DTC leaders Join Big Brand Innovators to Deliver Insights About How They Drive Growth Map the Post-Pandemic Business Landscape

IAB, which invented the concept of the “Direct Brand Economy” and convened the world’s first leadership conference for disruptor brand founders and teams, announced its fourth annual Brand Disruption Summit.

The event, to be held November 8-10, will offer critical real-world insights into a post-pandemic landscape in which brick-and-mortar retailing will be complemented and even surpassed by social selling, augmented reality tools, DTC conglomerates, and beyond.

Themed “Industries Rising”, the 2021 IAB Brand Disruption Summit will feature DTC thought leaders and innovators from Hint, Ro, Verishop and big brand leaders from Walgreens, Amazon, MasterCard and scores more.

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“For the past five years, IAB has led the Direct Brand Economy. This year, we raise the bar,” said David Cohen, CEO, IAB. “The 2021 summit is organized like an intensive Executive MBA program, with lessons taught by top business leaders who are in the thick of leading change. It’s a unique, IAB-only opportunity to network with peers facing the identical challenges they face — and find partners who can help them find success faster. Attendees across the ecosystem will learn where to place their bets and focus their investments for the next five years.”

Rob Schutz of Ro will talk about what it means to be a patient-centric healthcare technology company in the midst of a pandemic that catapulted the rise of telehealth — and about their new national rollout with Walmart.

Kara Goldin of Hint will dig into the opportunities and challenges of being truly omni-channel, and offer tactical advice for independent brands looking to grow fast.

Patrick McLean of Walgreens will provide indispensable insights into the future of retail, including the “why” and “how” behind Walgreens’ recently launched 2-hour delivery service, their push to both build and buy DTC beauty brands, and beyond.

Consumers who’ve spent the past 18 months pushing e-commerce to its limits now expect instant gratification and next-level customer service. Startups are pushing the delivery timeframe to as little as 15 minutes in some cases, reshaping consumer experience as they shrink the distance from the store to the front door. Consumers are also demanding that brands are responsible when it comes to sustainability and DEI, and won’t hesitate to abandon a brand that doesn’t align with their values.

“At the summit, IAB will release the much-anticipated IAB Brand Disruption Report.” said Randall Rothenberg, Executive Chair, IAB and the founder of this conference. “It’s the highly regarded annual study that brand, media, advertising, and technology leaders consider the roadmap to the evolving consumer brand landscape.”

IAB Brand Disruption Summit will be a mix of keynote sessions and topic-specific breakout discussions.

Monday will focus on “Consumer Insights: Reaching the NEW New Consumer”; Tuesday will dive into “Consumer Experience: Engagement 3.0”; and Wednesday will highlight “Emerging Partners, Practices and Solutions.”

The event is sponsored by AcuityAds, Amazon Advertising, Ampersand, Facebook, Google, IBM Watson Advertising, OneTrust, PubMatic, Quantcast, Tatari, and TVSquared.

Confirmed speakers and moderators include:

• Patrick McLean, Senior Vice President and CMO, Walgreen Co.
• Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, President of Healthcare, Mastercard
• Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO, Hint, Inc.
• Rob Schutz, Chief Growth Officer and Co-Founder, Ro
• Josh Tetrick, Co-Founder and CEO, Eat Just, Inc.
• Imran Khan, Co-Founder and CEO, Verishop
• Jinal Shah, Chief Marketing Officer, Feather
• Meryl Draper, CEO and Co-Founder, Quirk Creative
• Oliver Chen, Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst, Retail and Luxury Goods, Cowen
• Michelle Greenwald, Chief Executive Officer, Catalyzing Innovation
• Cyrus Beschloss, Chief Executive Officer, Generation Lab
• Matin Mirramezani, Chief Operating Officer, Generation Lab
• Sara B. Fischer, Media Reporter, Axios
• Jeffrey Cole, Director and CEO, Center for the Digital Future, USC Annenberg
• Alan Moss, Vice President, Global Advertising Sales, Amazon
• Rodney Manzo, Founder and CEO, Anvyl
• Michael Duda, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Bullish
• Kim Perell, Chief Executive Officer, 100.co
• Philip Smolin, Chief Platform Officer, 100.co

The summit is a unique opportunity to understand how new brands are born and how vulnerable brands die, how brands can scale up, what the real role of brick and mortar is (and isn’t), and how 1st party relationships are emerging as the critical bridge to longevity as cookies vanish. The summit will also explore how brands can thrive in the face of opportunities and challenges from Amazon, Walmart, and Apple iOS14.

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