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!