Wednesday, April 10

Day 1

9:30 AM – Online Only

CONFERENCE OPENS: AdSync Summit Welcome and Preview – A Breakdown of the Ad and Brand Music Market

We’ll kick off the conference with a quick review of the mission and what to expect over the next three days.

9:45 AM – Online Only

CONFERENCE OPENS: Music Makes The Message: A Conversation On Creative Ideation and Music with Syn Music’s Co-Foudner and CEO, Nick Wood

Nick Wood is the CEO of, and with Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran) and Model/Entrepreneur Yasmin Le Bon one of the co-founders of the Tokyo-based music house Syn (https://syn.word). Founded in 1985 and based in Tokyo with offices in London, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Beijing and Manila, Syn works with the world’s leading brands, agencies and networks to enhance the power and the passon of creative in the development of ad campaigns and branded experiences. Join us as we discuss Syn’s mission, vision, development, processes and how its team work with their clients to execute on impactful, award-winning creative.

10:30 AM – online only

Presentation: Does Music Impact The Effectiveness of Ad Campaigns? An Empirical Study.

It’s great for us to say that tighter integration of music into ideation makes for more effective creative, but it’s even better and more effective to show you the data that shows how good music ideation translates into better results.

11:00 AM – online Only

Roundtable Discussion: Ai(d)? How Can Technology Help Create a More Efficient Music Ecosystem for Ad Agencies and Brands?

The range of technology, from AI to production environments to music databases and storage systems that create efficiencies in music discovery, selection and usage are simply astounding.  This panel of technology innovators will highlight and discuss how the rapidly evolving array of technologies that you can implement to make your production and music integration process more efficient and effective.

12:00 PM – Online Only

Roundtable Discussion: GO LOCAL – A Spotlight On Music for Local and Regional Brands and Agencies

Local and regional brands are responsible for some of the most effective and innovative creative, often involving music from local and emerging artists at its core. On this panel, we’ll discuss how local and regional brands loom music into their messaging and how music makers and companies can connect with and work with local and regional brands and agencies.

1:00 PM – online Only

Roundtable Discussion: la Música Publicidad – How Do Brands and Ad Agencies Work With Music In The Latin Market?

With a total population of almost 700 million spanning 21 countries, the Spanish-speaking market is the fourth-biggest on the planet is experiencing exponential growth and evolution in the usage of music in brand messaging and ad campaigns. Ands that’s just the beginning.  LATAM-based brands and global brands alike are putting Spanish language music at the centre of their messaging and campaigns.  This panel will discuss the trends in this evolving market, and what the role of music is in executing innovative creative on the regional, national and global level with a focus on the LATAM and Spanish speaking markets.

2:00 PM – online only

One-On-One Discussion: The Importance of Music in Executing on Great Creative

This one-on-one conversation with Radish Founder, Music Supervisor and Executive Creative Director (and 2023 Clio Music Supervision Jury Chair) Peymon Maskin will go deep into what music’s role is in elevating creative work and client messaging that both excites and delights customers while meeting the practical and strategic objectives of brands and their agencies of record.

3:00 PM – online only

Roundtable Discussion: What is the role and potential for independent artists to work with brands and in advertising?

What is the role of independent music and independent artists in ad music and brand experiences?  On the surface level, so much of the focus of ad music and brand activations seems to be on established artists and anthemic music, but the reality is that may brands and agencies actively seek out and work with independent artists for authentic music that meshes perfectly with messaging. This panel will discuss the role of the indie artist in the ad business from the perspective of brands and agencies, and what artists and the people that work with them can do to position themselves for success in this industry.

3:45 PM – online only

One-On-One Discussion: The Brand Perspective: How Cola-Cola Looms Music Into Its Brand and Campaign Ideation and Creates Memorable, Exciting and Elevating Creative and Experiences.

