The rapid-fire rate of tech innovation has given rise to an onslaught of new marketing communications tools – some fanciful, others practical. After building ad executions on apps like Shazaam and Flipboard, media network OMD decided to take its focus on emerging tech to the next level by partnering with client GE to create a start-up incubator to develop the next generation of advertiser-friendly digital platforms.

In a session introduced by OMD Canada CEO Cathy Collier, OMD U.S. East Coast Director of Ignition Factory Trevor Guthrie will overview new and emerging tech that brands should take advantage of, and will discuss the market realities that led OMD and GE to become directly involved in the world of start-ups, arguing that agencies are not only responsible for identifying new tech, but investing in its development.

Trevor Guthrie was promoted to lead OMD’s Ignition Factory division on the east coast in 2011 after serving in various digital, strategy and creative roles at the media agency. With a background in creativity and digital, he leads a team focused on reinventing media – both traditional and new – and acts as a creative catalyst to inject new thinking into marketing and media strategies for clients such as Showtime, PepsiCo and GE.