NMX - New Media Expo

NMX – New Media Expo

I attended the New Media Expo in Las Vegas last week – not to speak, but to learn. We all have to get smarter and keep up to date with fast moving trends to help our clients. I’m no exception.

Here are ideas I gleaned from various sessions:

1.     Don’t use the word “only” as in, “I only have 500 subscribers.” If those are the right 500 subscribers, an advertiser will pay handsomely for access to those people, as finding the right people and having them see an ad is harder and harder today.

2.     Mass media is dead – and what’s wrong with that? Radio is about 100 years old. TV is about 60 years old. Somehow, civilization existed for thousands of years before the big 3 TV networks ruled the roost and we will survive as new media takes hold.

3.     Advertisers will spend money on new media – blogs, podcasts, etc. – if you can show them that you can reach their market. Advertising on the mass markets isn’t working as people skip ads. They want to find new ways to reach their markets.

4.     Ford launched a hilarious, brilliant campaign for its Focus cars. They have 40 million views of their commercials on YouTube and website. I never heard of them. Why? I’m not their demographic. Holy cow! 40 million views! That’s one company that knows what it is doing.

5.     “Brands are the refuge of the ignorant,” said Leo LaPorte, TV host and producer. People don’t stop to think when they reach for a brand. That’s why brands are so successful!
6.     Mass marketers want to sell to brands; brands want people who don’t think, hence programming gets dumber and dumber, said Leo LaPorte. Interesting.

7.     Apple didn’t do anyone any favors by creating a new pin connector for the iPhone5 and thereby obsoleted (a new verb) millions of pieces of perfectly good equipment that connects to an iPhone. Thanks to author Guy Kawasaki for calling out Apple on that one. I think his words were, “Apple created an environmental disaster.” But don’t quote me on that. Check the tape.

8.     Google+ is going to be the big influencer. Well, duh. If Google is the #1 search engine and it can show any results it wants, don’t you think they are going to show their Google+ experts first? I’m going to get more active on Google+ starting today!

9.     Guy Kawasaki: “Facebook is for friends. Twitter is for news. Google+ is for passion.” People with interests in hobbies and activities are forming relationships on Google+ to share their pursuits.

10.  Search results will show how many Google+1s you have. That will denote authority. My view: Hopefully, it won’t turn into a fake game of getting likes and followers that have made other social networks a joke. Who cares if I have 40,000 followers on Twitter if no one actually interacts or read the messages? What a waste of energy to amass followers who are not really followers, friends or community.