CES is Kind of a Big Deal

“The Greatest Show on Earth” may be the tagline for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, but for technology brands, marketing bigwigs and the hungry entrepreneur, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is truly a show not to miss. For a show this monolithic, Las Vegas is the only location worthy of entertaining the 140,000 or so industry professionals who attend every year. Plus we all know Vegas throws the best parties.

I’m a tech nerd mixed with a creative mind sprinkled with a decent amount of marketing knowledge. So this post may feel all over the place as I talk about the things I took away from it. Also, if you need more background on CES, feel free to get the Wikipedia download.

"...I probably couldn’t throw a microprocessor without hitting a social media guru."

The words “Consumer Electronics Show” may confuse you...hell, they confused me. This show doesn’t allow any consumers to attend. Industry only. Obviously, the word “industry” gets pretty broad, as I probably couldn’t throw a microprocessor without hitting a social media guru. But there are also plenty of investors, analysts and media that clog the halls. Behind closed doors lots of deals are being made for new technology products. Meanwhile, throughout the conference, some of the great minds in today’s business world are giving keynotes and panels on the future of technology and its effects on the consumer and, most importantly, how advertising fits in. ’Cause we all know that’s how the world makes money...selling ads.

This is where I segue shamelessly into the reason why I attended CES this year. Basically, I lucked out. Wunderman’s very own chairman and CEO, Daniel Morel, couldn’t attend a panel he was supposed to speak on. So clearly, I’m was the next in line to speak in place of Mr. Morel (insert sarcastic tone). I’m not quite there yet. But luckily I’ve been fortunate enough to speak at quite a few events in the past and, since I work at the Wunderman West office in Irvine, California, which is only a hop/skip/jump away from Las Vegas, it was an easy choice for Andrew Sexton, our VP, director of North American media relations, to give me the nod. Lucky, yes. Chairman and CEO, I’m not... Yet.

So I get to Vegas Wednesday morning and find the Digital Hollywood check-in. For those unfamiliar, Digital Hollywood is a long-time committee that organizes great conferences in LA and NYC, focusing on creating together panels of influential people talking about the future of content and opportunities in the entertainment space. They are clearly a great fit for CES. The panel I was speaking on was entitled “The Future of Enhanced Advertising: Addressing Brands, Message, Technology, Media and Entertainment.” And I was surrounded on the panel by some great minds, like Rick Song, general manager of Eastern U.S. sales for Microsoft Advertising; Chet Fenster, managing partner for MEC (WPP); Davina Kent, VP Comcast Media; David Kang, creative director for content extensions, Hearst Magazines; and the moderator, Xavier Kochhar, managing partner for MediaLink LLC.

"Because now we know who you are, better than ever before. It’s scary."

Quickly summing up the panel: We all pretty much agreed that the growth of technology, especially in tablets and smart TVs, is only going to help us to target our advertising better. Since everyone is so connected, we as advertisers and buyers can make more strategic media buys. To really understand who is willing to listen, engage and then give them the opportunity to engage easily without stress or inconvenience…basically, instead of wasting huge media buys that blast to millions of people, of whom only .003 percent are in the mindset to be sold on such a product. We now know exactly if YOU are the demographic right for the brands we are advertising for. This also spawns from the amount of screens reaching consumers now. TVs, phones, tablets, laptops, desktop PCs, cars with screens. Hell, even your fridge now has a screen or it will soon. This means everyone is more connected now. For example, your car plugs into your house and wirelessly tells the smart meter on your home that you consumed X amount of energy and sends you a text. Meanwhile, your fridge knows you’re low on milk and frozen pizza, and so it pushes coupons to your tablet for the next time you go grocery shopping, which it scheduled on your phone’s calendar and the fastest route is mapped on your car’s GPS. All the while, you’re watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, getting an ad for DiGiornio frozen pizza, the competitor of what you normally buy. Why? Because now we know who you are, better than ever before. It’s scary. But it’s kind of great at the same time. Because sending me an ad for low-fat ice cream wouldn’t have been relevant to my needs. And this sort of misinformed marketing is clearly what we are used to getting blasted with. It’s irrelevant.

"Clearly, those late-night arguments with my ECD on the future of marketing are paying off."

The panel ended in applause from the packed room. In the end I was relieved to know that the other respected colleagues on the panel are on the same page I am. Clearly, those late-night arguments with my ECD on the future of marketing are paying off. I guess I owe him a bourbon.

