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Five Insights from MWC 2017 [1/5]Sustainability and Community First
The Mobile World Congress (MWC), one of the world's largest mobile industry exhibitions, was held in Barcelona, Spain, from February 27 to March 2. In this series, I will explain five key insights I gained from this event.
The theme of Part 1 is how deeply sustainability and a community-first mindset have permeated the event.
Every keynote address at this year's MWC focused on sustainable development. References to the UN's 17 Global Goals were made at nearly every conference event, clearly demonstrating how deeply sustainability thinking has permeated the mobile industry.
Strive Mashiwa, Chairman and Founder of Econet, Zimbabwe's leading ICT and media group, and a renowned philanthropist, emphasized the importance of educating children using future digital skills. This aligns perfectly with DAN UK's school education program , "The Code."
"The Code" is a DAN initiative in 40 UK secondary schools, aiming to nurture teenage talent for careers in advertising and media. It delivers 50,000 hours of lessons to 15,000 students.
We have also witnessed drones—until recently discussed only as novel tools or in the context of photography—being harnessed for societal benefit. While their use in agriculture, such as for pesticide spraying, is easily understood, what's fascinating is the existence of drones designed to support communities vulnerable to climate-related issues like flooding. While it's natural for drone technology to be used in gaming and video calls, it's remarkable to see this technology thoughtfully designed for the benefit of local communities.
One session focused on the sharing economy. While Chris LuHaine, Airbnb's Head of Global Policy & Communications, provided fascinating insights into the company's remarkable growth and its commitment to working with governments to enable a regulated sharing economy, it also became clear that having a social value proposition is key to becoming a business that resonates with today's consumers. User-centricity and giving back to the community were common goals among participating brands. For example, Airbnb's social value proposition is making travel accessible. What is your social value proposition?
Related Article:MWC2017 Opens with Slogan "The Next Element"[2017.03.09]
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Author
Sabrina Rodriguez
Dentsu Inc. Aegis Network
Social Media & Content Division
Global Head
To achieve Dentsu Inc. Aegis Network (DAN)'s business goal of making 100% of its business aligned with the digital economy by 2020, he is responsible for building a global social media and content strategy. He provides strategic support and toolkits to all DAN areas and brands worldwide. After extensive experience in digital and social media within the telecommunications and financial industries, he joined DAN in October 2016.
