This is a scary time to be a brand. From content studios to the growing influence of hyper-speed video production to social listening, the digital marketing landscape has never been evolving more rapidly. At the Digiday Brand Summit, taking place next week in Key Biscayne, the brightest minds in the business will convene to discuss the nuts and bolts of what it takes to build a successful brand in 2016 — both internally and externally.
As we prepare to pack our flip flops and shades, we asked four speakers at the upcoming summit what opportunities — and challenges — are facing brands today. Here are their answers, lightly edited for space and clarity:
Rachel Jo Silver, social marketing & content strategy consultant, Birchbox
Snapchat and Facebook Live. Both are extremely effective ways to engage in real-time conversations with your customers about topics they care about. Snapchat is a powerful channel for one-to-one communication and Facebook Live is one-to-many.
Stephanie Miller, senior manager, social media, GoPro
Investing time and resources in product education is a great brand-building opportunity as it deepens the relationship between brand and consumer. Education doesn’t have to be stuffy and boring. Find new ways to sneak in tips and tricks through social assets. Or Periscope to share a short and sweet pro tip series. Education can break down barriers to entry and lead to more hands-on time with your product – two major wins for any brand.
Nick Fairbairn, vp, brand marketing, Dollar Shave Club
Rather than call out one specific channel or tactic, I’ll say lots of brands have a misconception that you can only build the brand or drive response — that the two are mutually exclusive. This is not the case: you can build your brand and drive response through smart creative and media strategy along with long term and short term goals stated up front, and you have to hold yourself accountable to balance the short and long term.
Belen Pamukoff, brand director, Tecate
My advice would be three-fold. First, what’s your X-Factor? Find that unique factor of your brand that makes you stand out from industry standards. Second, get personal. Speak to your audience like they speak to each other. We made the decision last year to talk to our audience in English, while most continued talking to them in Spanish. Third, be an early adopter. Establish good relationships with your digital vendors to see how you can take advantage of the latest platforms. From new algorithms to updated video features, we never shy away from testing out the latest technology.
To learn more about the Digiday Brand Summit, click here.
More in Announcement
Ford, Amazon Prime Video and Pokémon are among the 2026 Digiday Content Marketing Awards finalists
This year’s Digiday Content Marketing Awards finalists are creating interactive experiences and leaning on immersive storytelling to foster loyal audiences and build deeper connections. Dedicated channels and content ecosystems are enabling brands to better service niche audiences, while localization and multilingual content are helping brands connect with consumers worldwide. Finally, cross-platform strategies allow advertisers to […]
Kepler, Samsung Ads and Kraft Heinz are among the 2026 Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards winners
This year’s Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards winners reflect a media landscape increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, data-driven decision making and integrated audience strategies. Across categories, organizations used AI to identify and engage high-value audiences, while adapting campaigns in real time to improve performance. Successful programs also embraced omnichannel planning, coordinating activity across platforms […]
Digitas, Five Below and January Digital are among the 2026 Future Leader Awards Winners
This year’s Future Leaders winners show how a new generation is redefining business impact. They are turning once-tactical roles into growth engines, using data and performance insights to drive measurable results while applying innovation to solve practical challenges. Just as importantly, they are building trust through authenticity and audience-first thinking, while leading beyond their formal […]