The rest of the day, I just tried to take in the CES showroom floors. It’s a bit overwhelming: giant 3-D TV walls where soccer balls fly at your face, music blaring from all directions, cameras flashing, and large groups of people standing and waiting their turn to touch the next great thing. There’s clearly something for every geek. Personally, I was happy to get a chance to play with the new RED Scarlett camera (thanks @CarolynRuiz) and see the future of interactive TV via Panasonic and LG. And some amazing 3-D from Sony. Even the automotive presence was intriguing. Mercedes was showing off their radically new in-vehicle user interface. Your hand gestures activate different displays in the dashboard and on the window. The windows even display restaurant names as you drive by them in real time. Quite amazing. The car displays themselves were also a sight to see. Audi could have won an award for brightest and most futuristic display. The low ceiling is actually five rows of grid-like LED lights with a mirror behind all of that. You can figuratively get lost in space looking up. The cars looked spectacular under the lighting as well.

"Health tech is clearly going to be big this coming year and next."

The other big push from the big brands revolved around health and comfort. From LG’s new refrigerators that keep you on your diet by suggesting items to eat, to Toshiba’s creating a network hub for your home’s appliances that regulates power in peak hours and keeps your home comfortable and efficient year-round. Of course everyone and their mother has a new device and app that tracks your steps or monitors your sleep patterns. Health tech is clearly going to be big this coming year and next. I for one can’t wait to plug in and give in to the future of health and weight loss.

"...more screens means more ways to reach the consumer with (hopefully) great, compelling, emotional advertising."

Where does marketing fit in to all this tech? It’s not real clear yet. We do know that there are more screens in our homes than ever before. From your fridge, to your bathroom mirrors, to tablets, tables, and the three or more TVs you will own, more screens means more ways to reach the consumer with (hopefully) great, compelling, emotional advertising. Right, agencies?!

I’ll briefly mention the side of CES that everyone really goes for...the after-parties. My adventure down the rabbit hole started at Wired Cafe, which was located at the swanky Surrender Nightclub at the Encore hotel. Wired always does a stellar job hosting events (their Comic-Con setup is the sole reason I keep going). Besides the free cocktails, their Gadget Lab was set up for us to play with some of the cool tech featured at CES, a nice touch. The space girls they had dancing around didn’t hurt either.

"We arrive at the Pinball Museum and waiting for us are about 50 pizzas, cases of ice-cold beer and a jar full of quarters. Play on, they said."

My next trip landed me somewhere I’d never been in Vegas before and would probably never want to be. But for this night, it was the greatest treat ever: the Pinball Museum. When you jump on a random limo bus, you assume you’re going to Ghost Bar or the Foundation Room. Nope. This is CES, and geeks love games. I’m clearly at home with these people. We arrive at the Pinball Museum and waiting for us are about 50 pizzas, cases of ice-cold beer and a jar full of quarters. Play on, they said. For two hours I played pinball games from my favorite movies like Jurassic Park and Star Wars, and games from the early 1900s that included a hand-drawn automated flip-book of an old boxing match. On the limo bus back, I sat next to @ijustine (de facto sexy CES queen) and we recapped our favorite games. All the while I was thinking "shouldn't you be at some celebrities private party?" She then pulled out her Nintendo 3DS and plays for a few minutes before we got to the hotel. Yes, twitterverse, she’s that geeky and cute as we all had hoped. To end the night, I met up with my good friend Makers Mark and his buddy Black Jack, who then proceeded to take $300 of my lunch money. You’re welcome, Vegas.

In closing…CES is a must-go-to event if you’re in advertising. I feel like I have such a head start on knowing how consumers want to interact with their devices and how those devices are changing the way consumers interact with the world. Knowing this gives us Creatives a huge leg up in the fight for attention from brand to brand. I personally can’t wait to use some of this knowledge for a brand I’m working on. In this day and age, you need every edge you can get. Thanks, CES, for 24 hours of awesome.

DML

Monkey See. Monkey Do.

It's got to be a evolutionary flaw. We are copiers. Followers. Preverbal sheep as it were. Sure we copy how others dress or how others speak, but it seems we do so in order to fit in. To be less ridiculed. Perhaps saying it's a flaw is a bit strong, but it can be frustrating when you strive to be different in a world that accepts more of the same. But nothing is more deeply apparent of this than the "monkey see monkey do" attitude in marketing.

