Throughout April and May 2025, the Ukrainian Marketing Association conducted the second part of its spring series of public lectures and workshops, focusing on the most pressing topics in marketing. This initiative brought together a broad community of marketers, educators, students, and others interested in contemporary industry trends. For students of the D5 “Marketing” program, participation in these events – as part of their coursework – provided a valuable opportunity to explore leading approaches, gain insights from industry practitioners, and engage directly with the speakers.
On March 26, 2025, a public online lecture “The Brand Speaks” was held by Avi Shchupak, Head of Marketing Communications at lifecell, Volia, and Data Group. With over 16 years of experience in marketing and communications, Avi shared in-depth professional insights and practical strategies for building a strong brand. The lecture covered the key differences between a product and a brand, the importance of competitor and target audience analysis as the foundation of brand development, and the core elements of a brand – mission, persona, communication tone, and visual identity. Avi detailed where a brand “speaks”: through ATL, Digital, BTL, PR, retail, shopper marketing, and service/call centers. The discussion also included optimal timing for brand communication, including product launches, seasonal campaigns, situational outreach, and reputation or crisis activities. A key part of the session focused on the purpose of branded messaging to reach the target audience and drive action. The event concluded with practical advice on ensuring brand consistency across all touchpoints. This lecture proved to be a valuable platform for professional development in branding.
On April 2, 2025, the workshop “Intellectual Brand Monopolization: What Marketers Should Know” was conducted by Olena Yakobchuk, founder and patent strategist of International R&P group Intectica, author of patent-solving algorithms in the pharmaceutical field, and a certified patent attorney with a background in chemistry and law. Participants received a unique blend of legal and marketing knowledge on how intellectual property (IP) can serve as a powerful tool for building sustainable market positions. Key IP concepts, mechanisms of competitive advantage through patents and trademarks, and the role of IP in market expansion were discussed. Olena emphasized that while marketers don’t need to be legal experts, they must understand the opportunities IP offers and know how to collaborate with patent strategists to secure brand protection.
Participants learned how to frame effective queries for IP specialists and integrate IP tools into a broader marketing strategy. The workshop was a valuable space for enhancing strategic branding skills, showcasing how legal instruments can drive business success.
On April 9, 2025, the lecture “Effective Portfolio Strategy Development with Capitalization of Focus Brands” was delivered by Tetiana Ivantsova, Marketing Director of the wine and cognac category at Bayadera Group. With over 20 years of experience in launching, promoting, and developing brands in B2C (FMCG) and B2B markets across Ukraine, the CIS, and Poland, Tetyana shared rich practical insights and strategic approaches to portfolio management. The session explored how to adapt to market shifts when core segments shrink and identify new opportunities in such conditions. It focused on building a balanced brand portfolio that reflects both market demand and the potential for focus brand capitalization.
Tetyana also highlighted key performance indicators (KPIs) that guide marketing effectiveness and strategic decision-making. The lecture concluded with a real-life case study from Bayadera Group, demonstrating the practical implementation of portfolio strategies. This event offered marketers essential tools and insights into brand management and strategic asset development.
On May 14, 2025, the hands-on workshop “UX Research in Action: Analyzing a Case and Identifying Growth Points through User Understanding” was led by Oleksii Deliukov, CEO of Research.ua, a marketer with 30 years of experience, including 8 years in marketing research. Oleksii has held roles such as Art Director at leading advertising agencies (Ark/JWT, Bates, D’arcy) and Marketing Director at Domotekhnika, Fozzy Cash&Carry, and Retail Group. Between 2017 and 2019, he founded the online panel “Personal Opinion” and the UX and behavioral analytics company Research.ua. During the workshop, participants experienced every stage of UX research from problem identification and goal setting to online UX testing, analysis, and recommendations. They engaged in both researcher and respondent roles, gaining full immersion in digital product research. The event offered clear distinctions between UX and traditional marketing research, emphasizing that in today’s business environment, quality offerings alone are not enough. The focus was on analyzing user interactions, optimizing interfaces, and ensuring seamless customer experiences. The session combined theory, hands-on practice, live discussion, and Q&A, proving valuable for marketers, UX specialists, designers, product managers, and anyone building user-centered products.
On May 21, 2025, the Ukrainian Marketing Association hosted the final event of its spring educational series the webinar “20+ Marketing Channels for E-Commerce”. The session tackled a key challenge in online business: how to manage multiple communication channels effectively without wasting marketing budgets.
The speaker, Oksana Vobiatchenko, Chief Marketing Officer at the omnichannel CDP eSputnik, is a digital marketing expert with 11 years of experience in strategy development, communication automation, and data-driven business scaling.
Attendees learned which channels to prioritize, which deliver quick results, and which are more long-term. Oksana shared actionable tips for evaluating channel performance, highlighted the most relevant e-commerce metrics, and guided participants in building their own prioritization matrices to avoid budget inefficiencies. Thanks to Oksana’s deep expertise and real-life examples, participants left with practical tools for navigating multichannel environments. This webinar marked a strong conclusion to UAM’s spring educational season, which covered targeting in Meta, online retail trends, retention strategies, branding, IP, portfolio management, and UX research. The finale reaffirmed the relevance of the topics and the Ukrainian marketing community’s commitment to continuous professional growth.
We sincerely thank our stakeholder, the Ukrainian Marketing Association, represented by its President Iryna Lilyk, for initiating and implementing the spring series of open lectures and workshops. These events became a tremendously valuable platform for the professional development of students, educators, and practitioners alike. Thanks to the high level of organization, timely topics, and involvement of top industry experts, the sessions served as a source of inspiration, new knowledge, and practical tools. We are deeply grateful to all lecturers who contributed to this initiative. Your support, partnership, and shared belief in the power of quality education ensured the success of every meeting.
Together, we are advancing Ukraine’s marketing ecosystem, fostering a knowledge-sharing environment, and supporting the growth of a new generation of professionals!
28.05.2025
