C3 Supper Club
Catch up on each session below with talk summaries and access to speaker slides.
EventsNews
Up North 2025 wrap up
We were back in sunny Manchester this June for our third Up North marketing festival – a full day of networking, industry insights and standout talks, all wrapped up with an Aperol Spritz after party.
After months of planning, curating an agenda with 32 incredible speakers, partnering with 9 brilliant sponsors, and selling out for the third year running with 400 attendees, we couldn’t be prouder of what we brought to Manchester.
When we first launched Up North in 2023, it was important to us that we created something a little bit different. That’s why our focus has always been on the speakers, the agenda and our amazing venue!
A huge thank you to our sponsors Print.com, Ahrefs, Generation Digital, You Platforms, Passata, Girls in Marketing, Pedagogue, Powerhouse, GIFTA and of course to all our attendees and speakers for joining us.
You can view the event photography here – photo cred to Rebekah Middleton and C3’s Ryan Colleran.
Stage one
Broghan Smith – Head of Fashion & Beauty New Business, TikTok
Talk: TikTok Shop: Unlocking discovery commerce
Broghan Smith spoke about his work at the UK’s fastest growing e-commerce platform. With roughly half of the UK population actively using TikTok, and with the typical user spending two hours on the app every day, TikTok Shop has innovated on digital sales with an approach Smith calls “discovery commerce”. This means that creators can speak about a product authentically, show the user a real life application, and present a fully integrated customer journey that all takes place through one app in about 30 seconds. He also discussed TikTok’s rising prominence as a search engine, and the importance of connecting with customers who could wind up becoming your business’ next brand advocate or content creator.
Naomi Horan – Social Media and Influencer Manager, Cloud Nine
Talk: More than just a buzzword: Building real community through organic social
Social media manager Naomi Horan’s fireside chat with C3’s Molly Bartram focused on the importance of community in influencer marketing, and how harbouring an authentic partnership with your creators makes your content feel less transactional and more tailored to your audience. Forming a two-way collaborative process with influencers to create content that their viewers want to see allows for natural marketing, as opposed to campaigns where a creator’s audience has little crossover with a brand’s target demographic. As social media marketing shifts away from mainstay campaign frameworks like the “influencer trip” towards more innovative community events and brand collaborations, long term community-building is becoming the foundation of sustained success. By using your available metrics to see how much your audience values your content, you can inform your brand’s decisions and experiment with new content to avoid stagnation.
Tom Higgins – Co-Founder & CEO, GIFTA, Natasha Greenwood – Digital Community Executive, Haier, Molly Bartram, Senior Influencer Marketing Manager, Connective3
Talk: The new realities of influencer marketing
Tom Higgins and Natasha Greenwood sat down with Molly Bartram to discuss changes in social media marketing, where more authentic, relatable content is now taking priority over mid-tier macro campaigns with contracted partners. Audiences can sense when a partnership is purely transactional, so trust needs to be built in the influencer space with creators who have a genuine appreciation for a company’s products. They discussed the importance of data collection and collaboration in tailoring campaigns to specific audiences to achieve the best possible results, and how putting products in the hands of smaller creators can create a word-of-mouth buzz rather than manufactured interests from larger accounts.
Stef Sword-Williams – Founder, F*ck Being Humble
Talk: F*ck being humble: Be brave and leave a legacy
Our keynote speaker for the day was Stef Sword-Williams, a brand consultant and author of “F*ck Being Humble: Why Self Promotion Isn’t A Dirty Word”. She encouraged the audience to stand up and promote themselves, not through arrogance or ego, but an understanding that their voice is powerful and valued more than we may think.
Her talk discussed how marketing has become homogenised and dull, refusing to address important issues such as women’s safety, workplace equality, affordable mental health counselling, and more through two key ideas: creativity and courage.
By standing out and using your influence to leave a legacy that you can be proud of, you can be indispensable in the workplace and avoid losing your spot to AI or another marketer. She encouraged listeners to ditch their FOSS (Fear Of Sounding Stupid), and replace it with FOBG (Fear Of Being Generic), and to continue their passions separately from their line of work even if an idea is rejected by higher-ups.
