Prolific North’s Northern Marketing Festival 2025 has arrived in Leeds, bringing together a fresh wave of marketers, brand strategists and creative leaders for another packed day of insight, inspiration and bold new thinking.
Following a vibrant opening day in Liverpool, today’s programme promises to go even deeper – exploring how brands across the North and beyond are challenging convention, reshaping their roles, and redefining how they connect with audiences.
Kicking off the day are Steven Hadden and Mark Cullen from MadeBrave, who will explore how FTSE250 transport giant FirstGroup used brand to fuel a company-wide transformation – and why branding must go beyond surface-level thinking to drive real change.
Prolific North Managing Director Alexandra Balazs said: “We had such an energising start to the festival in Liverpool – and the Leeds line-up is just as exciting. It’s great to see so many people from across the industry coming together to share ideas, tackle big questions, and spark meaningful conversations about where marketing goes next.”
Highlights from the day include a panel hosted by Hub, featuring La Redoute UK and 247 Blinds, which will dive into experimentation, curiosity and creative risk-taking.
McCann is also set to deliver a thought-provoking session on how playfulness can be a powerful – and seriously effective – brand tool.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Northern Marketing Festival 2025
Naomi Horan, Social & Influencer Manager at CLOUD NINE, will explore how brands can measure success beyond likes and vanity metrics, while Jess Atkinson, Head of Organic at Embryo, is poised to reimagine the SEO playbook in a session dedicated to the future of organic search.
There’s plenty more in store, with contributions from the likes of Adam Zavalis, VP of Marketing at Asda, and a full afternoon of sessions diving into digital trends, brand innovation, and strategic storytelling.
This year’s Northern Marketing Festival is made possible with the support of headline sponsors SBS, Automated Analytics and Embryo, alongside regional partners Royal Liver Suite, Growth Platform and Poke Marketing, and a host of industry supporters including Hub, Pathway, ICG, Vision One, Canny Creative, Made Brave, Buy Media, Lucid Link, Print.com, Tal Agency, Wolfenden, Colony, McCann, Be Broadcast, Impression Digital, Sun Branding and Tall.
The Northern Marketing Festival 2025 continues tomorrow in Manchester – stay tuned to Prolific North for the latest from across all three cities
