and navigating the new frontiers of innovation within the worlds of brands and entertainment.
She crafts ground-breaking strategies combining rigorous business intelligence, with 20+ years of brand strategy know-how and a futurist lens; embracing new technologies, cultural shifts and always keeping one eye on what’s coming over the horizon.
'The Era Of The Multiplayer Brand'
How the evolution of fandom and UGC is ripping up the rulebook, blurring of the lines between the original and the derivative, ushering in the age of the remix, open IP, community-centric creativity and ‘everything as API’.
Max Sinclair 
Founder and CEO, Ecomtent
Max is the founder and CEO of Ecomtent.
Prior to founding Ecomtent, Max spend six years at Amazon in a variety of leadership roles, working directly with 100s of sellers. He is an Ecommerce content expert, responsible for catalogue quality for the country launch of Amazon in Singapore.
'Exploring the Possibilities of Generative AI'
Drawing from his extensive background at Amazon, Max will share how he and his co-founder were inspired to revolutionize e-commerce by harnessing the potential of AI-generated content.
Max’s journey unfolds as he discusses the inception of Ecomtent, fueled by a belief that AI could shape the future of online marketplaces.
Ruchika Kalra 
Brand Director, lastminute.com
Ruchika is a highly accomplished marketer renowned for her extensive experience in both blue-chip multinational corporations and dynamic scale-up environments in the online travel, FMCG and lifestyle industry.With a proven track record of driving business transformation and fostering substantial growth, she has made significant contributions to renowned lifestyle brands such as Red Bull and Durex.
'Building consumer centric brands: brand transformations'
Currently working as the Brand Director at lastminute.com, Ruchika is spearheading the brand's ongoing transformational journey. Leveraging her wealth of experience, she is at the forefront of (re)shaping lastminute.com's brand identity and market positioning, driving forward its strategic objectives with the consumer at the forefront.
Yoann Pavy 
Former Chief Marketing Officer, Nude
Yoann is a growth marketing leader, passionate about disruptive businesses, growth marketing, and culture.
He is the former CMO of Nude, a UK-based FinTech app that helps first-time buyers save for their deposits faster. He loves growth marketing and getting the right audience to pay attention through building communities.
In the last 6 years he’s directly managed +£50m media budget and has worked at brands including Depop, Laced, Perkbox and Deliveroo. He also works as an Advisor for startups and a Mentor for a few up and coming young marketing professionals.
He is also host of the ‘In Growth We Trust Podcast’ set-up to help you become a better growth marketer. He will share his insights into successful growth and developing communities for brands.
Carol Chan 
Founder, Comms8
Carol Chan, hailing from Hong Kong, is the transformative founder of Comms8, an award-winning marketing agency known for bridging global brands with Asian and Chinese audiences. With high-profile clients including Estee Lauder, This Works, Nestle, Montblanc, Schneider Electric, and Air China, Carol has skilfully leveraged data to cultivate meaningful relationships between brands and consumers.
'The unknown digital media landscape in Asia'
A deep dive into the key local social media, SEM platforms in China, Japan and South Korea, and how media consumption are different in these markets compared with the UK and the rest of the world.
Jazz Thomson 
Illustrator and digital artist
Jazz is an illustrator and designer based in Bristol.
Her work is largely focussed on people and places, and uses illustration as a platform for telling their stories and starting conversations. Her digital work uses bright and vibrant colour, and often celebrates elements of culture and identity.
She creates political art and cartoons that explore activism and politics- usually in the form of large scale murals and public art exhibitions. As a sports fan, she's keen to continue doing more work with athletes and sports brands in 2024. She is also a board member and repped by Rising Arts Agency.
Jazz will talk all things NFT and share a bit about her increasingly digital practice.
Will Harvey 
Senior Global Digital Innovation Manager, Breakthrough Innovation, Diageo
William Harvey’s career journey has taken a non linear progression.
Starting out as an Apple genius, he gained a love for technology, seeing how it can enrich lives. With both a strategic and tactical approach to creativity he then entered the agency world. Firstly at the Ogilvy Labs and later at VCCP, William carved out for himself a career as a creative technologist, looking for the sweet spot at the intersection of creativity and technology.