Raise your hand if your tired of people using Apple as the end all be all of marketing case studies? Yes we all know Apple did a great job marketing a great product. Does it mean we should copy exactly what they did in order to replicate their success? No. Is your product groud breaking as the iPhone? Probably not. Do you have a visionary leading your brand like Steve Jobs? Going to go out on a limb and say that's it's unlikely. So why do we think we can replicate a maketing platform that's tough to beat on any level. We are sheep.

"Raise your hand if your tired of people using Apple as the end all be all of marketing case studies?"

I have wondered for a minute forever why do we do this. Why are we so likely to copy each other? The only reason I can come up with that has any logical sense is that... it's real damn hard to be original. We copy because it's easy to do so. Then we hide behind the idea that we are paying respect to the great idea/execution we just ripped off.  And then original artist/brand states something like "the biggest form of flattery is imitation" so they don't look like jerks to the media. It's almost a sad dance of public relations just to feel better for being sheep. But don't worry, it gets better, because everyone is a follower. We have to be. You see, in order to learn from the best we have to replicate the best and understand it in order to make something better. So that's it. We have to be sheep in order to stand out. Now I'm confused. Let's just keep pressing.

"...it's real damn hard to be original."

So it's ok to copy an idea? Why do I still feel dirty when I sell in an idea that Ikea did 6 years ago? Sure it's different...soooorta. It seems that my subconscious is a crafty and ego driven fool.  It wants to be liked and welcomed in with open arms and given kittens. So Mr. Subconscious tends to ride the course of most... as a follower.

"(Mr Subconscious) wants to be liked and welcomed in with open arms and given kittens."

My point here, if I still have one, is that it's ok to politely copy another idea. As long as you tried in great detail to be orignal where it apply's. I think you'll find that it may be easier to sleep at night. I wish it was easy... but if it was easy to be original their would be more Lester Wunderman's and David Ogilvy's. Instead there are just more people like me, doing their best to make it long enough to one day be the leader not the follower. Till then, monkey do do do.

Cheers,

DML

Update on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 8:13PM by Drew Lewis

I just wanted to make a note that I posted this 'rant' before the death of Steve Jobs. It obviously was odd timing that a week or so later he passed. But using Apple as an example here is mearly to prove a point, not taking advantage of a high PR situation that happend to spawn afterwards.

DML

Comic-Con Dazzles with Marketing

Nerdpocalypse, aka Comic-Con, is the biggest pop culture convention in North America and perhaps the world. And it descends upon San Diego every year taking over hotels, cafes and bars, quite literally turning them into giant marketing icons. One would think that, unless you’re a huge “dress up like your favorite character from the Justice League” kind of person, you would steer clear of this event. I'm here to tell you that while the Con certainly is for those folks, there is a whole other side that would be considered the cat’s pajamas for entertainment and marketing nerds like myself.

The Con is four days (five if you get the preview night pass) of about 200,000 people piled into about a one-mile radius. Not just any 200,000 people. 200,000 members of the premium target audience. 18-35. Oh yes, the golden #'s that most marketers of a large commercial brand need/want. So who's going all out to market to this golden herd of people? Mostly the entertainment studios, but brands are present and reaching out in unique ways. While there are plenty of great uses of marketing from Twitter to giant banners on buildings, there were a select few that made me as giddy as a schoolgirl. 

One of the more popular things to do during Comic-Con is to take over a current bar or restaurant and rebrand it as your own. This was done brilliantly last year and again this year by SyFy as they took over a local coffee shop and turned it into the fictional local hotspot called Cafe Diem, as seen in their hit show Eureka. Everything from the main entrance to the menu was changed to fit the bill of the actual place in the show. This year, you could also see other brands following suit. CNET took over Lou & Mickey's, directly across from the convention center, and made it a “Base Station,” with drink specials, food, free Wi-Fi, and chances to win prizes. There were even great areas to plug in and get your blog or tweet on. Also, as they have for the last several years, Wired Magazine sponsored one of the best offsite getaways, taking over the pool area of the Omni hotel. Fairly exclusive, it's only meant for industry or celebrity types as a chance to escape the wild frenzy of people. Besides the exclusivity, there were free cocktails made with HBO's True Blood mix, and Budwiser was handing out buckets of beer promoting their new "Grab Some Buds" promotion, a contest where you and two friends complete tasks in order to win. I opted for a Bloody Mary instead as it was before noon.