In this discussion, Coca-Cola’s Global Head of Music and Culture Marketing is joining us for a discussion on the company’s music strategy across brands, how they work directly with artists, and what importance music has to Coca-Cola’s success and effectiveness in its messaging and its creation of loyalty, retention and excitement around its brands.

4:30 PM – online only

One-On-One Discussion: How do brands and ad agencies in Asia work with music?

In Asia, the way music is sourced and used in campaigns is similar but different than the rest of the world.  And, within Asia itself, each country’s system for Creatively, like everywhere, it’s about the best music for the project. From a process point of view, however, things can vary quite a bit from country to country. In this chat, we’ll discuss how the major Asian market agencies and brands work with music, what kinds of music they use and what opportunities there are for international collaboration and development.

5:15 PM – online only

Keynote Conversation: The Key To Great, Memorable Creative: Composition for Ads and Brands

Our first day ends with a conversation that goes deep into how music is composed and produced around brands and ad campaigns with one of the industry’s most celebrated composers, former head of music at Ogilvy, Karl Westman. Karl will discuss his work, and how he comes up with innovative, beautiful and effective music for his clients.

Thursday, April 11

Day 2

10:30 AM – online and in person

Keynote Conversation: Experiential Empowerment – How Verizon Works With Music and Musicians To Empower and Elevate Artsits, Excite and Delight its Customers and Elevate The Verizon Brand

Today we start with a conversation on how one of the world’s top telecommunicaitons companies works with artists to celebrate, empower and elevate their music and build their careers while exciting and delighting Verizon customers.

11:15 AM – online and in person

one-on-on conversation: how Ghidrah Music works with major brands and ad agencies to create memorable, effective, award-winning campaigns

Now we’re going to focus on and take a deep dive into the work of Ghidrah Music, an innovative music house working in ads and with brands that creates sonic experiences and soundscapes the seamless integrate into their client’s messaging and campaigns.  We’ll see how they work with companies like Unilever and others to elevate and excite customers and brands.

12:00 PM – online and in person

Roundtable Discussion: How can ads and brands maximize the potential of music in their ideation and development process?

Does front-loading music into the ideation process lead to better, more effective choices and outcomes in music usage for ads and brands?  Our panelists think so.  Join us as they discuss why earlier thinking about music in the ideation process can lead to great possibilities and overall more effective creative choices and outcomes.

1:00 PM – online and in person

Lunch Break

2:00 PM – online and in person

Afternoon Keynote

Join us as we discuss with Anomaly’s Director of Music how one of the industry’s innovators in creating memorable and effective messaging thinks about and integrate music into their campaigns and client work.

2:30 PM – online and in person

A Conversation With Faded Media & onestop

Faded Media is one of the world’s leading international music licensing companies, based in Warsaw, Faded Media works with the worlds top leading brands providing sound identities & music curation for in-store usage and all forms of messaging.

Onestop is Faded’s sister company, a boutique licensing company based in Los Angeles, C.A with the focus on bringing onestop music solutions for TV, Film, Advertising and online media with a unique and independent roster of eclectic acts.

3:00 PM – online and in person

Ads, Brands, Ideation and the Creative Process at Droga5 – The work of the agency in general and the music department in particular.

Now we’re joined by two core members of Droga5’s music department, one of the industry’s most trendsetting and innovative agencies. This discussion will get into the work of an ad music supervisor – perceptions and reality – and the creative process of looming music to messaging – including making unexpected choices that lead to transformative and effective work.

3:45 pm – online and in person

Roundtable Discussion: What Are The benefits to a brand when it employs a sonic branding strategy?

Most brands don’t have a sonic branding strategy, but they should.  A sonic brand can define and refine how a brand is perceived by its customers, and act as a way they can easily associate and connect beyond ad campaigns and into every aspect and touchpoint between customers and brands. Our panel of sonic branding experts will get deep into what sonic branding is, what makes it effective and why every brand should have a sonic banding strategy.  

