THE ADVERTISING SIDE OF CES ... WHY TECH HEADS ARE LOOKING AT THE WRONG PLACE WHEN THEY COMPLAIN

THE ADVERTISING SIDE OF CES ... WHY TECH HEADS ARE LOOKING AT THE WRONG PLACE WHEN THEY COMPLAIN

Recently, I came across an article from a tech head complaining that the ad industry descending upon CES was, to put it bluntly, bullshit.

The author’s point: a technology conference designed to showcase new developments to both inside tech industries and the mass consumer world has nothing to do with advertising and marketing, that agency folks and brand heads just tricked everyone to get an expense report full of buffets and flights to Vegas.

I get it. And I appreciate the occasional LinkedIn post that is more flame than flattery.

But I’m here to share a little secret with Righteous Business Man … you are looking in the wrong place. If your eyes are fixated on the CES convention floors, and even on the exterior displays for Google and the auto players, then you are not seeing the action you condemn.

While Samsung and Nvidia and scores of tech brands with names like “C3 Emotion” are doing their tech innovation showcase thing, there is another scene in Vegas drawing a whole other crowd. Back at properties like Park MGM, Cosmopolitan and the Aria, decision makers from the worlds of advertising, entertainment and content are getting down to business. And while the original impetus was CES, this annual gathering takes on a far greater level than checking out the latest robot arm or AI-infused fridge.

The lobbies down the strip are swarmed with agencies, clients, retailers and media players who are running a blitz on their own latest offerings. They gather in borderline chaos downstairs, look for reps carrying signs for their next meeting, get ushered up the elevators into VIP suites, and survey curated opportunities with the clock running. They learn, question and make decisions on what can help drive their business forward in very fast sessions.

Look, for most in these companies in the advertising/marketing/media space, many of their “business dealings” are pretty mundane and weak compared to those on Wall Street, where fast and dynamic business decisions happen much more frequently and with much larger financial impact. The marketing-ad-media worlds are in slow motion by comparison. Case in point, the agency-client relationship is filled with more process and waits than decisions, but so it goes, and all parties make it work.

Yet when it comes to the alt-CES, miles away from the cameras, the scene might be the best that the advertising/marketing world has to offer in terms of getting business done. Heavy hitters from both sides show up and conduct a form of speed dating.

While getting a sneak peek at new tech offerings at CES seems like an excuse to be there, a much more robust reason is taking place behind suite doors.

So to those tech champions speaking so loudly from their soapboxes about how the ad industry has sullied the oh-so-pure spirit of tech innovation, take this as a polite tap on the shoulder to step on down and see what’s really going on. Or at least throw some shade at the "rebel" outfits your tech heroes wear on stage during keynotes ... ooh, Jensen Huang in a black leather jacket ... badass!


要查看或添加评论,请登录

Patrick West的更多文章

  • THE BEST & WORST ADS FROM SUPER BOWL 59

    THE BEST & WORST ADS FROM SUPER BOWL 59

    The Eagles destroyed the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59 on February 9, 2025. Some brands killed it with great commercials and…

    1 条评论
  • LIGHTEN UP, NIKE

    LIGHTEN UP, NIKE

    Nike needs a chill pill. Their Paris Olympics campaign takes a shiv to the back of the Olympic spirit in its attempt to…

    4 条评论
  • ENOUGH ABOUT THE COMPETITION ALREADY

    ENOUGH ABOUT THE COMPETITION ALREADY

    For so much of my career, there was a massive amount of attention placed on "the competition." I suppose it was just a…

    1 条评论
  • Top 5 SXSW 2023 Experiences

    Top 5 SXSW 2023 Experiences

    The massive experience that is SXSW 2023 is over. Focusing on the brand marketing portion at the beginning of the…

  • HOW'D I DO? LOOKING BACK AT MY EXPERIENTIAL PREDICTIONS FOR 2022

    HOW'D I DO? LOOKING BACK AT MY EXPERIENTIAL PREDICTIONS FOR 2022

    Everyone (well, not everyone but you get the point) has predictions for the new year. Same as all the sports experts on…

  • BEST SUPER BOWL 56 COMMERCIALS

    BEST SUPER BOWL 56 COMMERCIALS

    Super Bowl LVI (that's 56 to you and me) saw the new school batch of ads from Crypto + Gambling + Tech + Travel stand…

    2 条评论
  • 2022 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING PREDICTIONS

    2022 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING PREDICTIONS

    Predicting #experientiallife in 2022 is about reading where consumers are headed, not where brand marketing currently…

  • EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING PREDICTIONS FOR 2021

    EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING PREDICTIONS FOR 2021

    What will 2021 have in store for the experiential industry? After years of growth and being the darling of the…

    2 条评论
  • EVENT INSIDERS GET REAL: a conversation between 2 small business owners in events

    EVENT INSIDERS GET REAL: a conversation between 2 small business owners in events

    For a recent piece being published on the impact of the pandemic on small businesses in the event industry, I had the…

  • Experiential Trends in 2020

    Experiential Trends in 2020

    Experiential, despite its clunky name and being a pain in the ass to type, continues to surge in the marketing world…

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了