Festival of Media Global to explore 'From Content to Commerce' in its seventh year

Festival of Media organiser, C Squared, has announced that 'From Content to Commerce' will be the theme for The Festival of Media Global 2013 and released details of the first sessions for this year's conference which will take place in Montreux, Switzerland, from the 28th - 30th April.

Content has been tipped as the next big battleground for brands ahead of all other marketing strands, creating a shift in how consumers relate to products and messages, and most importantly, how and why they make purchases. The growing trend for brands to become publishers, producing content for consumers to access directly, is changing the relationship between advertiser, media owner and agency.

This year's three-day event puts the spotlight on this new consumer behaviour, and the technologies and business models driving it. Sessions featuring speakers from the world's most notable brands across the $500 billion media industry will uncover the mechanisms responsible for a new world order in purchasing and customer relationships:

• 'I Sync therefore I am': How artificial intelligence and data capture tools are creating new transactional bonds between product, consumer and marketer.
  
• 'Clicks & Mortar': Uncovering the new landscape where the media owner manages the customer transaction and the retailer provides content has revolutionised how people shop.
  
• 'The Content Conundrum': Looking at the crowded world of content that has blurred the boundaries between client, media owner and agency.
  
• 'Algorithm versus The Man': Questioning whether the media industry is ready for a future where an algorithm plans and buys media - and will the media planner role become a thing of the past?
  'When Money Goes Mobile' - Understanding who owns the customer transaction in cashless society.

Charlie Crowe, Founder of the Festival of Media, says media companies must evolve to meet the needs of clients and maintain relevance in line with the industry shifts that the conference agenda focuses on:

"As economic conditions show no sign of easing in 2013, it's important that we look at how, why and where relationships are changing between brands and consumers, as well as the processes that take place between them. This year's Festival sessions will take participants under the skin of the new business models that will shape media success this year."

Bringing together the most high profile figures and senior level decision makers from across the worlds of advertising, media and marketing, The Festival of Media Global is the only event dedicated to the $500 billion media industry.