A Day Full of Inspiration at the NIMA Marketing Days

A Day Full of Inspiration at the NIMA Marketing Day

On Thursday, June 13th, it was finally time for the NIMA Marketing Day. With four of our colleagues, we attended this marketing festival in Utrecht. It was a day filled with inspiration, innovation, and indispensable insights. The most prominent marketers and experts gathered to share the latest trends and developments in the marketing world, along with around 1500 other marketing professionals.

 

The Power of a Bad Idea

The day began early; at 6:30 AM, we gathered at the TRIMM office for the ride to Utrecht. Upon arrival, we were welcomed with a delicious cup of coffee, and after a quick photo booth session, we took our seats in the main hall for the first knowledge session by Rico Bakker. The theme of his showcase was the power of a bad idea. Are you stuck in your product development or marketing campaign? Try thinking about what the worst idea would be. Chances are, you’ll come up with an unorthodox idea that leads to the best solution. Our brains tend to solve problems by thinking logically and realistically quickly. While valuable, it can sometimes cause us to get stuck in our thinking, leading to a lack of innovation and creativity. No change. If we learn to think differently, free from 'entrenched patterns,' we can also come up with new solutions.

Parallel Sessions: From AI to Marketing Maturity

After the general session, the parallel rounds began. In total, there were six rounds with diverse sessions, ranging from AI trends and Praxis's social strategy to B2B branding. There were interesting sessions for every marketer. Inspiring examples of data-driven marketing and how to put the customer at the center were highlighted.

One of the sessions I attended was from Wolky, about their next step towards relevant e-commerce. They discussed the pillars of marketing maturity. According to them, there are six different pillars that bring about digital maturity, namely:

• Team
•  Organization & process
•  Tooling
• Strategy & performance
• Data & customer insight
•  Brand & content.

The key is to grow these pillars evenly, keeping them in balance. After that session, I hurried to another room for the session by Praxis together with Monkeys & Bananas about their social strategy. They discussed important lessons such as the importance of a good briefing, working ahead in batches, creating content for your target audience, and producing short videos and keeping them short. Short content (short videos) tends to be watched longer compared to long videos.

Whole Brain Thinking Method: Branding in B2B

The third session was about the importance of branding in B2B and how our left and right brain hemisphere’s function. The left brain focuses on performance marketing (rational metrics), while the right brain deals with brand marketing (emotional metrics). According to the Whole Brain Marketing method, a good balance between these two is essential. Performance marketing generates short-term revenue, while branding builds long-term value. Most companies follow an 80%/20% ratio, while a 40%/60% ratio proves most effective. B2B companies often focus on price and functions and avoid promoting the overarching brand. Investing in branding makes it easier to attract new customers, stimulates cross-selling, improves brand recognition, and ultimately leads to overall revenue growth.

 

AI Trends and Developments

AI was a hot topic during this day. The fourth and fifth sessions were about AI and the decline in website traffic. Due to the use of ad blockers, GDPR regulations, third-party cookie regulations, and GenAI Search, traffic to websites is steadily decreasing. Google AI is already live in America and will soon come to Europe. The advice is to prepare for this decline in traffic by adjusting your channel investments and focusing on conversion-oriented keywords, gated content, and potentially repositioning traditional channels like email. Google aims for the optimal search experience, which means that queries are becoming more conversion-oriented and personalized. Test your campaigns and understand your target audience better than ever to prevent a drop in traffic.

 

Closing Drinks

After the parallel rounds, there was a concluding keynote from Nestlé about greenwashing and communicating sustainability. The day ended with a cozy drink session, and then we headed home with a private karaoke session during the car ride. We look back on an educational and well-organized day full of inspiration and new insights.