The Midwest Digital Marketing Conference (MDMC 2025), hosted by the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL), reminded us of one thing above all else: the future of digital transformation is not only here—it’s accelerating. Over two days in St. Louis, thousands of marketers, technologists, and thought leaders gathered to explore what’s shaping the next wave of customer experience and brand growth.
The event attracted speakers from well-known brands such as Google, LinkedIn and Salesforce as well as St. Louis brands including Caleres, Explore St. Louis, Equifax, Nestle Purina PetCare, Regional Business Council, Reinsurance Group of America, RX Outreach and all the major local marketing agencies.
Integrity is proud to be part of that future-facing dialogue. Our very own Lisa Grimm and Erin Sucher-O’Grady took the stage as featured speakers, and our entire team walked away with fresh insights, unexpected ideas, and bold inspiration.
As an UMSL Marketing Advisory Board Member and sponsor of MDMC, Integrity is excited to report that attendance has rebounded significantly, reaching its highest level since before the pandemic.
🔍 Key Lessons We Took Away
📈 1. It Now Takes 11 Touchpoints to Capture Attention
One of the most talked-about metrics from multiple sessions: the buyer journey is longer and more complex. It takes an average of 11 pieces of content before someone is ready to engage. That’s up from the previously accepted number of 8. The takeaway? Brands must diversify touchpoints and show up consistently.
🎯 2. Empathy-Driven Marketing Makes a Difference
We heard about a brand recognizing that Mother’s Day is a difficult holiday, and offering users the option to opt out of Mother’s Day promotions. Another speaker discussed the challenges working around political sensitivity. The clear message was this: brands that lead with empathy will stand out. It’s not just a “nice to have”—it’s a differentiator.
🎮 3. Gaming is the New Social Media
In what became a team favorite session, we learned that games are content—and community. With 87% of Gen Z and 94% of Gen Alpha gaming weekly, platforms like Roblox and Fortnite are becoming the next frontier for branded experiences. Could we one day build a mini-game to engage audiences? We left thinking—why not?
🎥 4. Video and Characters Convert Like Crazy
Video remains the king of B2B content on LinkedIn—but not just any video. Leverage emotional storytelling and following the hero’s journey. Stats shared at MDMC showed that:
- Branding in the first 7–15 seconds is critical
- Characters or mascots increase attention by 6x and less than 1% of B2B brands use them!
- Employee-led videos and “internal characters” see 8x more engagement
- Short-form videos have the highest ROI
- 5x more conversions happen when video is paired with a form
That has us thinking: how might we bring more behind-the-scenes (BTS) storytelling to life at Integrity? Turn your workplace culture into creative currency.
🧠 5. Gen Z Is Redefining Digital Behavior
Gen Z’s influence on social and search continues to grow. Integrity’s own Grace Lepper captured some key shifts:
- Gen Z opens their wallets for brands they believe in
- They crave entertaining or useful content—or they scroll right past
- Forums and niche communities (Reddit especially) are becoming dominant sources of product discovery
- And yes, TikTok’s engagement still beats Facebook and Instagram
🌐 6. GEO is the new SEO
As generative AI tools (like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, etc.) become gateways to information, optimizing for traditional search engines (SEO) is no longer enough. You now need to optimize for AI-generated answers because:
- AI is changing how people search —instead of Googling, users ask AI tools for summaries, product suggestions, or service recommendations and these tools don’t link — they generate answers
- GEO = visibility in AI response — just as SEO aimed to rank your website high on a SERP, GEO aims to get your brand, content, or data cited or included in AI-generated content.
- It’s not just keywords anymore — generative engine rely on structured data, brand authority, entity recognition, and contextual relevant — not just traditional on-page factors
- Key GEO strategies include: high-quality, authoritative content frequently cited by others, structure data (schema markup) so AI can better understand your content, brand presence across trusted sources (Wikipedia, Reddit, news sites and forums) and optimization for natural language queries, not ust keyword-driven ones
📊 7. Metrics and Reporting: Focus on Outcomes, Not Just Activity
In a sea of impressions, clicks, and open rates, it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters—outcomes. The MDMC conference reinforced this idea: reporting shouldn’t stop at surface-level activity metrics. Instead, marketers should dig deeper, focusing on how data tells a story about intent, behavior, and, ultimately, business results.
- Storytelling with data transforms dry metrics into compelling narratives. Rather than listing KPIs, ask yourself: What’s the story here? Why did engagement spike last week? Why are users dropping off at the third step of the funnel? When you frame your reporting around the “why,” not just the “what,” you create insights that resonate with stakeholders and lead to smarter decisions.
- Look for signals of intent. Not every action is equal. A whitepaper download or an abandoned cart carries far more strategic weight than a random pageview. Intent-driven metrics help identify not only what your audience is doing—but what they want.
- Testing isn’t optional—it’s essential. Something as small as a call-to-action button’s wording or the number of fields in a lead form can significantly influence conversion rates. A/B test your assumptions regularly, and be ready to adjust. Marketing that evolves with data is marketing that performs.
At the end of the day, successful reporting is less about the dashboard and more about discovery. When we use data to uncover truths, refine strategies, and tell better stories, we move from marketing motions to meaningful outcomes.
💬 Our Contribution to the Leadership Conversation
Through their sessions, Lisa and Erin shared Integrity’s commitment to human-centered digital transformation. They emphasized the importance of an approach to design, development, and strategy that enters on real human needs —with empathy and accessibility always at the forefront.
Our team also engaged in roundtables, masterclasses, and panels with some of the most forward-thinking marketers in the Midwest. The result? Fresh momentum and perspective that we’re already channeling into our client work.
🚀 What’s Next?
From AI and automation to gamification and emotional intelligence, the landscape of digital marketing is rapidly evolving. Integrity is ready to help brands navigate it with intention, creativity, and care.
Thank you to the organizers of MDMC and the University of Missouri St. Louis for hosting such a powerful event. We’re honored to have been part of it—and excited to keep leading the way.
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