Monroe at DMWF 2025: How Our Team is Shaping the Future of Digital Marketing

How A Two-Day Conference Is Sparking Innovation For Monroe Systems for Business

When your company has been around for more than one hundred years, staying ahead of change requires intention, curiosity, and a willingness to evolve. Monroe Systems for Business has always embraced transformation. In 1912, we introduced the first commercial printing calculator and changed the way professionals handled numbers. More than a century later, we are transforming again. This time, the shift is happening in digital marketing.

In October, our marketing team traveled to New York City to attend the Digital Marketing World Forum, also known as DMWF. This two-day conference brought together some of the most influential leaders in branding, artificial intelligence, social media, and the creator economy. For us, it was more than an event. It was a chance to immerse ourselves in the future of marketing and bring back insights that will shape how we show up for our customers.

Our three-person team included Jason Marsdale, Director of Strategy, Jonathon Gregull, Marketing Manager, and Brandon Leip, Digital Marketer. Each of us attended different sessions to gather as much insight as possible across all tracks of the conference.

The Rise of AI in Every Marketing Conversation

If there was one theme that echoed across nearly every panel, keynote, and fireside chat, it was the accelerating influence of artificial intelligence. Whether the topic was email personalization, creator marketing, or customer experience, AI is now central. Not optional. Not a "future thing." It is here and shaping nearly every aspect of digital strategy.

We learned about Agentic AI and how modern tools perceive, understand, reason, and plan. We saw examples of AI automating tier one customer support, improving workplace productivity, and optimizing ad campaigns. A striking statistic shared during the event: three out of four professionals now use AI at work, a number that has doubled since 2023.

This message resonated deeply with our team. We are actively planning to integrate more AI-driven processes into our marketing operations, from ad optimization to content enhancement and personalized customer experiences. We also connected with several vendors after the conference, including Quantcast, whose advertising tools can help us better target customers based on real behavior and intent.

AI is rapidly becoming the foundation of modern marketing, and attending DMWF made it clear that the companies that embrace it will move faster and operate smarter.

Creator Marketing, Influencer Strategy, and the Human Element

DMWF dedicated an entire track to creator marketing, and it became one of the most insightful parts of the conference. The overarching message: even in B2B, you are still selling to people.

Authenticity, relatability, and credibility matter. And creators continue to outperform brand content because audiences trust real humans much more than corporate messaging.

A few key insights stood out:

• Employees make powerful influencers. Customers trust real people inside the brand more than unfamiliar influencers.
• Influencers should be chosen for expertise, not follower count. A small but deeply knowledgeable creator can make a bigger impact than someone with a massive audience.
• Creators must have control. Repeatedly, speakers reminded brands to trust creators with creative direction. Their audience follows them for a reason.
• LinkedIn is a creator platform. Profiles should be personal, authentic, transparent, and valuable.
• Video dominates consumer behavior. Sixty percent of the time spent on social media is now video consumption.

One of the most memorable case studies came from Whistlepig Whiskey. Rather than running traditional ads, they invited creators into their world, educated them, and let the influencers tell the story. Their team focused on long-term partnerships with true experts. That authenticity helped convert viewers into customers at a higher rate than brand-generated content.

Another example came from BMW, which managed to sell cars through a creator-driven online series. This demonstrated the power of letting real people lead the narrative.

For Monroe, this sparked new inspiration. We plan to explore creator-style content with accountants and CPAs who already use our calculators. A video series featuring these professionals and why they trust Monroe could give our customers the kind of authentic insight they value most.

Personalization and Customer Insights: A Competitive Advantage

Another big theme throughout DMWF was personalized customer experiences. Speakers emphasized that personalization is now entirely dependent on data quality. Brands need to actively collect fresh insights about their audience, rather than relying on outdated assumptions.

Panels discussed the value of tools such as quizzes, surveys, and user-generated content. These assets not only support personalization but also reveal customer pain points that brands might not expect.

This hit home for us. While we always try to understand our customers, we realized there is room to gather more ongoing insight. Adding UGC opportunities and simple on-site quizzes may help us learn what our customers need and how their preferences are evolving. These techniques can also enhance our AI strategy since AI relies heavily on accurate context.

YouTube, Community Building, and the New Search Behavior

One session highlighted just how powerful YouTube has become in discovery and shopping behavior. It is now the second-largest search engine after Google, and consumers rely on creators to help them evaluate products, learn, compare, and even find alternatives.

Some important insights included:

• Consumers prefer creators to brands for product education.
• Short-form and long-form videos both influence purchase decisions.
• Community-driven content is one of the most effective ways to build trust.
• Underconsumption trends are shaping how people use and value their products.

This has encouraged us to explore new types of content that can help form a community around Monroe. Whether showcasing accountants, explaining calculator features, or highlighting real workflows, we want to use video to educate and connect.

The Human Side of the Trip: NYC Moments

Beyond the sessions, we also made time to enjoy New York. We grabbed a team photo in Times Square, attended a networking mixer where we met creators, executives, and marketers from across the globe, and tried John’s Pizza after hearing its stellar Barstool Pizza Review score. On day two, Jon and Brandon took a walk to the Empire State Building to enjoy the city after a day filled with sessions.

These moments helped us recharge and build stronger camaraderie as a team.

How This Conference Is Shaping Monroe’s Future

DMWF was not just informational. It was transformational.

As a company that has reinvented itself for more than a century, attending this conference sharpened our perspective on what comes next. We are committed to:

• Implementing more AI-driven tools
• Strengthening our creator and influencer strategy
• Collecting better customer insights
• Improving content personalization
• Exploring new video formats and platforms
• Testing new advertising tools
• Bringing more human voices into our marketing

Monroe may be best known for printing calculators, but our continued success comes from our ability to evolve. Events like DMWF help us stay aligned with the future and committed to delivering the best possible experience to the professionals who trust our brand.

We left New York inspired, energized, and ready to innovate, and we already cannot wait for DMWF 2026.