How events help marketers cut through the noise
▼ Summary
– Marketers face increased content overload across many channels, making it hard to stand out.
– In-person events have resurged post-pandemic as a way for brands to build community and escape digital noise.
– Tara Corey, SVP of marketing at Optimizely, discusses how brands prioritize human connection and immersive storytelling.
– The episode covers why in-person events are thriving and what types perform well, including event personalization.
– Events are described as a word-of-mouth experience that deliver value with less of a sales pitch.
The modern marketer has more platforms, tools, and distribution channels available than ever before. Yet, instead of clarity, we’ve flooded those channels with a deafening level of content overload. For many brands, standing out now feels like shouting into a hurricane.
But some marketers have found an escape route. The return of in-person events after the pandemic offered a rare opportunity to step away from the digital noise and focus on what actually works: building community, fostering genuine connections, and creating immersive experiences.
In the latest episode of Conversations with MarTech, we sit down with Tara Corey, SVP of marketing at Optimizely, to unpack how brands are cutting through the modern content bombardment. Corey argues that the key isn’t producing more content, but prioritizing human connection and storytelling that feels real.
Episode guide
0:00 Introduction
0:45 Meet Tara Corey
1:22 Why does content overload feel worse today than ever before?
2:23 Is there a strategic advantage to being the brand that refuses to “out-scream” the competition?
3:15 Why are in-person events thriving right now? Which types of events are delivering the best results?
6:22 What does the future of events look like? Is event personalization the next frontier?
7:51 What kinds of events is Tara’s team currently creating?
8:39 The sweetest-smelling booth giveaway you’ll hear about
9:07 How to design events that deliver real value without relying on a heavy sales pitch
11:02 Events as a word-of-mouth experience
12:15 How do you build an event from an online community?
14:18 How does a company re-brand affect the types of events you hold?
17:23 What can a theme park teach you about your own brand and event strategy?
(Source: MarTech)
