Sydney Online Marketing is proud to share highlights from our recent experience at the Mailchimp FWD: Sydney 2025 conference, held at the stunning Doltone House in Sydney on March 26, 2025. This premier digital marketing event, organized by Intuit Mailchimp, brought together industry leaders, marketing strategists, business owners, and tech innovators for a full-day immersion into the future of email marketing, audience engagement, and marketing automation.
Why This Event Mattered to Us
As a leading digital marketing agency in construction industry, staying ahead of the curve is essential to delivering exceptional results for our clients. FWD: Sydney 2025 gave us the opportunity to:
Explore actionable strategies to enhance client campaigns using the latest tools.
Discover new Mailchimp features that are now available to Australian users.
Gain insights from some of the world’s most respected voices in branding, marketing, and AI.
Network with industry peers and thought leaders.
Rebel Wilson on Branding: A Star-Powered Fireside Chat
One of the conference’s most anticipated moments was the exclusive fireside chat featuring Australian actress and global comedy icon Rebel Wilson. Interviewed by creative leader Karen Ferry, Rebel shared the personal story behind her global brand, including:
- Her strategic approach to building a personal brand in Hollywood.
- How she navigated public transformations, both professionally and personally.
- The importance of authenticity and consistency in branding.
This session offered refreshing, real-world advice on brand evol
New Mailchimp Features Launching in Australia
The conference also served as the stage for two major product updates that are set to redefine how businesses use Mailchimp in 2025:
1. SMS Marketing in Australia
For the first time, Mailchimp has introduced native SMS marketing capabilities for the Australian market. This new feature allows brands to reach their audiences directly on mobile devices, combining the immediacy of text messages with the segmentation power of Mailchimp’s ecosystem.
Why this matters: SMS marketing boasts an incredibly high open rate (up to 98%) and can be used for appointment reminders, promotions, lead nurturing, and more.
2. Deeper Integration with Canva
Visual design plays a vital role in campaign performance. With the newly enhanced Canva-MC integration, users can now:
- Create branded assets in Canva directly inside the Mailchimp dashboard.
- Drag and drop designs seamlessly into email templates.
- Maintain consistent branding across all digital assets.
Impact: This makes email design faster, more creative, and less dependent on external design teams, especially useful for smaller businesses with limited resources.
Industry Insights from Global Experts
The speaker lineup included Neil Patel, digital marketing guru and founder of NP Digital, and Professor Byron Sharp, a globally recognized marketing scientist and author of “How Brands Grow.”
Key sessions covered:
- The continued power of email marketing in an AI-driven world.
- Why first-party data will be the cornerstone of future campaigns.
- Tips for hyper-personalized email sequences based on behavioral insights.
- The evolving role of AI in campaign optimization and content creation.
Every panel and workshop emphasized data-backed strategies and innovation, aligning with how we at Sydney Online Marketing approach every campaign: with precision, creativity, and measurable outcomes.
Networking & Industry Connections
Beyond the presentations, FWD: Sydney was a hub for making meaningful connections. The event offered plenty of opportunities to:
- Exchange ideas with other digital agencies and tech providers.
- Meet Mailchimp product managers and get direct insights.
- Explore potential partnerships and collaborations.
The vibe was energetic, forward-thinking, and future-focused—everything you want from a marketing conference.
What This Means for Our Clients
By attending FWD: Sydney, we’re equipped with:
- First access to Mailchimp’s newest tools tailored to the Australian market.
- Advanced strategies for integrating SMS and email marketing.
- A renewed perspective on branding and customer experience.
We’re already implementing these learnings into our clients’ campaigns to:
- Improve email open rates and click-through rates.
- Drive conversions through multi-channel strategies.
- Design more effective, beautifully branded newsletters and automations.
Final Thoughts: Future-Ready with Mailchimp
The digital marketing world is changing fast—but with partners like Mailchimp leading innovation and events like FWD: Sydney, agencies like Sydney Online Marketing can adapt quickly and deliver next-level results.
If you’re looking for a team that understands the latest marketing technology, is connected to global industry leaders, and knows how to build campaigns that convert—we’re ready to help.
Let’s talk about your marketing goals. Book a free strategy session with us today.