Martha Evans – Creative Producer & Social Media Manager and Shannon Royal – Creative Producer, Sidemen Entertainment
Talk: Two girls who don’t know the offside rule: Becoming a master of your audience
Martha Evans and Shannon Royal shared how deep audience engagement can outweigh subject‑matter expertise. Tasked with running social strategy for the Sidemen’s 90‑thousand‑seat YouTube Charity Football Match, they openly “didn’t know the offside rule,” yet turned that outsider status into an advantage. Their core goal was conversation, not just reach: include everyone, spark story‑driven chatter, and be first to surface the moments fans would clip and remix. Rejecting rigid content calendars, they ideate on the fly, tailoring tone and format for each segment of their 16‑25 demographic and transforming trends, like the Grammy “sign‑the‑camera” trend on TikTok, into unique “Sidemen hero moments”.
The pair stressed that originality beats tick-boxing, as well as posting with purpose, evolving trends rather than copy‑and‑paste, and crafting narratives that fans can own. Knowing your audience “better than yourself,” they argued, lets you market an event (even a football match) without needing to be a complete expert in the particular field. Their takeaway: embrace creative intuition, stay agile, and always prioritise what will get people talking.
Nicola Gunby – Founder & CMO, CLIQ
Talk: The power of purpose: Building community in tech as a female founder
Nicola Gunby shared her journey from having no prior tech or business background to building a thriving app centred around real-life community connections. Initially launching with just a few features, she emphasised the value of starting small and learning through mistakes, never repeating the same one twice. She detailed how CLIQ filled a market gap by creating a unified platform for people seeking to meet others offline, particularly professionals. Long before “community” became a buzzword, CLIQ focused on cultivating authentic networks, often led by community organisers who now function like micro-influencers.
George Rawlings – Co-Founder, Thursday
Talk: Thursdays only: Disrupting dating and building a brand that breaks the rules
George Rawlings shared how he and his co-founder disrupted the dating app space by building a brand that thrives on bold ideas and rule-breaking marketing. With no technical background, their journey started with a culture-first mindset – spotting that Thursdays saw a spike in dating activity due to after-work drinks. From there, they built a brand rooted in spontaneity and story, evolving Thursday from an app into a movement that hosts real-life dating events.
George discussed early marketing missteps (like a failed “hump day” LinkedIn stunt) and how those lessons shaped their sharper brand storytelling. Whether over a pint or during a brainstorm, they ideate with narrative in mind, using real user success stories to shape authentic campaigns. Brand partnerships have played a big role too, he offered insights into catching a brand’s attention by being unexpected and culturally relevant.
Stage one – Digital Bites track
Mercy Fulani – Freelancer
Talk: Once upon a time, your content flopped
Mercy Fulani tackled the all-too-familiar feeling of content falling flat after launch, and what to do next. She highlighted how easy it is to banish underperforming work to the abyss, but stressed that quality content deserves a second chance. Backed by the stat that 60% of marketers see better results from repurposed content, she shared a personal story: a lifestyle video she made for a client that initially pulled in just 1,670 views. By updating the caption, thumbnail, hashtags, and keywords and digging deeper into her audience, she eventually pushed the video past 21,000 views.
She emphasised the importance of reviewing analytics (like drop-off points), trying different platforms (e.g. using Reels for travel content), and switching up formats (video vs. stills).
Fiona Robinson – Country Caption UK and Cadie Mayor, Co-Creator, Print.com
Talk: CTRL+P for impact
Fiona Robinson and Cadie Mayor explored how blending print and digital (what they called phygital) can create more impactful campaigns. While often seen as old-fashioned, print remains one of the most trusted media formats, with 71% of people completely trusting the mail they receive. They argued that print’s credibility, permanence, and personal feel make it a powerful brand tool, whether it’s a flyer, tote bag or even a water bottle.
Using examples like Toolstation (which used printed QR codes on tools to drive digital traffic, boosting website visits by 10% and saving £1 million) and Coca-Cola (which turned personalised packaging into real-world event experiences), they demonstrated how physical media can reinforce digital efforts. Scientific studies back this up, with multi-sensory experiences, like Royal Mail’s chocolate letter campaign, known to activate more areas of the brain, making the brand more memorable.
Download Fiona and Cadie’s slides here
Tom Baker – Founder, FordeBaker
Talk: Borderless growth: Navigating international expansion through marketplaces
Tom Baker discussed the evolving European marketplace landscape and how brands can strategically expand internationally. Amazon dominates across Europe (especially in Germany, France, and Spain) while TikTok Shop, despite only launching in the UK in 2023, is growing at an unprecedented pace, achieving in a few years what took Amazon over a decade.
