A Managing Partner’s Guide to Sprout 2020 Programme
Ahead of Sprout 2020 - a full-day programme featuring a fast-tracked branding and marketing syllabus which takes place on Saturday, 21 November 2020 and brings together thought leaders from the creative industry and brands, our Managing Partner Hardesh Singh shares his thoughts as to why there is no better time than now for potential and current founders of burgeoning startups to build their capacity in creating the brand of their (and the respective target audience) dreams, and picks out his 3 must-watch sessions.
12 months ago, if you were to tell me that live and on-ground events would cease to be a memory of a yester-year due to a global pandemic that will bring the world to an extended pause, I’d likely laugh and brush it off. But here we are and much like most (if not all) events this year, we’ve also chosen to jump on the bandwagon to create some form of happening online. The silver lining is that this has led us to launch an offering aimed at startup founders to better understand what they can do to be better in the areas of branding and marketing.
To view the full schedule for yourself, visit Bawatana Sprout 2020 website.
The core theme that runs through each session ‘purpose’, which is reflective of what drives founders to create brands that can fulfil some form of want or need that is currently not being met (at least properly anyway). In this volatile environment, all startups are grappling with what purpose they are meant to serve and how they will need to change their offering to suit these changing times and needs of their audience. If there is one thing that can determine the fate of startups that are able to come through on the other side of whatever-this-is (heavily) scarred but still very much alive, it would be in the brand DNA. And with that, we’ve created Sprout which seeks to address how startups can unearth their purpose so they can better weather the storm through the challenges that will come.
The content is specifically targeted to early and idea stage startup founders but the beauty of the event is that some of these sessions are applicable even to those who are currently or in pursuit of going into branding and marketing portfolios - regardless of whether its their own company. There is no time like the present to really get to the root of your startup’s ‘why’ so as to forge a clear path for the next crop of up-and-coming startup turn unicorn (if that’s the dream for you). More often, we’ve seen countless startups with the loftiest ideas but fail to even make it through the first year because they essentially didn’t know nor did they seek to understand why they came to be in the first place. So I hope you don’t feel confined by the weight of your thoughts and join us on this programme as we seek to address some of the ways you can discover your ‘why’ from our amazing line of speakers who have insights and knowledge that trumps all those self-help startup books you’ve been reading.
I’ve taken some time to pick my highlights from the schedule, but do scroll through the whole schedule to sign up for either the full-day programme or elective sessions that are most relevant to you.
Actually kan, what is your story?
This session directly addresses how you can uncover your startup’s purpose so you better communicate your why to all stakeholders. Pick apart of the creative brains of Sa’ad Hussein (he’s the man behind Tealive’s rebranding) and Edmund Choe (more fondly known as the Buddha in the creative realm) who have worked with some of the biggest brands in the region.
This session is part of the full-day programme. To purchase tickets, click here.
Don’t be the hero; be the set – on the art of creating a customer-first product
Having a product is one thing but creating a product that best serves the needs of your consumers is the sweet spot that you want to be in. Forget the glam that comes with being a startup founder and focus on helping your users become better versions of themselves through customer-first strategies from innovator and human systems expert Sam Chua of Metacata.
This session is part of the full-day programme. To purchase tickets, click here.
Hacking your startup’s growth with digital marketing
If you’re wondering whether or not you should click ‘Post’ on that next Facebook ad you’re looking to push out, press pause for a second. Digital marketing is a plethora of marketing experiments driven by data but if you haven’t nailed down your inferences and hypotheses effectively, this may cease to be a wasteful (and expensive) exercise. Learn how you can hack your startup’s growth using digital marketing more effectively with digital marketing expert Xin-Ci Chin of Storehub.
This session is one of three elective sessions taking place from 1.45 pm - 2.45 pm which is open to public participation. To check out the other elective sessions taking place, click here. To purchase tickets, click here.
