Events
The Levitt Group meetings are non-profit events designed to give members the maximum possible knowledge in the least possible time.
Run over Friday afternoon/Saturday morning at a convenient and conducive location, the events feature a range of thought leaders from both academia and exemplary companies.
The events are exclusive and informal, giving those who attend the opportunity to question and debate the speakers' ideas. Speakers are carefully chosen to cover a wide range of business sectors and topics and so to be of interest to all members, whatever their particular interests. In addition, the events provide an opportunity to mix with other senior marketers, share ideas and find common interests.
Make a note in your diary now for our next event, at Warwick University on November 12/13, 2010
Full information and booking details will be published when they are available.
Recent events:
June 11/12, 2010 - at Ashridge: 'It’s the customer, stupid!'
By popular request June’s Event was held at Ashridge Business School, and the baronial splendour once again added to the excitement of the learning experience.
First up, Craig Lee of Emirates demonstrated the rigorous process needed to create an excellent and differentiated customer experience. The way Emirates break down the customer touch points, prioritise their importance and manage the encounter provided an exemplary model, even for those of us in very different sectors
Laurie Young talked about how a real understanding of what our core services mean to the consumer can result in growth and profitability. In the process, he pointed out that many of the tools used by us marketers to analyse and guide strategy were actually intended for completely the opposite!
Mike Teasdale gave us a 6-point model for performance in digital marketing: creativity, engagement, integration, targeting, measurement and optimisation. He explained some new online developments with us, and re-iterated the value of ‘content’ – a subject which tends to get overlooked in this fast moving discipline.
Ian McLernon shared the secrets of Dior’s marketing strategy with us – how their core proposition is to ‘make women happy’ – and how this works in a luxury market. This was a fascinating insight into a world with which we are familiar but few of us ever get close to.
Finally, Dr Brian Smith talked about how strategies rarely work or fail – they just drift. To implement strategies individuals must be motivated towards the goals, so there’s no point in just papering over the cracks of an organisation’s culture. Few actually do this properly, but do it right and it is the key to success.
In summary, a rich harvest of learning, reinforcement, case studies and new technology made this one of the most valuable Events the Levitt Group have run.
19-20 March, 2010, at Weetwood Hall, Leeds – The Northern Lights.
A small but enthusiastic and vocal group of senior marketers assembled for The Levitt Group’s first Event north of the Midlands, consisting of a mix of c20 CEOs, Heads of Marketing and specialists from several of the better marketing consultancies.
Neil Pakey, Deputy CEO of John Lennon Airport, opened proceedings with a fascinating account of why and how they developed their strategy of positioning themselves against the giant next door – Manchester Airport. He then took us through their tactics, which have PR at their core.
Professor Stan Paliwoda then looked at national cultures and how they vary, and how much of a risk this poses to organisations seeking to do trade overseas. In particular, he warned against a culture of ‘institutionalised anthropomorphism’, where employees will carry on doing what they have always done, whether it’s right or wrong in the country in which they are seeking to do business - whereas they should be changing their habits to suit the culture of the relevant country.
A spectacular dinner and wines oiled the networking which went on well into the night, and in the morning, after a restorative breakfast, we began again at 9.00 with William Higham, a Consumer Trends Analyst, who gave us an entertaining and insightful talk leading to an understanding of trend forecasting – what it is and how to use it. He went on to point out that it is only useful if it is part of a process, consisting of identifying, interpreting and implementing the results.
Finally, Helen Curtis of BT Global Services shared with us how, by treating marketing as a professional and serious discipline, rather than a promotions department, they had managed to shift BT from a product-led to a marketing-oriented company. So now they are successfully selling what they were giving away. It was fascinating to see how they made it happen in a company as complex as BT.
The Event ended with a buffet lunch, and general agreement that it was a great success - and that a Northern Event should become a regular item on The Levitt Group’s calendar.
13-14 November, 2009, at Moor Hall: a challenge to marketers!
Stormy autumn weather provided a dramatic backdrop for the airing and debate of some exciting and controversial marketing ideas, which kept senior academics and market-hardened practitioners enthralled.
Seldom at one event have so many good ideas been laid out for analysis and inspection. Fortunately the restaurant and bar at Moor Hall provided plenty of refreshment to lubricate the discussions following the talks, which consequently carried on late into the night!
The first session featured a fascinating account by Chris Knight of Polaroid Eyewear, who explained and discussed their marketing strategy, with illustrations of some of the key elements. Although Polaroid have been around for many years, and enjoy a good reputation for technical excellence, they have had to fight hard to maintain market share, as a David against the Goliath of the Italian designer brands. They’re fighting back with a strong strategy and it seems to be paying off.
Next up, Cindy Barnes and Helen Blake, authors of “Creating and Delivering Your Value Proposition: Managing Customer Experience for Profit” presented and discussed the ideas in their new book, describing how value propositions differ from product to product, how they work and how great companies design and deliver them. We also received a copy of the book.
On Saturday morning, we had a fascinating account, from Peter Dorrington of SAS software, of their marketing strategy. This was B2B marketing at a very sophisticated level, and it held lessons for us all. The marketing of an intangible, like software, is a complex process, yet he managed to demonstrate how rigorous planning creates a framework in which they can achieve tangible results.
Finally, Ralph Stacey, Professor of Management at the Business School of the University of Hertfordshire, questioned the validity of planning in a world governed by unpredictable events. He challenged the prevailing orthodoxy that planning works to the benefit of the organisation. In so doing we were asked to re-examine our whole faith in the conventional reliance on medium and long term plans, such that we were encouraged to acknowledge that the plans themselves may have no value – only the process.
Radical stuff for a roomfull of marketers whose careers were built around the need for the very things he was calling into question!
The Ashridge Event: great learning and a grand lifestyle mix to create a memorable experience - June 12/13, 2009.
Ashridge Business School provided a stunningly beautiful and memorable setting for a fascinating event. Feedback was almost unanimous in praise of the venue - fine food, comfortable rooms, an excellent academic atmosphere and a wonderful environment.
Delegates were equally full of praise for the speakers, who without exception increased their learning and understanding of marketing.
Doctors Gibbs and Humphries gave us detailed insight (as well as a copy of their new book) into how to gain competitive advantage through collaboration and partnering. Their analysis of the causes of success and failure was based on extensive empirical evidence, and they gave us some enlightening models to evaluate the likelihood of success, as well as to manage such partnerships in order to steer them in the right direction.
Clive Grinyer of Cisco spoke amusingly about how to (and how not to) design customer experience and build a loyal customer base. Using consumer and B-to-B examples he led us through a number of case studies, which led to the conclusion that the complete customer experience must be considered and designed into the product or service, if you are to gain true competitive advantage.
Dr Freeling illuminated and enlightened us about the evolutionary nature of most marketing, and what it means for how we try to create differentiation in order to compete effectively. ‘Big steps’ are rare - the best most marketers can hope to achieve are small gains as part of a process of continuous improvement and evolution. If we understand this we will seek to improve our product’s competitive position using small, incremental steps, rather than be sidetracked by the temptation to make radical changes in the hope of reaping big returns.
Finally, Bhupendra Patel opened the doors to Johnson and Johnson, to demonstrate how one of the world’s greatest companies ensures that marketing is integrated throughout every aspect of its processes. He showed us how their ‘Credo’ underpins every decision they make - much more than jus a Mission/Vision/Values document - and shared details of their 3-prong approach to marketing effectiveness.
It was a memorable event, and one which provided a truly worthwhile learning experience to all the senior marketers and academics who attended - not to mention a great opportunity to network over fine wine and food!