For brands looking to scale across borders, marketplaces offer a faster, lower-cost, and lower-risk route compared to launching a standalone website, though they come with trade-offs. Marketplaces provide a ready-made audience but limit marketing control, while your own site gives you customer data and multichannel potential but requires significant infrastructure and payment setup.
Ben Martin – Partnerships Manager, Powerhouse
Talk: AI visuals: Wow your customer, don’t weird them out
Ben Martin explored the growing use of generative AI in marketing visuals, with 89% of marketers now using AI tools and 62% employing them specifically to create imagery. However, consumer trust hasn’t kept pace as 56% believe brands rely too heavily on AI, risking their credibility.
Ben warned that while AI offers speed and savings, it’s not yet visually accurate or trustworthy enough to replace human input. He showed real-world examples of AI visual failures, stressing that brand trust is hard-won and easily lost.
Highlighting ethical and effective AI use, he shared a campaign from Powerhouse for Avon, where real foreground images were combined with AI-generated backgrounds using virtual production. This saved time and costs while preserving authenticity, showing how AI can enhance, not replace, real photography. They even layered in AI-driven motion, sound, and calls to action without compromising brand integrity.
Sophie Smith – Content Writer, Look Fantastic
Talk: In my revenue era: How Taylor Swift helped me make $200k
Sophie Smith shared how cultural relevance (and a little Taylor Swift magic) helped her drive $200k in revenue through clever copywriting and timing. With six years of experience under her belt, Sophie broke down how she capitalised on the Eras Tour’s cultural wave to position Nasty Gal as the go-to brand for concert looks.
The results were a 68% revenue spike, more than 7,000 daily organic visitors, and top rankings for over 300 search terms. But she didn’t stop there. Weekly content updates and fast reactions to product changes (like out-of-stock items) ensured ongoing relevance.
Sophie’s key takeaway was “When Taylor Swift gives you an inch, run a mile.” Staying culturally aware, nimble, and SEO-savvy is what keeps
Karl Randay – Experience Director, 383 Project
Talk: How to uncover hidden opportunities: Using Friction Mapping to take action at pace
Karl Randay shared how friction mapping can uncover hidden opportunities in the customer journey fast. Using a detailed case study with Volkswagen, Karl explained how his team mapped the end-to-end experience of vehicle finance, from research to end-of-contract, to identify and prioritise pain points for innovation.
The goal was to uncover quick wins and drive a long-term cultural shift within the organisation toward customer-centric thinking. Their work resulted in a “North Star” strategy grounded in real customer insight, helping Volkswagen align internally and take action more confidently.
Karl walked through the friction mapping process, stressing it’s not rocket science, it’s about talking to people and understanding their lived experience. Though the pandemic made in-home visits difficult, the team scaled up remote studies to avoid bias and maintain integrity.
Alicia Torres – Senior Marketing Manager, Force24
Talk: Making the inbox hit like Instagram
Alicia Torres encouraged marketers to stop treating email like an afterthought and start thinking about it the same way they do social media. She argued that email isn’t a static channel, it’s a visual, interactive space that should compete for attention just like any social feed.
Alicia reminded the audience that consumers scroll the equivalent of the Statue of Liberty’s height each day, so email has to work harder to grab attention. Instead of viewing social and email as separate or competing platforms, she advocated for treating them as a power duo, with learnings from one informing the other.
Stage two
Tom Lanaway – Innovation Strategy Manager, Connective3
Talk: AI: The magic and the machine
Tom Lanaway explored how AI has moved beyond hype to become a powerful “magic” that helps people do more with less effort. Drawing on lessons from building Merlin, Connective3’s internal AI, he shared practical advice on spotting real AI opportunities, persuading stakeholders to invest, and creating AI solutions that empower teams rather than replace them. His talk emphasised turning AI into a dynamic teammate and encouraged attendees to integrate it into their daily work.
Kate Manton – Coach & Mentor – Baobab Works Ltd
Talk: Embracing disruption, through AI, team and you
Kate Manton explored how true disruption today comes from a powerful combination of AI, self-leadership and teamwork. With AI now an essential, unbiased team member, the talk emphasised embracing it as a collaborator that drives better performance and decision-making rather than a competitor. Yet, by challenging conventional thinking and reimagining team dynamics, listeners were inspired to harness the synergy between human creativity and AI, unlocking new levels of innovation and impact in today’s fast-evolving marketing landscape.
