Beyond Buzzwords: What Web Summit Taught Us About Branding, Search, and Authenticity
New blog series alert! Our team recently attended a conference in Vancouver and we came back with fresh insights about where marketing, creative, and tech are headed.
The 2025 Web Summit is one of the world’s biggest gatherings of marketers, startups, developers, and creatives. The conference featured speakers, masterclasses, and booths coming together to show us what’s next in tech and how it’s reshaping the way we work, connect, and create.
AI dominated headlines, but for some of our team members, what really stood out was the mindset shift toward intentional branding, adaptive strategy, and radically authentic communication.
In this first recap, four members of the A-Team share what inspired them, what challenged their assumptions, and what they’re carrying back into their day-to-day work.
Read on for a fresh perspective.
Kristina Crowson on evolving brand systems and narrowing focus
One session that stuck with me focused on brand systems and how we, as marketers and creatives, need to evolve our approach to branding.
The idea of building brand systems that are both consistent and adaptive while being able to stay true to the brand’s core while flexing across different mediums, trends, and platforms really struck a chord.
Traditional brand guidelines often fall short in this regard; they’re too static. What’s required now is a more nuanced, living system that still ensures recognizability and brand equity but allows for experimentation and evolution. That takes more intention and strategic development, not just visual design.
The case for vertical Saas
Another standout moment came from a session on vertical SaaS. At Array, we’ve built smaller SaaS tools tailored to specific client needs, but this session helped crystallize the potential of creating something bigger, something productized for a specific market vertical.
The insight that vertical software not only drives efficiency but also builds brand trust through specialization really resonated. There’s power in not trying to be everything to everyone. In fact, the advice to focus narrowly, speak directly, and serve deeply feels like a timely reminder in an era where attention is fragmented and brand loyalty is hard-won.
We’ve been talking for years about building a tool for the market beyond Array, and this talk lit the match. We’re now exploring a SaaS product idea as a passion project, and it’s exciting to have something new to get fired up about.
Go bigger, but stay grounded
Lastly, a quick pulse check from the conference as a whole: the emphasis on building brand reach beyond digital, through strategic partnerships and even traditional channels like linear TV, was a reminder not to chase shiny objects.
And Gen Z? They’re holding brands accountable. You can’t fake it with them. They’ll screenshot it, call it out, and move on. It was a good nudge to stay grounded in authenticity, even as we experiment.
Myra Dionne on brand consistency, human-first content & the new search landscape
Neil Patel’s 20 Charts and 20 minutes had me pulling out my phone and screenshotting every slide.
I was shocked to learn the number of touch points it takes for a conversion to happen. For B2C, it’s risen from 8 to 11. For B2B, it can take up to 20 touch points before a person takes action. This reiterated a sacred belief we preach around the office: Brand consistency across messaging and visuals is critical to capturing leads.
Another interesting chart was on search. Gone are the days of Google dominating the search market. Search is everywhere—social media, Reddit threads, platforms like Substack and Medium, and of course Open AI. Figuring out how to optimize for each channel will lead to significant gains in ROI.
My biggest takeaway was learning that human generated content is still outperforming AI-generated content. People seek human connection. They want information from an authentic and relatable source.
The real ROI of AI is automation. This is where you can save time and improve processes. For everything else, keep creative with humans and protect the time (and people) it takes to achieve great results.
Krissy Selda on waste, creativity & why optimization isn’t everything
The conversation that really stuck with me was Joey Camire’s talk “Murder by Efficiency.” In it, Camire explores how our obsession with hyper-optimization and maximizing profit has eroded our capacity for risk-taking and stifled genuine creativity.
Rather than viewing unproductive time or “waste” as something to eliminate, he suggests we reframe it as a form of speculative investment. Just as children develop creativity, risk tolerance, and executive functioning through unstructured play, our so-called “waste” can yield similar long-term benefits. We should leave space for the unexpected, and let our waste surprise us.
While all of the talks were heavily focused on AI, this was a lovely reminder of humanity.
Bryan Keddy on generative search and the challenge of Gen Z
One of the biggest things that stood out to me was how our approach to search is shifting. With AI changing how people discover content online, the traditional SEO playbook is evolving.
There’s growing attention on something called GEO – Generative Engine Optimization – which focuses on optimizing content for AI-driven discovery instead of relying solely on SEO-driven KPIs.
Another recurring theme was the Gen Z mindset and the challenges to connect with this elusive demographic.
From their spending power to the way they engage with viral trends, Gen Z is challenging brands to show “authenticity.”
They don’t trust traditional algorithms, which is pushing marketers to rethink how they navigate and build conversations in digital spaces.
Final takeaway
Web Summit reminded us that while the tools will keep changing, what matters most is how we use them: with strategy, empathy, and a clear sense of purpose.
Stay tuned for more reflections from the rest of the Array team in our Web Summit Recap Series.
