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Back from Digital Hub Initiative Non-Conference Conference

15. November 2008
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Congrats to AdClub Cincinnati for putting on a great Digital Non-Conference this weekend! This was my first non-technical conference so at the very least, the presentations were much prettier. A few speakers stand out in my mind:

Daphne Kwan, CEO of ExpoTV - This was a good discussion about Social Media's Influence on Buying. She was a great, engaging speaker with impressive credentials. She caught me squirming in my seat a few times wanting to hijack the conversation and take it to another level but didnt mind. Non-technical background, but in-depth understand of the new digital economy. I was particularly glad that she addressed a few key points that I have been trying to hammer home for a while now, namely that:

  • Social media is Personal. But that is OK.
  • Consumers have power like never before to influence brands, as evidenced by her company Expo TV. Brands need to respect this if they want to stay relevant.
  • She cited a great example of the exponential audience factor (my words) in a case study of how Gillette setup a You Tube Channel to promote a Facebook widget.

Bob Gilbreath, CMO of Bridge Worldwide - The topic of this presentation, Marketing with Meaning: The Future of Digital Depends on Adding Value to Customers' Lives, was near and dear to my heart. There is nothing worse than gratuitous, noisy technology. I have been making a concerted effort lately to control the buzzword syndrome (ex. Throwing up a Facebook page for your brand with nothing useful on it) with so-so success. it was nice to see his take on this concept. Bridge actually brands applications, which I have always thought was a stellar idea. I can't help but wonder how many people really got this...

Tim Schigel, CEO of ShareThis.com - I am jealous of this guy because he has a great business idea in ShareThis, which is essentially AddThis on serious personalization steroids. He speaks like a techie, which of course is perfect to me, but has an awesome tool for marketers, in that he can sniff all kinds of metrics. I am going to sign up and try this thing out. I especially like the fact that his technology was USEFUL. Again, the Remote Control Factor. His presentation was of course, Sharing is Social.

Pete Blackshaw, EVP of Digital Strategic Services, Nielsen Online - This guy was a real joy to listen to and quite inspiring. His presentation, Loyalty Isn't Enough Anymore - Advocacy is Bigger Than Advertising, really underscored how much we are empowered by Social Media to make change, and how this is becoming the new norm. I'm not going to attempt to paraphrase his thoughts. If you get a chance to see him speak, do it. 

Best of all, I found another great use for Twitter, which is taking notes! I twittered through every single presentation, probably freaking out the speakers a bit...but hey, welcome to the new world! Check out my comments at http://twitter.com/willburrus around 11/14 & 15th. 

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