Our yearly conference — Marketing Camp

Conquering content

Thurs 20 March, 2025

Curzon Cinema, Westgate Oxford

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It’s never been easier to create content.

**Which means it’s never been harder to create great content.**

The kind of content that stands out in a sea of sameness, that serves your brand in the long term as well as the short, and that actually drives people to buy into what you’re selling.

So this year we’ve got talks tackling everything from getting the best out of AI and responding to the rise of social search to developing your organisational voice and turning customers into content creators. Plus you’ll get the chance to connect with other local marketers, stretch your marketing muscles in a hack session, and round it all out with fab food and booze.

Pitch your tent at the 2025 Marketing Camp conference if you’re ready to conquer the content game, while having the most fun you’re allowed during a work day.

Hand me a ticket please →

Agenda

9.30 - 10.00

Register, grab a brew and a bite, get settled ☕

10.00 - 10.30

Welcome happy campers

SPEAKER: Jem Leslie – Digital Marketing Manager at Bottle PR, part-time app developer, and trained opera singer.
Having real people in the real world share good stuff about your brand is basically every marketer’s wet dream. And while the value of User-Generated Content is that it’s authentic and unscripted, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything you can do to make it a whole lot more likely to happen.
So Jem’s going to be giving us a boatload of strategies for encouraging our audience to start and join conversations that include our business.
She’ll share tried-and-tested methods, unpacking which ideas work best in different contexts - from private communities and forums to public product reviews and social channels. We’ll also be exploring the differences between professional, open-call, and spontaneous UGC, and how to make sure we’re aiming for the right kind of UGC for the right goal.
Then we’ll finish up by thinking about how to get the most from any UGC that does come our way – both how to capitalise on it when it’s good, and how to respond to and manage it when it’s not.

10.30 - 11.20

SPEAKER: Kate Redfern – Head of Copywriting at Contentsquare, former barrister (the wig and gown kind), and owner of the world’s most gorgeous/opinionated horse.
When we work in a team, we can’t just create content in isolation. But ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ is a popular saying for a reason, and often we end up with either a messy overload of opinions that we can’t do anything with, or something gets missed because the right people didn’t weigh in.
So this session will be looking at how you can get input on your content from the right people, at the right time, in the right way.
We’ll start by thinking about exactly who should – and shouldn’t – get involved, and how to know what kind of feedback to ask for and listen to. We’ll also learn how to set expectations, dodge meddling, and keep feedback discussions on track – as well as how to sidestep unhelpful HIPPOs (highest-paid person’s opinions)! Plus we’ll think about how we ourselves can give clear, specific, actionable feedback to others creating content around us.
Whether you're managing a team or collaborating with clients, this talk will give you what you need to build stronger creative processes – which lead to better work.

SPEAKER: Luan Wise – marketing consultant and author, LinkedIn Learning Course Instructor, and lover of campervan adventures.
There’s no question that when companies mindlessly rely on AI tools to create their content for them, real quality goes out of the window. But if we ignore AI completely then we’re missing out on something that could not only save us time and money but also help us achieve things we haven’t been able to do before. To stay at the top of our game, we need to get comfortable using AI to support and complement our work.
So Luan will be talking us through a whole host of proven, practical ways that AI tools can speed up and strengthen our social media efforts.
With examples from real-world brands of all sizes and industries, she’ll share exactly how AI can help us with everything from content ideas and creation to data analysis and social media listening. But always in a way that keeps us in the driving seat, never letting go of authenticity and the human touch.
Plus she’ll be highlighting key things to think about and watch out for – like bias in whatever tools we use, copyright issues, and the potential ethical questions that might pop up.

11.30 - 12.20

SPEAKER: Bethany Joy – freelance brand voice strategist, host of Marketing Camp, and bordering-on-obsessive Tom Selleck fan.
Our company’s content always has a micro job to do – it’s got to get people to click, to read, to understand, to like, to join, to buy. But it’s got a macro job too. Every bit of content we put out into the world adds another pixel to the picture people have in their minds about what our business is like.
So Bethany will be laying out how we can develop a consistent and compelling organisational voice, so our content builds our brand in the long-term as well as serving our marketing goals here and now.
We’ll start by looking at how we can get people on board with the work – whether that’s sign-off from the higher-ups or buy-in from the teams around us. Then we’ll be thinking about the key things we need to be aware of, both before we start and as we move the project forwards.
And we’ll end by exploring what we need to do to make sure the work sticks and gets embraced across the whole of our organisation, so we can be sure that all our effort has been worthwhile.
Tip: This talk is mainly aimed at mid-size companies, rather than solo businesses or freelancers