Currently the Senior Global Digital innovation Manager, he is part of the Breakthrough Innovation team at Diageo, making sure that the business stays at the forefront of all things digital. William’s focus is on leading the Test and Learn agenda to deploy and enable sustainable and scalable digital innovation by exploring new and emerging technologies, behaviours and startup’s.
He advises a number of startup’s, was named in the Drum Future 50 as well as BIMA 100 and HClub 100.
Michael Sani 
Chief Exploration Officer Play Verto
Michael is positively disrupting the world of data and insights using play and gamification to drive social impact. He is an award winning social entrepreneur, referred to as a 'Change Agent' by US President Barack Obama. Michael is bridging the social impact world, which he has been in for 14 years with some of the biggest brands on the planet to show the real value of data.
'If it's not measured - did it really happen?'
Play and Gamification provide insights that drive your bottom line whilst having a profound social impact - there's a new game to master!
WORKSHOPS
IMAX: Changing the Narrative from Brand Safety to Brand Suitability
Every brand advertising on the internet should be confident their brand is being served in brand safe environments – it’s a standard health measure that shouldn’t need to be asked for, nothing more. Brand suitability however should differ for every brand as each has different levels of risk and may need to avoid certain websites and topics. Made for advertising sites are generally brand safe however their primary existence being to make money from advertising makes them unsuitable for most as the ad experience is poor with several ads serving on-screen. Attendees will learn the good, the bad, the ugly and all the steps which can be taken to ensure they are appearing in brand suitable environments in-keeping with their brand, whilst driving true performance.
Tower Gallery South: The Digital Underground - curated by Bright Signals and chaired by David Craik, MD, Bright Signals
Pulling back the curtain on Scotland’s digital underground. Hear from five carefully curated organisations who might not be on the radar of most marketing practitioners, but who are doing amazing and globally significant work with digital technologies, right here in Scotland.
The session will include both highly practical examples alongside some mind-bending moments; the idea being to broaden our perspective beyond the world of marketing and to remind ourselves that you don’t need to look far to find world-class organisations and experts.
Hear from:
Tower Gallery North: Applicable AI with XDesign
THE TECH TUSSLE
In an era marked by the rapid evolution of media and technology, brands grapple with the formidable challenge of engaging the younger demographic, specifically those aged 21-35. To successfully navigate increasing attention fragmentation, advertisers must redefine their strategies for resonating with this dynamic audience.
Scotland, with its distinct cultural environment, adds an additional layer of complexity to the equation. Crafting compelling narratives and campaigns that will cut through the digital noise and resonate with a local audience becomes a strategic imperative for brands seeking resonance in the Scottish market. Advertisers face a unique set of challenges, from understanding regional nuances to addressing the evolving preferences of the tech-savvy youth.
Curated alongsIde the Alchemy Network, our 3 finalists will pitch to the audience with your votes decides the winner!
Bookings are now open - please email [email protected] should you have any questions or concerns.
Members: £199+VAT
Non-Members: £249+VAT
Headline sponsor
Speakers
Zoe Scaman
Founder, Bodacious
Max Sinclair
Founder and CEO, Ecomtent
Ruchika Kalra
Brand Director, lastminute.com
Yoann Pavy
Chief Marketing Officer, Nude
Carol Chan
Founder, Comms8
Michael Sani
Chief Exploration Officer, Play Verto Global
Francesca Coia
Digital Planning Account Director, Republic of Media
Jeff Watkins
Chief Product & Technology Officer, xDesignGet to know our speaker(s)
Programme
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TIME |
ACTIVITY |
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08:30am |
Registration opens |
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09:20am |
Event Host and Chair: Sophie Devonshire, CEO, The Marketing Society |
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09:40am – 10:10am |
Carol Chan, Managing Director | Comms8 The unknown digital media landscape in Asia: A deep dive into the key local social media, SEM platforms in China, Japan and South Korea, and how media consumption are different in these markets compared with the UK and the rest of the world. |
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10:10am – 10:40am |
Michael Sani, Chief Exploration Officer, Play Verto If it's not measured - did it really happen? Play and Gamification provide insights that drive your bottom line whilst having a profound social impact - there's a new game to master! Michael is positively disrupting the world of data and insights using play and gamification to drive social impact. He is an award winning social entrepreneur, referred to as a 'Change Agent' by US President Barack Obama. Michael is bridging the social impact world, which he has been in for 14 years with some of the biggest brands on the planet to show the real value of data.
