Web Summit touched down in Vancouver for the first time this May, and let’s just say, we didn’t need another reason to love this city, but now we’ve got one.
Over three packed days (May 28–30), the convention centre was buzzing with brand marketers, startup founders, product teams, and AI-curious execs. Between sessions on selling to Gen Z, designing AI products, and why email still has the best ROI (yup, still), here’s what we walked away with, and what it means for marketers right now.
1. Gen Z doesn’t want to talk to you (at least not yet)
They want to watch you first.
Selling to Gen Z is about being everywhere. This generation is social-first and search-forward. They’re turning to TikTok and Instagram before Google, and they’re doing a ton of research before ever speaking to a brand.
The old “rule of 7” touchpoints is long gone.
For high-consideration B2C products (think $10K+), expect 20+ brand interactions across multiple channels before conversion.
Takeaway: Build trust before you sell. Let your brand show up in the content they’re already consuming, especially video, blog posts, reviews, and socials.
2. Omnichannel ≠ optional
As mentioned above, we’re living in a “search everywhere” world, where buyers jump between platforms, search engines, and even AI tools like ChatGPT before converting.
One of our favourite takeaways…running campaigns on 6+ platforms can significantly improve overall ROI, especially when you’re blending brand and performance marketing together.
That means:
- Email, SEO, and paid ads still outperform most channels (especially for direct ROI)
- Social media? Great for discovery, not great for conversions
Takeaway: Repetition builds trust. Your emails, ads, blog posts, tools, and even Reddit mentions are all part of the buying journey now.
3. Want to build trust? Be human everywhere
Across every conversation, from brand masterclasses to CMO panels on performance, it was clear that AI is speeding things up, but humanity still wins.
A few key points we loved:
- Human-written content still generates more traffic per minute spent than AI-written blog posts (based on 700+ article comparisons)
- Brands like Duolingo succeed not just because they use AI, but because they “out-human” their competitors
- Consumers resonate with stories, nuance, and vulnerability, something only people can bring
We heard this a lot: “Creativity isn’t about making, it’s about mattering.”
Yes, AI tools are here to stay. But the brands that win will use them for efficiency, not identity.
4. Email is the underdog of 2025
We’ve said it before, but Web Summit drove it home when the conversations spoke about how email is where ROI lives.
Why?
- You own the data (zero and first-party ftw)
- You can segment and personalize at scale
- It’s a simple trust-building machine that integrates beautifully with performance marketing
Did you know that email lets you track attribution far better than many social channels?
So yes, please build your email list. And update your CRO game while you’re at it.
5. AI is reshaping how we work, and just what we make
If you’re wondering how to build or market in the AI era, this hit hard, “We’re building faster than we’re deciding why.”
This came up in multiple sessions. AI gives us speed and options, but humans still need to set direction.
Here’s what we took away from these conversations.
Machines are great at generating options, optimizing scale, and recognizing patterns. However, humans bring emotional intelligence, contextual judgment, and creativity that resonates with people.
So, the real advantage here is pairing both together. Use AI to move faster, but pause to make sure your message actually matters.
6. Build a brand that people want to talk about
Brand marketing and performance marketing work well together, and you need both.
Whether it’s Duolingo’s unapologetic social voice, Olivia Rodrigo x Erewhon’s influencer playbook, or Reddit posts that go viral for the right (or wrong) reasons, Web Summit made it clear that a strong point of view matters when it comes to brand marketing.
The brands that win in 2025 are:
- Creating conversations (not only impressions/views)
- Thinking about inspirational design targets, like who are we marketing to that others want to follow?
Oh, and Gen Z wants to see your execs on social media. They’re researching your brand values through the people who lead it.
Takeaway: Create “badge value.” Make people feel something and give them a reason to share it.
If Web Summit Vancouver taught us anything, it’s that marketing in 2025 is about building brands people believe in.
The way to achieve this is by blending creative storytelling with good performance, and then using AI to amplify your impact.
As we left the summit (and our brain-dump of notes slowly turned into this blog), one thing was clear, you don’t need to do everything, but you do need to be everywhere your audience actually looks.
Welcome to the era of search everywhere, tools that convert, and brand marketing with a backbone.
We’re here for it.
