Marketing Operations and Transformation Forum: Innovation Through Operations

I. NETWORKING BREAKFAST (9:30 – 10:00a.m. ET)

II. WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS (10:00 – 10:20a.m. ET)

III. ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: INCREASING THE STRATEGIC CAPABILITIES OF THE MARKETING OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT (10:20 – 10:50a.m. ET)
The ANA’s latest research on marketing operations suggests a significant imbalance in the amount of strategic versus tactical responsibilities. There is far greater tactical work being done than strategic work, limiting marketing operations’ impact on the long-term vision of the marketing organization. Here, we will engage in a group discussion around the challenges that come with increasing marketing operations’ strategic capabilities, and focus on which strategies should sit with marketing operations.

IV. HOWARD HUGHES: THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF INNOVATION FOR MARKETING AND BEYOND (10:50 – 11:25a.m. ET)
At HHX, the innovation hub of Howard Hughes, Jonathan Goldberg has been instrumental in helping the company embrace new technologies and foster a culture of innovation. His role involves exploring the potential of technologies like blockchain and generative AI, integrating these innovations into the core operations of Howard Hughes, and shaping the vision for building the cities of tomorrow. Here, learn how an operations leader can drive innovation within their own companies.

Speakers:
Jonathan Goldberg, Vice President, HHX – Howard Hughes

V. BREAK (11:25 – 11:45a.m. ET)

VI. FROM CURIOSITY TO CLARITY: HOW PRUDENTIAL CRACKED THE CODE FOR SUCCESS WITH AI (11:45a.m. – 12:20p.m. ET)
We’re in the thick of it – "check out this cool AI-generated content" or "I was able to complete this project in half the time." But at an enterprise level, integrating AI into our workflows can be quite daunting. In this session, Ashley Cheretes, Prudential’s first director of generative AI, will cut through the noise and share their journey from the initial exploration of AI to its current strategic application across multiple teams. You’ll hear the story of how our marketing team navigated the integration of AI, the protocols we established for evaluating new capabilities, and the change management strategies that fostered a culture of innovation and provided comprehensive training and support. Join us to discover practical, actionable ways to harness the power of AI in your marketing operations and drive real business results.

Speaker:
Ashley Cheretes, Director, Generative AI – Prudential

VII. FIRST LOOK: RESULTS FROM THE ANA MARKETING OPERATIONS STRATEGIC BENCHMARK REPORT(12:20 – 12:55p.m. ET)
To wrap up our meeting, the ANA will share a first look at the new Marketing Operations Strategic Benchmark Report. The ANA embarked on this study on the state of marketing operations to not only refute several beliefs about the value of marketing operations, but to introduce new benchmark data for the profession as it seeks to bolster its strategic impact, and clarify its capabilities. This study provides a unique benchmark on the growth and scale of marketing operations teams across several key indicators including department age and headcount, reporting structure to senior leadership, and impact on marketing technology spend and stack changes.

Speaker:
Peter Kenigsberg, Senior Director, Brand & Media – ANA

VIII. NETWORKING LUNCH (12:55 – 2:00p.m. ET)