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10:40am – 11:10am |
Sarah Baillie, Group Marketing Manager – The Scotsman Hospitality Group and chair of the MSS Future Leaders Group, In conversation with Yoann Pavy, CMO, and Founder of ‘In Growth we Trust’ podcast In Growth we Trust Yoann is a growth marketing leader, passionate about disruptive businesses, growth marketing, and culture. He is the former CMO of Nude, a UK-based FinTech app that helps first-time buyers save for their deposits faster. He loves growth marketing and getting the right audience to pay attention through building communities. In the last 6 years he’s directly managed +£50m media budget and has worked at brands including Depop, Laced, Perkbox and Deliveroo. He also works as an Advisor for startups and a Mentor for a few up and coming young marketing professionals. He is also host of the ‘In Growth We Trust Podcast’ set-up to help you become a better growth marketer. He will share his insights into successful growth and developing communities for brands. |
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11:10am – 11:40am |
Refreshment Break |
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11:40am – 12:40pm |
Move to the breakout rooms. You have the choice of 3 sessions to visit. |
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IMAX: Changing the Narrative from Brand Safety to Brand Suitability, curated by Republic of Media and chaired by Francesca Coia, Digital Planning Account Director, Republic of Media Every brand advertising on the internet should be confident their brand is being served in brand safe environments – it’s a standard health measure that shouldn’t need to be asked for, nothing more. Brand suitability however should differ for every brand as each has different levels of risk and may need to avoid certain websites and topics. Made for advertising sites are generally brand safe however their primary existence being to make money from advertising makes them unsuitable for most as the ad experience is poor with several ads serving on-screen. Attendees will learn the good, the bad, the ugly and all the steps which can be taken to ensure they are appearing in brand suitable environments in-keeping with their brand, whilst driving true performance. Tower Gallery South: The Digital Underground - curated by Bright Signals and chaired by David Craik, MD, Bright Signals Pulling back the curtain on Scotland’s digital underground. Hear from five carefully curated organisations who might not be on the radar of most marketing practitioners, but who are doing amazing and globally significant work with digital technologies, right here in Scotland. The session will include both highly practical examples alongside some mind-bending moments; the idea being to broaden our perspective beyond the world of marketing and to remind ourselves that you don’t need to look far to find world-class organisations and experts.
Robot for assisted indoor navigation and shopping assistant for blind and partially sighted people -RoboGuide insights and experiences. Ola R. Popoola is currently a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, a co-investigator on the RoboGuide Project, and the technical lead Glasgow 5G testbed at the university. His research interests are in the areas of robotics, communications, and localization where his work won two best paper awards in 2023. He is a senior member IEEE, a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, a member of the Nigeria Society of Engineers, Registered Engineer, COREN, and a Registered Member of the Engineering Council, U.K.
People learn and change behaviours because their actions have positive or negative consequences, which is why there is a hope that the “market” and “society” will regulate itself and fix climate change. However, for this system to work, the cost of a positive action needs to be lower than the pain experienced from not taking this action, and the delay between action and consequence needs to be short, as humans are notoriously bad at delaying gratification. In this talk, Jonathan discusses how businesses can short-circuit the reward cycle through technology and business models so that positive actions can play into the human preference for instant reward.