SPEAKER: Ray Saddiq – Global Head of Marketing at Rise at Seven, former Head of SEO for Monzo, and big-time coffee addict.
Almost 40% of Gen Z choose TikTok or Instagram over Google when they’re searching with commercial intent (i.e. when they’re looking to buy something). The numbers for older generations aren’t that high yet – but they’re growing all the time. There’s no escaping the reality that the average buyer journey looks very different than it did even two or three years ago.
So Ray will be walking us through the impact of this shift and helping us gear up for how our content can keep bringing in sales in this new context.
He’ll kick off with an overview of social search - as we know this is still quite a new topic for a lot of us - guiding us through how it works, when and why customers are using it, and how it’s shaping their behaviour. Then he’ll touch on the ways traditional SEO strategies are evolving in response.
And the big focus will be on giving us advice and ideas for what boxes content needs to tick in a social-search driven world, to please both people and algorithms - taking inspiration from some of the brands (big and small) who are best navigating the new search landscape.
Tip: This talk will be a good fit if you're a product-based company, and/or in the B2C space

12.30 - 1.20

SPEAKER: Dan Holt – Managing Director of Boss Digital, creator of Mary's Marketing Adventures, and one of the few adults who still enjoys watching Danger Mouse.
It's been long enough now since content was declared king that we all know we need a plan to manage that unruly monarch. But most content strategies are all foam and no beer. It's too easy to be distracted by shiny new trends or personal opinions and agendas - so we fail to nail the basics, and end up with something that never quite delivers the hoped-for value to the business.
So Dan’s going to share how to avoid getting side-tracked by all the wrong things and instead build a strategy that not only has clear goals but actually stands a chance of smashing them.
He’ll be taking us through the seven most important things we need to know and do if we want our content to actually lead to growth. And along the way he’ll offer up plenty of real-life examples of both good and bad content strategy in action.
We’ll also learn why “create once, distribute everywhere” is absolutely terrible advice, why we almost certainly don’t need to publish content as often as we think, and why contrary Mary is consistently such a pain in her boss’s arse.
Tip: This talk will be especially useful for anyone in B2B marketing

1.20 - 2.30

Time for a spot of lunch 😋

Here's your chance to put those marketing muscles to work on behalf of the community! We'll be splitting into groups to hear about different marketing challenges local companies are facing, then working together to offer up ideas and solutions.

2.30 - 3.40

SPEAKER: Pete Way – freelance Creative Director, government-funding assessor for innovative businesses, and dyed-in-the-wool Crystal Palace fan.
Whether it’s an ad campaign or a white paper, a video or a social post, the key ingredient is always the same thing: a good idea.
But where might we stumble upon these ideas? How do we know if they’re really any good? How do we develop and fine-tune them? How can we get other people excited about them?
To help answer these (and other) questions, Pete will be sharing insights and lessons learned from 30+ years of creating award-winning content – from producing TV shows like The Big Breakfast and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway to directing campaigns for brands like Paddy Power, Nike, AstraZeneca, and Aldi.

4.00 - 5.00

5.00 - 6.00

Drinks around the campfire 🔥

Hear from last year’s happy campers

So glad I made the effort to drag myself out of bed and onto an early train for this wonderfully welcoming and uplifting event. Heading home feeling inspired, motivated and generally topped up. Thanks, Marketing Camp team!

Rin Hamburgh
Founder and Director at RH & Co

”

Great day at the Marketing Camp conference, such a fantastic event. Lots of learning, chatting with friends old and new, and cinnamon buns to die for – what’s not to like?! Will definitely be going again next year.

Sarah Wyatt
Director at Juicy Designs

”

You know those events that just go like clockwork, and everything's relaxed, and on time, and easy to find, and the speakers are top-notch, and the excellent lunch and the cocktails afterwards are included in the very reasonable ticket price? Well it was one of those. Well done team.

Ned Wells
Director at Cicada Consulting

”

A day full of so many fabulous little moments. Amazingly friendly people, very practical zero-BS talks, super delicious food, great atmosphere. Count me in for next year.

