Brand Summit 2026 student ambassador shares key marketing insights from Dove, IKEA and Two Dudes, exploring brand purpose, consumer trust, community and authentic storytelling.

This year, I was lucky enough to be a part of Brand Summit 2026 as a student ambassador, helping out with social media. My main role was making posts for the Marketing Association Instagram, as well as helping out with other tasks, such as packing up.

I had the privilege of being in a room of over 300 people, including marketers, entrepreneurs and leaders in both the NZ and global industry. From hearing about how Dove has made an impact on the beauty sector with creative ad campaigns, to IKEA's headline expansion into NZ, to how a men's moisturising start-up has made a difference with men's mental health, I can say I learnt heaps.

We started the day off strong with Firdaous El Honsali, chief marketing officer at Noli and former vice president of Dove, who talked about her projects and why they matter in a world of online beauty trends. She was someone who really stood out to me with her creative ad campaigns, such as turning your back on the beauty filter and using AI to compare fake beauty standards to what real women look like. Keynote speakers took the stage throughout the day, with lunch breaks and fun activities in between. One theme I noticed kept coming up: how important purpose is for your brand. With the rise of AI and sceptical consumers, purpose and trust are more crucial for brands than ever. The underlying purpose is key: for Dove, that means embracing everyone's beauty; for IKEA, it's good furniture for a good price; for Two Dudes, it was supporting men's mental health through their products and advertising.

Lessi Riccio from Shadow Social spoke about the importance of building a community, and why smaller brands with a real connection to their audiences are outperforming bigger ones. My main takeaway was that it's important to truly connect with your audience and be sincere in your messaging. Rebecca Yildiz from TRA had an interesting discussion about the people brands often overlook, such as those who are “solo”, whether they’re single or simply on their own. So many brands cater for two people, which means missed opportunities when they can’t see everyone who could be part of their brand. That's key advice I will be taking away with me.

Hearing from these amazing speakers was the highlight of the day; I was truly hooked on the storytelling and marketing knowledge, and found myself writing down a ton of notes. While I’m still in the early stages of my marketing journey, I think Brand Summit is valuable for marketers at any stage of their career, and I was surprised at just how interested I was in everything being said. Looking around the room, it was inspiring to see so many attendees engaging and asking questions, and I feel lucky to have been part of such an outstanding event.

Outside of the talks, I also loved meeting new people, taking photos for social media, and enjoying some delicious food and unlimited coffee. Brand Summit 2026 was overall an exciting day, and I’d definitely recommend being a student ambassador if you get the chance.

Author: Katie Jones, 23rd October 2026