John Hornell could most definitely be described as an industry veteran, being part of Scotland’s digital community since 1997, initially as Client Services Director at BlackID, he ran his own agency from 2002 to 2015 partnering with Hubspot; and prior to joining Pasabi full time in 2022, consulted to a number of SaaS technology businesses. John is a graduate of Strathclyde Business School. Tower Gallery North: How to grasp the AI nettle without getting stung Organisations are treating AI with some trepidation…and for good reason. The costs of shoddy implementation are high when it comes to lasting reputational and operational damage. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Join xDesign's CTO Jeff Watkins as he reaffirms the huge benefits of the tech, and shows you what gold-plated implementation could look like for your business. |
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12:40pm – 1:40pm |
Lunch Break in the Atrium |
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1:40pm – 2:10pm |
Ruchika Kalra, Brand and Engagement Director, lastminute.com Building consumer centric brands: brand transformations Ruchika is a highly accomplished marketer renowned for her extensive experience in both blue-chip multinational corporations and dynamic scale-up environments in the online travel, FMCG and lifestyle industry.With a proven track record of driving business transformation and fostering substantial growth, she has made significant contributions to renowned lifestyle brands such as Red Bull and Durex.Throughout her career, Ruchika has consistently demonstrated her expertise in strengthening brand equity through the implementation of strategic frameworks and the development of culturally relevant campaigns. Her strategic prowess and innovative approach have led to impactful brand transformations and resonant marketing initiatives across diverse markets spanning Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Currently working as the Brand Director at lastminute.com, Ruchika is spearheading the brand's ongoing transformational journey. Leveraging her wealth of experience, she is at the forefront of (re)shaping lastminute.com's brand identity and market positioning, driving forward its strategic objectives with the consumer at the forefront. |
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2:10pm 2:40pm |
Max Sinclair, Founder and CEO, Ecomtent Exploring the Possibilities of Generative AI Prior to founding Ecomtent, Max spend six years at Amazon in a variety of leadership roles, working directly with 100s of sellers. He is an Ecommerce content expert, responsible for catalogue quality for the country launch of Amazon in Singapore. Drawing from his extensive background at Amazon, Max will share how he and his co-founder were inspired to revolutionize e-commerce by harnessing the potential of AI-generated content. Max’s journey unfolds as he discusses the inception of Ecomtent, fueled by a belief that AI could shape the future of online marketplaces. Max will explore:
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2:40pm – 3:20pm |
Tech Tussle: Who Gets your vote? Chaired by David Spon-Smith, Head of Engagement at Alchemy Network In an era marked by the rapid evolution of media and technology, brands grapple with the formidable challenge of engaging the younger demographic, specifically those aged 21-35. To successfully navigate increasing attention fragmentation, advertisers must redefine their strategies for resonating with this dynamic audience. Scotland, with its distinct cultural environment, adds an additional layer of complexity to the equation. Crafting compelling narratives and campaigns that will cut through the digital noise and resonate with a local audience becomes a strategic imperative for brands seeking resonance in the Scottish market. Advertisers face a unique set of challenges, from understanding regional nuances to addressing the evolving preferences of the tech-savvy youth. We ran a competition inviting tech providers to provide their solution - Our 3 finalists will pitch to the audience and then the audience vote decides the winner! |
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3:20pm – 3:50pm |
Refreshment Break |
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3:50pm – 4:20pm
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Zoe Scaman, Co-Founder, Bodacious The Era Of The Multiplayer Brand How the evolution of fandom and UGC is ripping up the rulebook, blurring of the lines between the original and the derivative, ushering in the age of the remix, open IP, community-centric creativity and ‘everything as API’. |
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4:20pm – 4:50pm |
Will Harvey, Senior Global Digital Innovation Manager, Breakthrough Innovation, Diageo Shaping the Future of Social Celebration Will Harvey, Senior Global Digital Innovation Manager, is responsible for testing and learning from new innovations and technologies that are disrupting the consumer space. Currently, Will is part of Diageo’s Breakthrough Innovation team, a subsidiary within its current Innovation function, to shape innovation at Diageo beyond the development of new products. He is also a mentor and advisor to Diageo’s Fusion progam and has been behind a number of projects such as What’s your whisky, Guinness Stoutie and Talisker Tasting experience. He advises as one of the directors at Innovation Social, was part of BIMA 100 and HClub 100 , and has previously worked at both VCCP and Ogilvy looking to find the intersection of Creativity and Technology. |
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4:50pm - 5:00pm |
Wrap Up and Close with Sophie |
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5:00pm – 6:00pm |
EVENT ENDS – networking drinks |
