2024 DDX and Art of Marketing Conferences

Last fall, our team had the opportunity to attend two conferences in San Diego: DDX ’24 and the AMA San Diego Art of Marketing Conference 2024. Our Senior Art Director, Shane, participated in DDX ’24 which focused on the latest in design and digital experiences, while our Senior Project Manager, Miyu, attended the Art of Marketing Conference which focused on marketing strategies and consumer engagement.

We thought we’d share the key themes and insights they gathered:

DDX ’24 Takeaways

DDX ’24 featured thought-provoking speakers and topics, with a strong underlying theme around AI — its growing role in enhancing productivity, and the importance of inclusion and ethical guardrails as it evolves.

FreshForm’s Scott Robinson kicked off with an insightful talk on the rise of hybridity, emphasizing the long-term implications of offloading repetitive tasks and that we should be offloading the “right” things, not everything. He challenged the audience to think beyond today’s interfaces and focus on what these shifts mean over the next decade. His closing remark, “Should we?” rather than “Can we?” was a reminder to prioritize creating responsible, helpful, and equitable solutions in our work.

The panels were especially engaging, with discussions around the value of multidisciplinary “generalists” who bridge gaps between specialists and departments. Their primary contributions often centered on fostering communication and buy-in rather than just producing screens.

Many speakers took a pragmatic approach to AI, treating it as one tool in the design toolbox, rather than the ultimate solution. Noting that the average person has not seen the value of AI quite yet with the current phase of AI adoption, but hopefully that will change with the democratization of the tool. It was previously just data scientists, now it’s also professionals, and eventually everyone.

AMA San Diego Art of Marketing Conference Takeaways

This year’s conference celebrated marketers as “superheroes” who juggle multiple roles to create impactful and engaging experiences for their audiences. The focus was on four key areas of marketing — customer experience, data driven decision-making, social media strategy, and comprehensive marketing.

Crafting narratives that inspire action

A key discussion centered on creating narratives that inspire action, with a focus on marketers who tell others’ stories, such as agency professionals. The insight was made clear: inspiring stories start with listening. Talking directly to subject matter experts to understand their perspectives and represent them authentically simply because no one knows their story better than they do. This was a strong reminder that using the “language” of the story’s originator is essential to creating a narrative that resonates.

Right partnerships create bigger wins

Another conversation highlighted the value of partnerships and how to build them thoughtfully. With the right brand alignment, a brand can communicate its story via the partner. But how do brands find an ideal partner? The panelists suggested: having clear goals with aligned target audiences, a shared sense of purpose, and trust.

Having clear goals and target audiences in mind allows brands to seek partners with shared objectives and similar audience profiles. “We care about what you care about” is a guiding mindset. Trust was another priority — partnerships thrive on mutual respect and a shared commitment.

One panelist also noted the importance of finding partners open to new ideas, who are willing to explore fresh directions that may be outside of their comfort zones.

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Attending DDX ’24 and the AMA Art of Marketing Conference 2024 gave our team members fresh ideas and practical takeaways that we’re excited to bring into our work. From thoughtful uses of AI in design to storytelling and building meaningful partnerships in marketing, each conference offered insights that influence our skillsets in new ways.