The deadline for the largest domestic industry conference for marketing, communications and media professionals is still five months away, but we can already look forward to great presentations by the first confirmed speakers from around the world. As in previous years, the conference programme will take place throughout the day on several themed stages. The agenda will have as a connecting thread our relationship with AI and the question of what we can do to make AI help us in our work, not hinder it.
Antonis Kocheilas, until recently global CEO of Ogilvy Advertising and since last month the new "chief transformation officer" for the entire Ogilvy group, will provide the introduction to the day's programme. In his presentation, he will show how AI can help us move from the information economy to a new paradigm, which he calls the "inspiration economy".
The world of advertising will be represented by two other world-famous personalities - the first is German advertising legend Guido Heffels, founder of the Heimat/TBWA agency and, most importantly, long-time head of creative for the Hornbach brand. The second will be the global "chief creative officer" of agency brand Le Pub, last year's member of The Drum's Top 10 Most Valued Creative Directors in the World, Romanian-born Mihnea Gheorghiu. He loves raccoons, but in Prague he is going to talk about culture-based creativity. And about working for Heineken, Diesel, Barilla and other global icons.
The ability to go off the beaten track
Maximilian Schöngen, global creative head of Europe's largest independent media agency Mediaplus, will discuss media creativity as a tool to meet the specific needs of clients and brands that want to respond to societal challenges while leaving a positive footprint.
An excellent demonstration of creative thinking combined with the use of cutting-edge digital tools will be presented by Giles Rhys Jones, the man who helped build the global branding success of tech start-up What3words - the wayfinding system that has given an exact label to every 3×3 metre square on the planet.
Researcher, sought-after author and educator Tojin T. Eapen, founder of the Center for Creative Forecasting, will explore how AI can deepen human creativity when inspired by nature and its laws. He first elaborated on the topic in an article for the Harward Business Review, which has been translated into several world languages.
Data, creativity and improvisation
Improvisation in communication and management need not be a bad thing if used strategically. Professor Jesper Falkheimer from Lund University in Sweden, otherwise a European expert on communication in crisis situations, terrorist attacks, as well as in the fight against disinformation, is going to talk about "strategic improvisation" at the Media Forum.
Shayoni Lynn has also long focused on the study of disinformation techniques and how to identify fake news, how to stop its spread and how to counter it effectively. A specialist in data-driven strategic communications and applied behavioral science, she runs her own consulting firm that helps corporations and communications agencies proactively combat misinformation.
The world of data-driven communication is a popular topic for the next speaker. John Brown, founder of UK branding agency Don't Cry Wolf (designed "for brands that want to communicate honestly), is looking for ways to defend traditional creativity from being overwhelmed by the ubiquitous tangle of numbers and data. John is an active promoter of sustainable communications and his agency was one of the first to get serious about measuring its carbon footprint.
Engaging the limitless capabilities of artificial intelligence in public relations work, the opportunities, but also the risks involved - these are the themes for Christina Forsgård. The founder of Netprofile agency and an unmissable figure on the Finnish and European PR scene leads the ethics panel of the international organisation ICCO and is also the main author of its Warsaw Principles for the Ethical Use of AI in PR.
The PR Summit, traditionally organised together with the Public Relations Association, will also feature a keynote speech by Alastair McCapry, CEO of the UK's Chartered Institute of PR.
Source: mam.cz
