This week, Jo, Hannah, Nick, and Helene from Armadillo attended the IPA Effectiveness Conference, diving into the latest insights from the industry.

 

Here are the highlights:

1. Neuroscience of Laughter with Sophie Scott: It’s great to see humour making a comeback! After years of purpose-driven messaging, she explained that laughter is a powerful tool to build connections—though it might not help recall details. For CRM, this means we should integrate humour strategically to deepen relationships, focusing on simpler messages where a genuine connection matters more than complexity.

2. Customers & Effectiveness: “People trust people more than brands.” A key theme in this panel with James Mishreki, founder of Skin+ME, was moving from speaking to customers to speaking with them—something we know well in CRM. Authenticity comes from two-way communication, where customers feel part of a conversation, not just receivers of a message. We see huge potential here: blending influencer engagement with member-driven community efforts can strengthen trust and build lasting relationships. It’s not just about influencers; it’s about the right mix, as brands like Huel and Skin+Me have shown.

3. KPIs, KPIs, KPIs: A consistent theme was aligning around a single KPI through the line across the board with IPA winners such as Cadbury and McCain chips. It’s a powerful way to unify messaging and measurement, and means that CRM is not the afterthought.

4. Thinking ‘Compound Creativity’: System1 has a great new study – https://system1group.com/compound-creativity-system1-ipa :
Nailing the positioning early and maintaining consistency is crucial. While creative consistency over time was emphasized, we believe that consistency across channels is even more powerful. Think of brands like Nationwide who are starting to master this in both ATL and BTL—it’s a lesson many could benefit from brand consistency creativity is as important BTL as it is from Ad to Ad.

5. Personalisation & Demographics: Targeting the right emotions for each demographic is key, but it’s equally important to unite this under a flexible, core message. Personalisation is essential, and aligning this approach with CRM strategies helps drive real impact.

Key Thought on Measurement: It’s not just about having the right data; it’s about asking the right questions. Experimentation (https://ipa.co.uk/knowledge/publications-reports/making-effectiveness-work/) and T&L are at the heart of effective CRM strategies, ensuring that insights are truly actionable.

Let’s keep pushing boundaries in how we build connections, engage authentically, and drive effectiveness!