A Recap of 2022's Social Media Week

Adweek's first in-person return of Social Media Week since 2020 blew expectations out of the water. Hundreds of social media digital experts, managers and directors from numerous industries gathered for the 3-day conference in the big apple last week.

We covered a great deal of the #smw with our social media manager in attendance. We compiled the key takeaways from our favorite sessions from brands such as Google, HootSuite, Twitter, and much more! Continue reading to find out what's to come and how to prepare for the emerging social media landscape.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite's CMO Maggie Lower explored what she called "courageous marketing." In today's era, you have 2.5 seconds to grab the attention of an average consumer. Maggie suggests that you have to find peoples "cravings", and in turn find out what do they want and need from your business.

Her key insights for brands is:

1. Courage is ammunition for joy and fuel for creativity.
2. Courageous creativity is intentional, bold and unexpected.
3. Gen Z is not a monolith, but they need courageous creativity more than ever.

Twitter

Beverly Jackson, VP of global brand and consumer marketing at Twitter, shared perspectives on data transparency, democratization and integrity that have enabled her teams to deliver impactful and unforgettable marketing campaigns.

She also advised social media marketers not to limit themselves to one platform (including Twitter, which she called "the internet's Town Square"). And what's the key to creating impactful and meaningful campaigns? Be insight led, culture forward, and performance focused.

Google, Roblox, Logitech

Chaka Cumberbatch led a session with Roblox's Jon Vlassopulos and Logitech's Meredith Rojas, where they spoke about how labels, brands and artists can work together seamlessly in the metaverse.

Here are the top takeaways from this session:

• Go where your audience lives and plays and where cultural conversations are happening.
• Make sure your experience is authentic, entertaining and provides value to the community. They advised marketers to ask themselves questions such as, "When planning an event, take away the brand and ask: Is this cool? Would I go to it? Would I post about it on social?
• Don’t have a 'cut and paste' mentality," they said. Create something that you've never tried before and see where it takes you.

PepsiCo

Pepsi CMO Todd Kaplan chatted with Adweek's Paul Hiebert about launching into the NFT space with its "Mic Drop Genesis" collection and offered insights on a range of additional topics to help guide other creators.?

Todd suggested that brands can't keep approaching marketing as "advertising." Product is an experience, so brands should make content, not ads. The key to standing out is all about makiing a cultural impact - which means creating meaningful consumer connections at scale. With the early stages of Web 3 still evolving, today's experiences won't be like tomorrow, so be ready for any emerging shifts.

Glossier

Adweek's Emmy Liederman spoke with?Glossier CMO Ali Weiss, who offered practical insights on what today's brands need to succeed in the next era of retail in this new experience economy.

Ali emphasized that creators should have the freedom to express and embrace their identity and aesthetic as they want, otherwise it feels inauthentic. Brands should partner with people that have natural synergies and/or already using and loving the brand. Lastly, brands need to stay true to a "brand's reason for being," but never stop evolving your strategies to reach your customers.

SocialNative

Luis Carranza of Social Native spoke to the crowd about how to future-proof your social commerce strategy. The $100 billion valued creator economy is disrupting the landscape of advertising, and the surge for personalized content is more critical than ever. Marketers need to adapt to the new era - or else lose out on captivating Gen Z and the digitally native generation.

His advice to brands are:

1. Embrace and adapt to the era of short-form video. Video is not going anywhere, it will drive more opportunities to you the earlier you start.
2. Everyone has the power to create. Don't be afraid to use micro-influencers, they are equally as successful as macro-influencers.
3. The future is now. In an era where ownership is precedence, empowering creators offers them financial indepedence to pursure their passions.

Steve Aoki

Steve Aoki, grammy nominated DJ and producer, and creative director of Adweek, shed light on his A0k1Verse and the future of Web3 in the entertainment industry.

He emphasized that this community he's created (A0k1Verse) is "a membership community, not just a fan community," which means "you listen to what they want and give them what they want—but also surprise them with things they’re not expecting, too." His parting advice to creators and brands is to find something that you love and really care about. As simple as that sounds, if you love and care about something, it'll never become boring.