FleishmanHillard and Contagious Expand 'Most Contagious' to London and New York

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- FleishmanHillard and Contagious have announced they are expanding the Most Contagious conference, with simultaneous live events taking place Dec. 11 in London and New York City. The annual event explores and celebrates the global trends, technologies and brand-funded innovations that were the most disruptive and influential throughout the year, and discusses what might be just around the corner in the world of business, brands and communications — and why it matters. More than 400 business leaders are attending, including CEOs, CMOs and CCOs, as well as technologists, strategists and entrepreneurs.

"Our partnership with Contagious demonstrates our commitment to creativity, innovation and the use of emerging technologies to meet our clients' needs," said Dave Senay, president and CEO of FleishmanHillard. "We all sense the new immediacy and intimacy our stakeholders demand, and it's the companies with the right imagination and nimbleness of execution that can reshape their role in stakeholders' lives. The insights gained here can help organizations differentiate themselves — in London, New York or anywhere in the world."

Established through a partnership between global publisher and trends consultancy Contagious and FleishmanHillard, the full-day Most Contagious event launched in London in 2012. This year's events will be held at Kings Place in London and The TimesCenter in New York.

"Our celebration of creative contagiousness has grown from an annual report to a live event spanning the Atlantic," said Paul Kemp-Robertson, editorial director and co-founder of Contagious. "The growth of this event illustrates the value of creative thinking, which rapidly is becoming more valuable as the media landscape becomes increasingly complex."

During the events, Black Box, an intelligent monitoring system that helps brands create meaningful content in real-time, will generate a trans-Atlantic conversation. Black Box, a FleishmanHillard product, will provide a one-stop interactive platform for visitors — both those on-site and those tracking online — to view and tailor content.

Among the speakers at this year's events are Rick Ridgeway, VP of environmental affairs at Patagonia; Fernando Machado, global brand development VP for Dove at Unilever; and Ed Sanders, head of marketing for Google Glass.

The topics to be addressed by Contagious' in-house consultancy team this year include:

• Seamless shopping: Retailers are building amazing digital tools and services to incrementally improve each step of a shopper's journey, and this session will highlight how retailers are making shopping more convenient than ever.
• Telling for Selling: This session will examine modern-day storytelling, from multichannel YouTube networks and native advertising to manufacturing memes and engineering virality. It will look at the crossovers between content creation, real-time marketing and long-term storytelling, questioning whether it's really possible to put ROI on social and online content. In addition, the panel will weigh in on story re-telling, with a look at how brands such as AT&T and Intel have co-created stories with consumers and put humans at the heart of the narrative.
• Connected Experiences: From vibrating underwear, flashing hockey lamps and light-up beer bottles, this session will explore how marketing is becoming multisensory. It will illustrate how brands such as Disney, Budweiser and Durex are experimenting with enhancing and personalizing experiences.
• The Pragmatism of Purpose: "Doing good" was a big theme of 2013, with words like purpose and meaning becoming entrenched in Adland terminology. But while being a truly purposeful brand can involve a complete realignment and restructuring of a company, marketers can move more quickly to initiate positive change in the world. This session will shed light on how brands are using their creativity and clout to make a difference with actions that are rooted in their products and services.

For a full list of speakers and sessions, or to purchase tickets, please visit Most Contagious.

About FleishmanHillard
FleishmanHillard is the world's most complete global communications firm, specializing in public relations, public affairs, marketing, paid media, and transmedia and social content. FleishmanHillard delivers on The Power of True, reflecting the firm's high values, and unique ability to guide clients through a world demanding unprecedented authenticity and transparency.  FleishmanHillard was named "Standout Agency" on Advertising Age's 2013 A-List; NAFE's "Top 50 Companies for Executive Women" for 2010-2013; Advertising Age's 2012 "Best Places to Work"; and The Holmes Report's 2012 Global "Public Affairs Agency of the Year." The firm's award-winning work is widely heralded, including at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. FleishmanHillard is part of Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group Inc., and has more than 85 offices in 30 countries, plus affiliates in 42 countries. Visit us at www.fleishmanhillard.com.

About Diversified Agency Services
Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), manages Omnicom's holdings in a variety of marketing communications disciplines. DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving international and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

About Contagious
Contagious is a business intelligence tool, an insights consultancy and a unique global news service focused on the intersection of marketing creativity, emerging technologies and consumer culture. Founded in 2004 and operating out of London, New York and Singapore, Contagious is an indispensable strategic resource for brands and communications agencies around the world. It publishes an awarding-winning quarterly digest, delivers focused and filtered intelligence which identifies best-practice creativity, strategic innovation, new consumer cultures and game-changing technology via Contagious I/O and operates a consultancy and advisory service, Contagious Insider.

SOURCE FleishmanHillard Inc.