NXNEi holds no prejudice when it comes to sharing tools of the trade.

Such was obvious when musicians, filmmakers, marketers and entrepreneurs congregated in Toronto’s Hyatt hotel where the festival interactive sessions were held yesterday.

From designing viral YouTube videos and building Facebook apps to changes in cultural practices and ways to attract loyal consumers – the diverse set of talks set out to provide attendees with ways to reach today’s audience.

From Toronto-based Grip Limited, director of innovation and technology Jacob Bondre spoke of changing consumer behaviours with regards to environmentalism, and how brands ought to “do a social audit” to “find out what impact they have on the greater community.”

Bondre’s “Culture Shock” talk touched on how Justin Bieber is winning the hearts of millions because of his “authenticity.” An approach, he says, brands should learn from when selling products to consumers.

Afternoon interactive sessions were kicked off with a discussion on “Brand Loyalty,” hosted by Hip Digital and its panel of executives from Aeroplan, Random House, Sony Music, Gowalla and Quizative.

The panelists gave reasons to use a digital platforms in order to reach a much larger audience, using rewards that create a sense of recognition and belonging to the brand.

The idea of acting as a “conduit” for consumers to “unlock exclusive content,” such as music and virtual goods, was explained by Chris Hardy, brand partnerships, Sony, as a way to “open up a brand to new audiences.”

MiC caught up with Grip Limited’s Bondre and Toronto-based Quizative agency president Adrian Capobianco to talk digital, culture and the death of demopgraphics.

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