Andreas Stefanou – YouTube Product Lead, Google
Talk: There’s only one YouTube: Where creative brilliance meets Google AI
Andreas Stefanou explored how brands can unlock YouTube’s full potential by combining creative excellence with the power of Google AI. He demonstrated how AI-driven tools help deliver full-funnel strategies, from awareness to conversion, by optimising creative, media, and measurement in one seamless ecosystem.
With short-form video on the rise and YouTube Shorts growing rapidly across screens, Andreas highlighted that today’s users are engaging with content in more ways than ever, making it vital for brands to meet them where they are. He also introduced the ABCD framework (Attention, Branding, Connection, Direction) for building standout creative, and shared how partnerships with creators can boost conversions and trust.
Claire Stanley-Manock – Chief Growth Officer, Connective3
Talk: Beyond the click: Building brands that drive real growth
In an era dominated by AI, ROAS metrics, and zero-click searches, Claire’s talk highlighted why building a strong brand remains your ultimate unfair advantage. Moving beyond last-click attribution, it focused on strategies to unlock sustainable, long-term growth by creating memorable brands that resonate with audiences, without compromising on immediate performance. The audience learned how to balance brand-building with data-driven results, ensuring their marketing efforts drive both recognition and real business impact.
Holly Watson – Head of Marketing, Co-Op Live and Adam MacDonald – Commercial Publishing Lead, NewsUK
Talk: Cutting through the noise: Media, talent and storytelling in a saturated world
In this panel, Holly Watson and Adam MacDonald explored how entertainment and culture intersect in a fast-moving digital world. Though their roles differ, they both face the challenge of cutting through noise to reach passionate, media-savvy audiences. They discussed how they prepare for high-profile events, collaborate with talent, and use storytelling to create standout moments.
The conversation touched on adapting to a mobile-first audience, the shifting definition of success in social media, and what the future holds for live entertainment and digital content, with both Holly and Adam spotlighting the rise of immersive experiences and new formats as key trends.
Perla Bloom – Senior Comms Planning Manager, Expedia Group
Talk: Audience, innovation & entertainment: What modern comms needs right now
In a fireside chat with C3’s Rosa Mitchell, Perla Bloom unpacked what modern communications really demands: audience-first thinking, space for innovation, and a bold embrace of entertainment-led storytelling. She shared how the strongest campaigns begin with a clear strategy rooted in audience insight – not just understanding who people are, but what they care about and how they connect with culture.
Perla emphasised the importance of creating room for experimentation within budgets and team culture, encouraging brands to treat failure as a pathway to innovation. As more brands shift toward storytelling that feels like entertainment, she highlighted that this isn’t just a trend, it’s how culture moves, and brands that adapt will build deeper, longer-lasting connections.
Gus Pelogia – Senior SEO Product Manager, Indeed
Talk: Why you need to trust your marketing data (and how to get there)
Gus Pelogia delivered a session on the importance of crafting an SEO roadmap that actually drives business impact not just busywork. His central message was cut through the noise and focus on what really moves the needle.
Too often, SEO teams get distracted by shiny tasks that don’t tie to real KPIs. Instead, Gus urges SEOs to zoom out: think in terms of projects, not tasks, and build a roadmap around big themes with measurable outcomes. Each initiative should be backed by a clear business case, helping you stay focused, justify priorities, and say no to one-off distractions that won’t scale.
Gus also emphasised the value of split testing and measuring causal impact, especially on large websites. For example, what seems like a minor menu redesign could actually be a month-long, cross-functional effort involving UX, SEO, product, sales, and leadership. Without a roadmap and business case in place, you risk losing alignment and momentum.
Dan Morehead – SEO Manager, Channel4
Talk: SEO & PPC: Married at first sight
Dan Morehead explored how SEO and PPC can be perfectly aligned not competing, but complementing each other. Using the backdrop of the ever-evolving TV streaming landscape, including ITV Hub’s rebrand to ITVX and Channel 4’s own platform overhaul, the talk highlighted how search strategy must adapt with brand evolution.
Channel 4’s recent rebrand unified its streaming service under one name but legacy search behaviours persist. Many users still search using terms like 4oD or even Channel 4 iPlayer. Analysis showed that 80% of brand impressions still come from these outdated but familiar search queries. The takeaway from this insight was that if you’re not ranking organically for these terms, you’re missing out regardless of your current branding.
Dan also advises to use a VPN to emulate different locations and AI search behaviours, a smart move when reporting on SERPs visibility and testing search variations in new environments.