Hannah Pye
Comms Manager at Makespace

”

From the warm welcome and the relatable and useful talks to the fab food and comfy seats - everything was spot on! I was definitely persuaded to come to more Marketing Camp events and I’ll be encouraging marketing mates to join me.

Hannah Qualtrough
Associate Director of Journals Marketing at Wiley

”

I had a fantastic time speaking at the conference and everyone was so kind and supportive. It was a brilliant day with tons of great talks (I learned so much), lots of lovely local marketers, and some very delicious cake. Such a stellar event. I’m already looking forward to next year!

Laura Hewitt
Marketing & Brand Manager at Imperial War Museums

”

Our partners in grime

For so many conferences, sponsorship is just about slapping logos on anything that stays still long enough. Not here. The digital growth wizards at Zest have been brilliantly supportive advocates of the Marketing Camp community for a long time, contributing time and ideas as well as money.

They’ll be around and keen to chat throughout the event and beyond, so do make time to get to know this stellar team and the different ways they can make your job much easier and your results even better.

The exhibitor trail

The growth-masters at Zest are keen to be grilled on exactly how your company's digital marketing efforts can be making you more money.

The creative duo behind Story Ninety-Four will be all set up to help you explore the world of podcasts and videos.

The Hubspot wizards at Babelquest are more than ready to chat about CRM, helping you get better acquainted with your customers and your data.

And the brilliantly friendly Oxford College of Marketing will be offering advice on practical resources and helpful courses to plug the gaps in your knowledge.

Some very good questions

Nope. Some of the people who come to our events are employed in marketing roles, or working as freelancers or consultants. Others are entrepreneurs or business owners who have to manage all their own marketing as well as running their companies. And we also get quite a few students and others who are keen to explore the industry. We don’t mind what your deal is - if you’re interested in marketing, you’re welcome around the campfire.
Nah. Just show your e-ticket on your phone and you’ll be good to go.
Train. Bus. Bike. Car. Unicycle. Golf cart. Your own legs. The options are endless. Best place to get all the info you need is on The Westgate Centre’s website, as the Curzon cinema is tucked away on the shopping centre’s third floor.
Sorry, no can do. We just think there’s something special about the way you learn in-person - plus so much of the value of the day will be about the conversations and activities in between the talks. So we’re focusing on making the physical experience as fantastic as possible, and if you can’t make it on the day then hey - there’s always next year!
Absolutely. The whole venue is wheelchair accessible and each of the rooms we’ll be using for the sessions has two dedicated wheelchair spaces. The tech set up also has audio description and hearing-assist headsets available - you just need to give us a heads up before the day if you want either of those. And if there’s anything else you need or want to know, just ask us at hey@marketingcamp.uk
We’re staying put. All the sessions, including lunch and the after-party drinks, are happening in the cinema space. Easy.
You bet. Can’t have you getting hangry when you’re trying to learn. From snacks as you arrive and a fantastic lunch when we take a break in the middle of the event, to drinks throughout the day, it’s all taken care of as part of your ticket price. We’ll even buy your first cocktail at our after-party! Boom.
Our insanely delicious lunch will be coming from the cracking team at Tikka and Tadka, and they're all set up with easy vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options. So when you book your tickets just make sure you let us know about any allergies or dietary reqs and we’ll sort it. Or get in touch on hey@marketingcamp.uk for any other questions or if you forget to give us the info when you book.
We’ve decided not to. In our regular meet-ups we always steer clear of recording sessions, so we’re sticking to that same IRL ethos for our conference too. If you buy a ticket then after the event is over we’ll make the slides from every session available to you, no matter which talks you choose to go to on the day. But that’s it. At the end of the day you pays your money and you takes your choice.
We’re only a small event, so we’ve decided to just deal with refunds on a case-by-case basis. If you ask us about cancelling your ticket more than two weeks before the conference, and you’ve got a genuinely good reason, then most likely we’ll say yes and we’ll sort a refund. But if you’ve just changed your mind, or you leave it too close to the day, then you probably won’t be able to get any money back.
We admit we can get carried away with the camping lingo. But no, you won't have to spend any time in a tent. Since most of you will be coming from in and around Oxfordshire, you can just enjoy sinking into your own bed after an action-packed day. But if you do end up coming from further afield and want some advice on local places to stay, just give us a yell on hey@marketingcamp.uk and we’ll send you some suggestions.