Internet users rarely agree on anything. Except maybe one thing.

Mobile World Congress is big. Surprisingly big.

In 2016 the concept of digital governance continued to grow in importance within many brands. Previously, good governance was perceived by many as the domain of the riskaverse ‘naysayers.’ now, it is being increasingly recognised as a key enabler of progress, allowing companies to embrace technologies more rapidly.

Certain sectors continue to face major threats to their ability to communicate with consumers, such as food, alcohol, energy drinks and toys. the industry at large faces horizontal challenges in relation to digital with privacy concerns being prioritised by policy-makers globally. the broader advertising ecosystem faces an existential threat in the form of ad blocking.

The objective of INSIGHTFORUM is to improve how consumer insight specialists and marketers work together to generate actionable insights to inform unifying marketing ideas.

‘Digital transformation’ has remained a focus in 2016. Much of this process is concerned with people, culture and organisations, and our content has concentrated on helping members to learn from one another.

2016 was an exciting year for our IMCFORUM as the group significantly grew in size (+25%) and geographical footprint. Further to the launch of our first meeting in Dubai and our workshop series in Singapore, the group now connects senior marketers in four regions.

WFA CEO Stephan Loerke reflects on the year 2016

There will be fewer major sporting events in 2017 than we’ve seen this year.

How do you get an ocean-liner and a speedboat to co-exist? Rob Dreblow looks at the challenges for big brands and start-ups in working together