The conference, taking place on 25 September at Hood in Marvila (pictured), will feature Ismo Nikkola, Executive Vice President for Brand, Communications, Sustainability and Public Affairs at the Finnish dairy company Valio, as its keynote speaker.
With the support of Nova Expressão SGPS, Comon will host the Long versus Short Time conference on 25 September. Bringing together leading Portuguese marketers, the event will provide a platform for sharing insights, fostering discussion and debating the importance of balancing short-term business results—such as sales and lead conversions—with long-term brand building and sustainable value creation.
“When defining strategy, business plans and communications for the year ahead, along with the corresponding budgets, striking the right balance between short-term priorities and the long-term needs of both the business and the brand is always a complex—and often thankless—exercise,” says Ricardo Pereira, Co-founder, Partner and CEO of Comon, in comments to Meios & Publicidade, the event’s media partner.
Ricardo Pereira explains the choice of this year’s theme: “On the one hand, the growing pressure on organisations to deliver rapid results is driving an increasing focus on performance marketing, often at the expense of long-term brand building and purpose. On the other hand, an excessive emphasis on short-term outcomes can erode brand equity, reduce overall ROI and make it much harder for brands to regain their presence and relevance in the future.”
The conference will be headlined by keynote speaker Ismo Nikkola, Executive Vice President for Brand, Communications, Sustainability and Public Affairs at Finnish dairy company Valio. His presentation, titled Long & Short Term Relations Between Brands and Agencies, will explore how organisations can strike the right balance between long-term brand-building objectives and short-term performance goals.
With nearly 30 years of experience in the food industry, Ismo Nikkola has held senior marketing roles as well as positions in advertising agencies, where he worked as a brand strategist. Throughout his career, he has maintained a strong focus on global markets. According to the company, Valio ranks as the world’s ninth most valuable dairy brand and is the strongest food brand in Europe.
Ismo Nikkola sees marketing as a key driver of business growth, viewing brands and marketing strategies as integral to overall business strategy. In recent years, sustainability has become a central focus of his work, reflecting Valio’s position as a pioneer in sustainable practices within the dairy industry—an approach that also strengthens the company’s brand value.
The Importance of Critical Thinking and Human Connections in the Age of AI
Ricardo Pereira, who strongly believes in collaboration and co-creation, says the conference is built around the idea of sharing knowledge and learning together. “Our goal is to create a meaningful space for discussion and exchange, where everyone leaves with new insights that help them make better decisions and take more informed actions,” he explains.
The Comon CEO emphasises that “beyond our DNA as both a consultancy and an agency, Comon has always been an enabler of strategic thinking, meaningful relationships and collaboration. These qualities are becoming increasingly important because—at least for now—they cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence, and they are essential to using it effectively.”
The conference, taking place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Hood in Marvila, will also feature a crossfire debate moderated by Ricardo Pereira. Under the theme Brand Building vs Performance Marketing, António Ribeiro (Fidelidade) and Filipe Almeida (Science4you) will argue in favour of performance marketing, while Ana André (Comon) and Mariana Coimbra (ERA) will make the case for long-term brand building.
The panel discussion How to Manage Short vs Long Term will be moderated by Catarina Nunes, Editorial Director of Meios & Publicidade, and will bring together Andreia Vaz (Worten), Ismo Nikkola (Valio), Leonor Dias (Vodafone), Sérgio Carvalho (Fidelidade) and Tiago Simões (Betclic). The conference will conclude at 12:30 p.m. with the presentation of a case study by Fidelidade.
Attendance at the conference is by invitation only. Guests include CEOs, CMOs, business leaders, brand directors and senior marketing executives from across Portugal with whom Comon has built close relationships. “We have previously hosted a series of intimate dinner discussions with some of the market’s leading decision-makers and executives. They have been extremely successful, generating valuable conversations and meaningful learning,” recalls Ricardo Pereira. “Now we want to broaden the audience, while keeping it within Comon’s network and stakeholder community.”
The aim is to create a close-knit event, encouraging interaction and exchange among all participants. “That requires a safe and controlled environment. At the same time, this is our own investment and we do not want to monetise the event. Our goal is to act as enablers of knowledge-sharing and to contribute to the enrichment of everyone taking part,” explains the Comon CEO.
