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Tue Oct 27 2026 at 11:30 am to 01:00 pm UTC-04:00

AVERAGES ARE KILLING BRAND DIFFERENTIATION

  • L. William Seidman Center · Grand Rapids
  • From USD 44.52
American Marketing Association of West Michigan Publisher / Host American Marketing Association of West Michigan
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AVERAGES ARE KILLING BRAND DIFFERENTIATION
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AVERAGES ARE KILLING BRAND DIFFERENTIATION
And what Brand leaders can do about it.
About this Event

Keynote Description

Brands have spent well over $100 billion in the past decade on gathering, warehousing, layering, analyzing and fetishizing third- and first-party consumer data. C-Suites and Boards now think CMOs have a crystal ball and expect brand turnarounds to be fast. They do not have a crystal ball. And worse, their strategic insights and resulting briefs are virtually the same as their competitors, leaving the onus of real brand differentiation on creative. In this talk, I will layout how the break out of this cycle of “average in, average out.”

Key Takeaways

  • There is a place for large, quantitative data cuts. But the real truth about your audience can be found in deep, qualitative, interest-driven conversations.
  • Meaningful and lasting brand differentiation happens further upstream than the creative process
  • Subcultures are how you understand an audience, not a limit on who you can reach


About the Speaker

Adam Wilson is the co-founder of D/CAL, a subculture-driven creative agency built on the belief that understanding audiences better leads to building more distinctive brands.

His career spans some of the industry's most respected agencies, including J. Walter Thompson, BBDO, Organic, and McGarryBowen, where he helped pioneer innovative approaches to integrated storytelling and brand building. He later brought that experience to Carhartt, leading North American brand marketing before co-founding D/CAL with Tony Hawk in 2018.

Throughout his career, Adam's work has earned recognition from Cannes Lions, the Effies, Webbys, and Communication Arts. Today, he leads D/CAL's mission to uncover the audience insights competitors miss and turn them into brands they wish they'd built.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/themedium/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dcal-agency/

https://www.dcalagency.com/


Ticket Prices through noon, Tuesday October 21:

  • Member - $30
  • Future Member- $40
  • Prices increase by $5 after 12pm on October 21

*As a member, please use the discounted link found in the members-only email invite, to redeem your registration discount.

Membership Information:

Come join the essential community for marketers. The AMA is home to marketing professionals dedicated to boosting their skills and growing their network. Members get free training every month, exclusive content and connection to a local chapter like ours. And it's all just $199/year. https://ama.org/join


For those who recently joined AMA, email a copy of your confirmation to [email protected] to receive the member promo code for your discounted registration.


REFUND POLICY

  • Up to 7 days before the event: Full refund no questions asked
  • 7 days or less until the event: no refunds or transferrence (includes getting sick, positive COVID test, poor weather, etc.)
  • Death or serious illness (hospitalization, etc.): full refund with no advanced notice

Agenda

🕑: 11:30 AM - 01:00 PM
Lunch and Presentation
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Event venue & nearby stays

L. William Seidman Center, 50 Front Avenue Southwest, Grand Rapids, United States

Tickets USD 44.52 to USD 49.87
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