Tweet, Tweet! A little birdy told me…

Reflections from the 2016 AMSRS Conference

The 2016 AMSRS conference in Melbourne provided an array of entertaining and enlightening moments many of which were captured in the Twittersphere for all to see on the big screen in Plenary Hall. Here’s a recap of what I tweeted (@DiMarzioRsearch) and shared throughout the two days using #AMSRS

It began with Richard Silberstein (Chairman of Neuro-Insight) shedding some light on use of neuro science and its influence on advertising effectiveness. Some interesting examples were used including a captivating ad for Volvo Trucks – The Epic Split featuring Van Damme.

Simon Corah (CEO of Growth Mantra) followed with his riveting presentation about future trends and showed us some fascinating insights about opportunities for growth but it was this quote which captured my attention…

This is a valuable reminder to us conducting communications related research about the desired outcome of any campaign.

The first of a number of Research Effectiveness Awards were presented and I was pleased to find out a friend of mine, Nick Dawes (Zing Insights) won the Communications Strategy Award for his work on the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup television commercial. A fantastic achievement for someone who just started his own business in 2014. Well done mate!

Following the opening keynote presentations and an entertaining panel discussion, we broke out to listen to industry colleagues on a variety of topics. In the QPMR session, John Daley (CEO at the Grattan Institute) shared some tips on how to tell a clear and succinct story through data. The following comment rang true to me (and I’m sure many others in the room as well)…

It highlighted the importance of really thinking about how you present your charts so they clearly illustrate your story.

After lunch, I ventured into the Orange Room for a three part series of ‘Talking ‘Bout My Generation’. Gen Z, Millennials and Baby Boomers all featured but it was this quote by Catherine Rickwood (Three Sisters Research) which peaked my interest after she shared her story about learning to ride a motorbike…

This was a helpful tip to keep your eye on the ball and she shared some practical advice to include more age brackets in surveys allowing for greater analysis scope by this variable. Catherine made a valid point that a 65 year old’s view of the world is likely to be very different to an 80 year old but we often just analyse this age group as ‘65+’.

I was impressed with Catherine’s content so it wasn’t a surprise that she was judged best presentation for the conference.

The day concluded with a passionate talk from Young Australian of the Year Thomas King who despite not being in the room as he was announced, displayed great poise to deliver an inspirational speech about what drives today’s young people…

When questioned about how parents should ask their children about their futures his response focused on following their passions.

I left the first day of conference feeling invigorated then enjoyed an entertaining gala dinner watching everyone boogie the night away to the soulful tunes of Marcia Hines.

The coffee line was very long on the morning of day 2 with many tired eyes and a few croaky voices heard but the opening session line-up in the Plenary room was fantastic. Four outstanding speakers gave us an international researcher’s perspective which was stimulating. Dominic Carter (CEO of Carter JMRN) an Australian researcher who set up his own firm in Japan spoke of his experiences adjusting to Japanese culture and explained how important it is for marketers to understand. I heard some nuggets of gold in his talk…

The first quote resonated with me working for and with small businesses as it is our differences which make us unique and this is a key ingredient for success. Furthermore, the statement that culture influences our questions and answers prompted me to consider this factor more carefully when designing research.

Nick Namouf (Applied Behavioural Science Specialist) who hails in the US retweeted this gem I managed to capture during his presentation…

I was chuffed with the retweet but more impressed with his excellent talk and clever sense of humour which highlighted that small things can make a big difference and to make the most of opportunities presented to us.

After morning tea, I found myself in the Orange Room once again listening to Nikki Feld (TNS and former Young Researchers Network committee member) and Bec Brideson (Venus Comms) tell us about ‘Womenomics’. They highlighted the differences in how males and females think about and respond to different advertising stimuli or even to the simple question ‘Do you want to go out for a drink?’


Apart from this humorous but very accurate depiction, there were some powerful insights shared which made me realise how important it is to assess the differences in male and female viewpoints more carefully.

The final session was empowering with a panel discussion about what clients want. Among the many useful thoughts shared, I felt Tim Ovadia (CUB) summed it up nicely…

The message to me was heard loud and clear – We’re here to help!

The finale was James O’Loughlin (Author / Comedian / Media Personality and all around great guy) who entertained us by sharing his knowledge about innovation but first raised the question…

He responded with five valuable tips and encouraged us to think differently…

Before I knew it, the conference came to a close for another year and this little tweety bird flew off into the distance full of excitement, ideas and inspiration. What a great 2 days! There was only one thing left to say…

Tweets and Retweets by:

Paul Di Marzio
Senior Research Manager
Di Marzio Research

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