Five Ideas We’re Bringing Home From Ad Age’s Business of Brands 

Ad Age’s Business of Brands conference reinforced many of the conversations already happening at Crawford about strategy, technology, culture and the evolving role of marketing.  

Here are five ideas that stayed with us and how we see examples of them showing up in our work here at Crawford. 

Marketing must move the business 

Marketing leaders cannot focus solely on impressions, engagement and other marketing metrics. They must understand the organization’s goals and show how their work contributes to growth.

For agencies, that means understanding more than the assignment. We need to know how our clients operate, what their customers need and where the business is headed.

Brands need mental availability 

Does your brand come to mind when someone is ready for what you offer?

Answering that question requires identifying the needs, situations and moments that bring customers into a category. Data can help uncover those category entry points, while strategy helps a brand build meaningful associations with them.

AI can’t and won’t replace talent or taste 

AI can accelerate research, analysis and production, but efficiency alone does not produce strong work.

Human judgment is still needed to understand an audience, recognize a compelling idea and decide what feels authentic. The opportunity is to lead with people and use AI to strengthen their thinking.

Shared beliefs shape culture 

When hiring, we often ask about someone’s experience and capabilities.

One speaker challenged attendees to ask another question:

What does this person believe?

This is not about surrounding ourselves with people who think exactly alike. It is about alignment around how people work, treat clients, respond to challenges and define excellent work.

Clearly understanding those beliefs can help an agency protect its culture and grow intentionally.

Influencers need creative freedom 

Creators understand their platforms and audiences. Brands should provide clear objectives and guardrails, but overly prescriptive briefs can remove the voice and perspective that made the creator valuable in the first place.

Across each of these ideas, one theme was consistent:   

Effective marketing starts with understanding both people and the business. Technology and data can strengthen that understanding, but they can never replace it.