EDAA at DMWF Global 2025: How to Manage Consumer Expectations Online

On Tuesday 24 June, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel at this year’s Digital Marketing World Forum (DMWF) in London, titled “How to Manage Customer Expectations Online”. The discussion brought together a diverse group of senior marketing professionals: Urška Novak (Senior Campaign Manager, Raiffeisen Digital Bank), Ebony Douglas (Digital Marketing Manager, CancerTools.org), Lisa Johnstone (Director, Priority, Loyalty & Rewards, Virgin Media O2), and Stephanie Gillies (UK Marketing Director, Trustpilot). Together, we explored how organisations can navigate the complex digital landscape by setting clear, credible expectations, adapting to evolving consumer priorities, and using feedback and transparency as cornerstones of trust.

One of the first themes we unpacked was the difficulty of setting expectations in a fast-paced environment where customers are overloaded with information and choice. Lisa Johnstone kicked things off with a striking insight: over 85% of digital advertising receives less than 2.5 seconds of attention. For Virgin Media O2, this means that aligning creative and media strategies across the full brand ecosystem is key to winning that fleeting attention. From a very different sector, Ebony Douglas highlighted the challenge of building long-term trust in scientific research, where impact is measured over years, not clicks. Urška Novak shared how Raiffeisen Digital Bank—operating fully online—seeks to humanise financial interactions and support customers through moments of stress. Stephanie Gillies offered a valuable perspective on the strategic role of reviews in shaping expectations early in the customer journey.

Trust, transparency, and feedback were recurring themes throughout the conversation. Stephanie explained how Trustpilot’s platform, with over 300 million reviews, offers more than reputation management—it acts as a public, dynamic form of brand accountability. Lisa addressed the growing need to protect customers from misinformation, while Ebony stressed the importance of balancing emotionally compelling campaigns with scientific integrity in the health sector. Finally, we looked at how organisations integrate customer feedback into their roadmap: from NPS campaigns at Raiffeisen Digital Bank to shifting strategies at Virgin Media O2 in response to real-world user insights. Whether through personalisation or rebuilding trust in a crowded digital space, the message was clear: transparency is no longer just a compliance box—it’s a competitive advantage.