4:30 PM – online and in person

Roundtable discussion: All we do is win-win-win – Maximizing The Value of Artist-Brand-Agency partnerships and collaborations

What makes an effective partnership between artists, brands and agencies?  What are the benefits to each partner, and how can partners work together to insure they maximize the benefits for artist, brand and agency.  And, what kinds of partnerships are working best right now?

5:15 pm – online and in person

The Road Ahead For Music and Messaging – The Evolution of How Music Makes Campaigns Effective and Relevant

This conversation is a bit of where we started and where we’re going – from a world where every brand had a jingle to where ever good ad integrates a song that could be a stand-alone single – in other words a great, effective, authentic song that elevates brand and creative work. 

5:45 PM – online and in person

Afternoon Keynote

We end the day with one of the greatest music and messaging innovators in the business, Mike Boris from Jaded Melody. We’ll discuss his work and how music and creative come together to make magic.

Friday, April 12

Day 3

11:00 Am – online only

ONE ON ONE CONVERSATION: Designing experiential campaigns

We’re kicking off the final day of the AdSync Summit with a chat on designing and developing experiential marketing campaigns with one of the world’s experts in the field, Anthony Wolch from Beyond MG. 

Anthony has led teams ranging in size from 250 to 10 at global multinational holding companies, including WPP, Publics & Omnicom. 

Globally, Anthony has created advertising campaigns for Google, Coca-Cola, Audi, Nike, Wal-Mart, and Bank of America.

He founded a process called ‘Creative By The Numbers’, which distills mathematics, data and analytics into powerful creative ideas, and has helped brands transform the way they communicate with consumers in a radically changing landscape of media platforms.

His work has been recognized by all major industry award shows. Anthony currently focuses on Pioneering Whitespace for Brands™, driving business decisions and driving business results across the areas of brand development, brand narrative, social, digital, content & experiential/events. This process mathematically maps and addresses new opportunities for brands – opportunities to easily maneuver and grow in a crowded marketplace.

1:00 pm – online and in  person

Opening Keynote: Creating and Licensing Music for Ads and Brands

Now, we’re going inside Wunderman Thompson’s music department for a deep dive into their looming of music into the messaging around their client campaigns with the head of the music department, ED of Music and Audio, Paul Greco.  This is going to be an amazing and insightful conversation touching on the creative and practical aspects of working with and between music, ads and brands.

1:45 pm – online and in person

A Clio Grand Winner Case Study: What Made Greenpeace: Don’t Stop an award-winning campaign?

This is the second of our series of conversations in partnership with The Clios, where we’ll discuss the transformative, award-winning work of agency Leland in the ad – well, it’s more like a movie – “Don’t’ Stop,”  and ad for Greenpeace that is memorable, important and acts as the linchpin of a multi-level brand activation effort that encompasses visual and physical media, live events, merchandise and more.

2:30 pm – online and in person

roundtable discussion: Supes On – The Role of Music Supervisors and Editors In Making Great Creative

Just what is the role of a music supervisor in the creative process around brand and ad messaging? And is the creative process just the beginning of their work?  What are their challenges in execution – and if you have music – how can you help them meet these challenges?  These are just some of the questions our panel will answer.

3:30 Pm – online and in person

Rountable discussion: How Brand Managers and Agency Creatives Work With Music

What about the agency side?  What do agency producers and brands look at as their role – and the role of music – in connecting customers to brand and product? We’ll answer this question from a creative and a practical level with our panelists in this panel.

4:30 PM – online and in person

A Clio Grand Winner Case Study: What Made Bagels by BENEE an award-winning campaign?

This is the first of a series of two where we partner with the Clio Awards to lead a discussion on the development and impact of award-winning creative and campaigns with the agencies that made them possible.  This first award-winning campaign is “Bagels by BENNE” – and it truly represents the best of what our industry does to use music to connect, to transform and ultimately make people’s lives better. Join us, the Clios and agency The Monkeys Aotearoa for a breakdown of how they developed and executed this incredible work.