Elle Pollicott – Organic Search Director, Connective3
Talk: The SERPs are shifting: Here’s how to evolve your organic strategy with it
Elle focused on the shifting landscape of search and what it means for modern SEO. Her session centred on four key areas: AI Overviews (AIOs), video and social search, organic shopping, and Google’s AI Mode offering a look at how SERPs are transforming and what strategists need to do now.
- AI Overviews (AIOs) Are Reshaping Search
The rise of AI Overviews (AIOs) is changing how users interact with Google and 14% of keywords now return AIO features, jumping to 88% for long-tail keywords. They’re especially prevalent in industries like life sciences, tech, biology, and finance, and month-on-month growth is accelerating fast.
However, AIOs are fuelling zero-click searches meaning your brand needs to be visible inside those results or risk getting cut out entirely.
- Video and Social Search Are Non-Negotiable
With social platforms now being as legitimate as search engines, Elle emphasised mapping video formats, scripting effectively, and tightly aligning with keyword research. Tools like KeywordTool.io and Ahrefs can be used side-by-side for deeper insights.
- Organic Shopping Listings Need SEO Input
As ChatGPT and Google start making AI-powered product recommendations, it’s essential your product pages and feeds are fully optimised. This includes high-quality images, clear titles, competitive pricing and structured data.
- AI Mode & the Future of Search
With Google AI Mode (currently rolling out in the US), the search landscape is becoming hyper-personalised but Elle reassured the room that while this feels overwhelming, it’s also a major opportunity for agile brands.
All in all, Elle’s talk focused on the key takeaway of not losing sight of humans. As AI transforms the SERP, the brands that win will be the ones creating content for people not just algorithms. Strong EEAT signals (expertise, author bios, trust indicators) still matter more than ever.
Gaby Mendes – Co-Founder, Passata and Olivia Hanlon – Founder, Girls in Marketing and Co-Founder, Passata
Talk: People power: How communities build the brands of tomorrow
Gaby and Olivia shared their journey from meeting in 2020 to building thriving, community-led brands. Girls in Marketing (GIM), now a global learning platform and movement, has grown to 20 million social media impressions, partnering with over 60 global and local companies. Gaby also built Talk Twenties from a podcast into a large-scale platform reaching millions.
Their core message of their talk: community isn’t just an add-on, it’s the foundation. Whether it’s the inside jokes or the vulnerable spaces they’ve created, both founders stressed that community means belonging, safety, and shared identity. Community, they argued, is your most powerful marketing strategy, with 64% of consumers wanting brands to connect with them beyond product.
They outlined three key points:
- Community isn’t just followers, it’s the people who would miss you if you disappeared.
- Community is a foundation, not a feature, it supports openness and vulnerability.
- Community is about belonging, it’s where people feel seen, heard, and understood.
Download Gaby and Olivia’s slides here
Helen Hope – Heritage Brand Manager, NBrown
Talk: Magnetic Marketing: The laws of brand attraction
Helen explored how belief, energy, and vision drive brand success just as much as strategy. Using the Stanley Cup trend as an example, she showed that cult brands like Amazon and Lululemon don’t just sell products, they sell belief.
Sharing her personal journey from a struggling shop owner to life-changing success through visualisation, Helen emphasised that belief fuels action, and action builds momentum.
Helen’s magnetic marketing framework follows three steps:
- Clarify the vision
- Align the energy
- Activate the attraction
Ash Jones – Founder, Great Influence, Clair Heaviside – Co-Founder, Serotonin, Rosa Mitchell – Director of Manchester, Connective3
Talk: More than followers: Building a personal brand in 2025
This panel explored what personal branding really means, how it impacts professional growth, and how to build an authentic presence that resonates with the right audience.
Ash Jones emphasised that personal branding should reflect who you are offline, not just your online persona. Micro shifts in language can change who you’re speaking to, so clarity matters. Relevance is more important than reach and going viral only works if there’s meaning behind it. He encourages playing the long game and using AI wisely as building your brand yourself has long-term value.
Clair Heaviside described personal branding as more than ego, it’s how people perceive your purpose. She encouraged treating yourself like a brand: define your values, goals, and what makes you different. Content should offer value and reflect who you are beyond your job title. Use AI as a tool, not a crutch, refinement is key to keeping content meaningful.
Rosa Mitchell spoke openly about imposter syndrome and the importance of self-belief. With over a decade in marketing, she shared that building confidence in your voice takes practice. She recommends keeping evidence of your expertise to remind yourself you’re capable, as personal branding starts with backing yourself.
Event photos
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