Comic-Con isn't just for the big brands to play in. The little guys are there, too. In fact, I came across Adam, the owner of a one-man business who decided to take advantage of the high-tech, affluent demo that would likely attend the Con. Adam is the founder a company called JackBacks. He creates custom wood iPhone4 backs that replace the glass back of your iPhone4 with high-quality, polished wood. Adam had his small table set up with some examples laid out for us curious enough to wander over. If you strike up a conversation with him he lets you in on a little secret that if you tweet about @lumberjackback and hashtag #jbsweeps you will be entered to win a free back of your choice. So I tweet graciously, as most of us would since it costs us Tweeters nothing to tweet and it helps get the name out (marketing 101). Several hours later I get @ replied that I had won! The next day I swing back over and poor Adam was working his ass off. Seems he was selling more than he could produce on the spot...which is a great place to be. Personally I take credit for the boom in business...obviously it was my tweet that set the biz ablaze.

Thanks for my mahogany wood back Adam! Well done, and good luck!

Perhaps the most genius form of marketing at Comic-Con every year is the swag bags you pick up when you register for your badge. These giant bags (imagine a 46-inch tv...not kidding) are designed deep and wide to hold any array of goodies you decide to purchase or pick up while browsing the show floor of the convention center. The genius part comes when you see that the bags are printed with a poster or logo of a TV show or movie, full-size front and back. There were easily 150,000 people walking around like giant billboards for Fringe or Dexter. I was almost wiped out a few times by a Doctor Who bag filled to the brim and being worn like a hiking pack on a guy’s shoulders. It's hard to forget the dashing Eleventh Doctor after you've had a bag with his face shoved ever so gently into your own. Next year I wouldn't be surprised to see a Hyundai bag or a Microsoft Windows 7 bag. Did I mention you see people walking throughout San Diego with the swag bags on their backs? Yeah, there's no escape. Brilliant.

Even though the better marketing ideas would only be relevant at a venue like Comic-Con, it does open my eyes to the rich possibilities out there to engage a very willing audience at the right time and place. Basically we should all take note and emulate if we want to create advocates for our brands. Because nothing screams advocacy like the people at Comic-Con running crazy all over San Diego looking for gold bricks with tickets inside to the premiere of Cowboys Vs Aliens. This is where I will say on a personal note that if you want inside scoops on what's going on during the Con you have to be on Twitter. Follow a few hashtags and you'll know instantly how long the lines are, when the celebs are signing, where the exclusive parties are, and even how to sneak in. My friends and I would actually sit and read all the great comments on Twitter from the Con during the day and plan/improvise accordingly. Twitter is truly powerful for events such as this. Brands, please take note.

Comic-Con is a wonderful event. And dare I say there is something for everyone there. If you’re not into comics, you may be into a hit TV show, or maybe dazzled by all the different types of people walking the streets. For me it's about experiencing great events surrounding the Con and seeing what brilliant ways brands and studios are reaching that premium audience of 18 - 35 year-olds. It's also fun running into some of my favorite celebs like Andy Serkis, Alan Tudyk, Ken Jeong, and David Zayas. I plan on going every year as long as it's in San Diego. The gorgeous city on the water with the old Gaslamp Quarter full of bars and restaurants surrounding the convention center is by far the best possible place for Comic-Con and opens up the possibilities for brands to be innovative with how they reach people. 

See you next year, Nerdpocalypse!

@drewlewis

Form Real Relationships with Facebook Friends and Twitter Followers

I wrote this awhile back and was recently published online at Target Marketing Magazine, but I wanted to share this on my blog as well as it's relevant and perhaps insightful. Thanks to @2FirstNamesPR and @HeatherReporter for making it happen!

Direct marketers and social media adventurists, both in large companies and as individuals, are often trying to find the value in Twitter followers and Facebook friends. There is marketing outreach to extend your brand message, which requires a different type of connection with your audience. But can you replace the value of a real, personal connection digitally? If so, how far can we take a digital relationship before losing the personal connection altogether?

A handshake, business card, wave, high five, fist bump, conversation over coffee—these are all some of the truest forms of personal connection. A form of connecting that can't be duplicated. Social media tries, but it can't replicate the feeling of meeting someone face-to-face for the first time, one-on-one, mano-a-mano. You're curious and unsure of what to expect, and it's just a meeting over potential business. Do you get butterflies in your stomach when you follow someone new on Twitter or accept a friend request from Facebook? If you do, it's probably something you ate.

