"We need to be bold, we need to be brave" was Nikki Valera's rallying cry to all marketers as they continue to face the uncertain economic climate.

Speaking at MAD//Fest London as part MAD//Fest’s ‘MAD//Fest Moments series’ in partnership with THE FIFTH, Vadera said that, "the current marketing playbook needs to be ripped up and thrown out the window", and that marketers, "need to take a fresh look at how we are marketing to consumers."

She also felt that marketers are having to fight on two fronts - on the high street and in the board room. "Quite often in economic challenging environments, we end up as marketers having our budget challenged and possibly even cut."

Vadera went on to say that marketers need to be more evangelical about their role: "We really need to show businesses how we bring the value to the bottom line, whether that is driving sales, uplift in our brand awareness and our equity measures, or even just understanding that longer term view of what marketing can bring through building brand equity."

In the short, but wide ranging interview, she also spoke about the increasingly important and changing role of influencer marketing and why diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the front of her mind for 2024. Watch it here.

‘MAD//Fest Moments’ is a series, in partnership with THE FIFTH in which prominent industry leaders share emerging trends, challenges and opportunities. We’ll be covering these interviews over the rest of the year in MAD//Insight.