Keynote Day 1. Thriving in a VUCA World: Insights and Strategies for Social Marketers
In the age of disruption social marketers increasingly wrestle with the challenges posed by a VUCA world—characterised by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. In this new, dynamic environment traditional social marketing mindsets and methods are becoming less effective. On the front lines, many social marketing scholars, practitioners, participants, and policymakers sense a distinct shift in the landscape, yet struggle to pinpoint exactly what has changed and what to do about it. This keynote will outline VUCA-related social marketing challenges and opportunities and how embracing concepts like ‘delicious ambiguity’ and First Nations knowledges and perspectives can help social marketing thrive in VUCA environments.
Speaker: Professor Maria Raciti, co-director of the Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast. [Click here for biographies]
Panel 1. Are AI tools a replacement for humans in evaluating behaviour change programs/campaigns?
This panel will take the form of a debate with two speakers each taking the affirmative and negative positions on the panel question. Drawing on different discipline perspectives or behavioural economics, social marketing, health implementation science and communications, we will hear both sides of the argument and then the audience will vote for the side they believe was the most persuasive.
Panellists:
Kathy Benson, Director, Behavioural Economics and Research, The Cabinet Office, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Queensland Government, Carolyn Juntos, Director Juntos Marketing, Professor Joy Parkinson, Associate Dean Research, Australian Catholic University and Rob Hudson, CEO Spoutlogic. [Click here for biographies]
Panel 2 Social marketing ecosystems in the age of disruption: how might we use social marketing to disrupt under-performing systems and market failure?
This panel will examine the role of social marketing as a philosophy, approach and tool to address system failures in markets including energy and health. The speakers will offer academic and practical commentary on the topic and will use case examples to demonstrate how social marketing can disrupt under-performing systems and market failure.
Panellists:
Joan Young, Partner Alliance Research, Professor Ross Gordon, University of Technology Sydney/past president Australian Association of Social Marketing, Rebecca Ahern, Executive Manager, Social Marketing & Communications Group VicHealth. [Click here for biographies]