Most of us can agree that a personal relationship is stronger than a digital relationship. We share snapshots of our lives on Facebook and relevant links and videos on Twitter. That's pretty much the beginning of a friendship based on commonality. But most people feel very little emotion when they lose a follower on Twitter or are down a "like" on Facebook, which suggests that the real connection is missing in social media. Have we diminished the importance of the personal connection? Or have we just dragged our digital relationships in the mud for so long that they don't resonate anymore? Most likely, a little bit of both.

This is the challenge to marketers building digital relationships everywhere: Whether you are the largest brand or simply doing some personal branding, it's time to do a gut check. How well do you know the followers and friends you try to connect with every day? Get to know your social media followers beyond their Twitter profiles and Facebook information pages. Of course, this is much easier for the average person with a couple hundred followers and not as easy for a huge brand with thousands of followers and friends (now, that's a lot of coffee meet-ups!), but there are key steps that both can take toward connecting in a real way:

1. Start by taking a look at your followers as an audience. Are they from certain subsets of life? Maybe there are a number of bloggers or industry professionals? Within those groups, are there any who are key influential followers who you can build a beneficial relationship with outside of the digital world? If so, engage them!

2. Google their names. Read their Blog. Who are they? What do they do? Are they connected to an activity you share? Are they associated with an organization that you feel strongly about? Do they live nearby?

3. If they're local, ask them to meet for coffee. If they're not, ask them join you in a video chat (keep your pants on... or don't).

4. This isn't the moment for a sales pitch! Take the time to really get to know them as people, both personally and professionally. Talk about your mutual projects and interests. See where there's a cross section and potential areas for collaboration. Remember the age-old saying, "Scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours"—there's a reason it's still relevant. Is there anything you can help them with to start to build a real trust in this new relationship?

Are you starting to see what value you can get from a real-life connection? Hopefully, the answer is "yes." So the next time you find yourself a few followers or "likes" down, you'll realize the potential connections you may have lost.

DML

Are You Not Entertained?!

I'm not in marketing anymore...I'm in the business of entertainment. I can't remember the last time I thought of an idea for an ad and didn't ask myself; "Is that entertaining to view/click/play?" Not that I shouldn't be asking that question as I wouldn't be asking myself that question if I didn't think the client would be thinking the same when viewing the ideas.  Does it have to entertain? Can't it just be? I used to think that the concept was most important if not at least the first thing I ask. I seem to be constantly challenging myself with holding on to some shred of artistic integrity by striving for that concept or at least the hope that the ad can evoke an emotional response. Alas, I give up. It not about art. Nope. It's about Entertainment.

I'm not in marketing anymore... I'm in the business of entertainment.

Could it be entertainment that drives us? That evokes us to click on something or dive deeper into a brand. I mean I hope it looks good. It helps when the typical person says "Way to-go designer person for making this entertaining thing I'm viewing not look stupid." Maybe all we care about is if it wastes are time brilliantly. Take for example the swarm of viral and flash mob ads that brands are doing. A day doesn't go by where I don't see a video of some singing/dancing bums on a subway in Chicago promoting Subway sandwiches or a video of some kid blowing up a cell phone in a microwave for Ericsson. And while I feel sad as the artistic nature of these ads seems to fall by the wayside, I am yet entertained enough to sit and watch and laugh or cry or just be appreciative that it kept me from doing real work for 3 mins. Damn you dancing babies! I wish we could change the question. Instead of "Does the ad entertain you?" it can be "Does the ad change you?"

Maybe all we care about is if it wastes are time brilliantly.

Some ads reach a level of awesome. Even those done in the viral space that seem to keep my hope alive for humanity. I think BMW was the first to do "viral with style" videos with the The Driver series. Followed by the recently genius of Old Spice and even the Skittles creative has been nothing short of amazing. But that perfection is difficult to achieve. The ability to Entertain and still keep you creative integrity. Is it possible for the client to understand this? Does the consumer care? Shit I hope so. Otherwise I'm ditching advertising and going straight over to Entertertaiment branding. As I'm pretty sure Sony Pictures and Fox gave up on the idea of creative a long time ago to soley focus on weather or not it entertains. Which is fine if your selling tickets to a movie that has a shelf life of 2 weeks and hoping enough idiots see it opening weekend (raising my idiot hand).

Instead of "Does the ad entertain you?" it can be "Does the ad change you?"

Brands should be more elevated. Walk with your head high. Demand art. Not shiitake mushrooms. If there was a moment in film that sums up the folly of consumer entertaiment nicely... I go straight to the Ridley Scott classic "Gladitor".

DML