New Digital Age gathered reaction to the MAD//North event which took place in Manchester last week…
Martin Roberts, Sales Director, Adform:
“With the northern crowd’s characteristic charm, MAD//North felt less like ‘working the room’ and more like a genuinely collaborative community packed with insight, ambition, and properly spirited enthusiasm.
“Day one kicked off with a brilliant panel exploring why the North remains a hub of change. Elliot Muscant of Open Partners set the tone with a sharp history lesson on northern entrepreneurship and the evolution of the agency landscape since 2002. This was followed by leaders from Social Chain, Boots, and Roland Dransfield, who highlighted how Manchester is a growing hub for tech and AI talent, making it the perfect place to start a business. There’s healthy competition, plenty of room for more, and with true Mancunian spirit behind it, we’ve been punching above our weight for years.
“I was particularly excited for the session from TAU Marketing Solutions. The practical example shared by Archana Dhankar demonstrated how Proofpoint has utilised TAU’s services to scale AI at speed, with purpose and measurable impact. Overall, this Ballon d’Or lineup of adtech demonstrated how AI doesn’t need to be a black box. Instead, it can be a malleable architecture that delivers tangible outcomes while keeping control.
“The fact is, MAD//North isn’t trying to be London. It doesn’t need to be. It’s carving its own lane, powered by community, innovation and a refusal to apologise for game-changing ambition.”
Charles Taylor, Marketing Manager, Herdify:
“The first day of MAD//North was strong and genuinely useful. It felt particularly valuable for brands trying to understand what’s changing in technology, while also getting a clearer grip on the practical power of consumer psychology and behavioural science in modern marketing.
“Many of the conversations and sessions centred on TikTok, commerce and content. My lens on that is that content isn’t just about volume, or posting for the sake of it. It becomes far more powerful when it resonates with a specific audience. And resonance is much easier to achieve when you understand the context around that audience: where they are, how they live, and what their day-to-day environment looks like.
“One of the standout sessions for me was the Warburtons talk. It was a strong example of a familiar brand leaning into humour and embracing a more playful creative approach – but doing so with confidence and craft. Jonathan Warburton shared an insightful product observation around the growing demand for thicker sliced bread, and responded directly to that behavioural shift. The practical result? Thicker slices mean people get through a loaf faster, which in turn drives higher purchase frequency. A simple but smart product response, grounded in real consumer behaviour.
“Overall, the strongest themes from the event is that ideas spread between people, and decisions are shaped by context as much as by messaging. The brands that do well are the ones that understand the environment around the customer, not just the individual themselves.”
Bill Dennett, Regional Team Lead, Uber Advertising:
“MAD//North has once again shown that the centre of gravity in UK advertising isn’t just nudging north — it’s accelerating there. What stood out wasn’t just the energy, but the commercial intent behind it. This is a market that blends creativity with accountability, challenger ambition with real operational grit. From bold storytelling to smarter measurement, the conversations felt less theoretical and far more focused on how brands actually drive growth.
“One of the clearest themes running through the festival was the continued maturation of retail and commerce media. We’ve moved beyond the hype cycle. Brands aren’t asking why anymore, they’re asking how fast they can operationalise it. As consumers collapse the gap between inspiration and action, the opportunity lies in showing up at the precise moment intent is forming.
“What’s increasingly clear is that discovery doesn’t just happen in traditional brand environments. It happens in everyday moments. The morning commute coffee. The midweek top-up shop. The “what’s for dinner?” scroll. These are high-intent, high-attention touchpoints where platforms have a real role in shaping outcomes, not just influencing perceptions.
“The key takeaway from the festival is clear: growth belongs to brands that understand moments, earn trust, and show up with purpose. Presence alone isn’t enough. It’s about being useful, measurable and meaningful in the moments that genuinely matter.”
Graham Field, CRO, Outra:
“This year at MAD//North, data and programmatic performance were front and centre. First-party insight and connected measurement are enabling brands to move beyond traditional silos and engage audiences with far greater precision.
“As conversations turned to AI, retail media and future planning trends, one issue became clear: proprietary data is still too often treated as a reporting output rather than a strategic asset. With third-party signals continuing to decline, assets such as household-level data should form the foundation of a durable customer view and long-term competitive advantage.
“The real opportunity lies in unifying and enriching that intelligence so it can be activated confidently and responsibly across channels. This is not simply about efficiency or scale. It is about building a connected identity that enables smarter decisions and sustainable growth.”
Russell Levin, Head of Sales, Media Agencies, Bauer Media Outdoor UK:
“I’ve been particularly struck by the energy, curiosity, and openness to meet and network with new people, it’s an atmosphere that feels uniquely Manchester.Those qualities can only cultivate the kind of rich, brilliant conversations and presentations we’ve been treated to so far.
“Jonathan Warburton’s infectious energy and his drive to “innovate his family’s business out of existence” in its 150th year was an inspiring way to kick things off. And to close the day, we heard the equally inspiring story of Wrexham FC, continuing to flourish globally despite challenging conditions.
“We were also treated to outstanding theory and passionate advocacy for Out of Home (OOH) marketing, alongside tangible examples of how OOH has delivered powerful results for both Wayfair and Guinness. Hearing Deb Callow of Guinness admit on stage that OOH is now outperforming linear TV for the brand was a real moment.
“The spirit behind the marketing ideas shared at MAD//North has been rooted in relentless ambition – and that’s impossible not to feel energised by. Why can’t Stallone drive a bread delivery truck? Why can’t Wrexham rise from non-league to the Premier League? And why can’t OOH help more brands achieve greatness and fame in the same way it has for some of the world’s leading names? Perhaps the only real limits are the ones we choose to accept.”
The companies included above are clients of Bluestripe Group, the publisher of New Digital Age.
