Bonus: Tech, Sounds, and Observations at CES with ThoughtLeaders
I strolled CES with thought leaders David Berkowitz, founder of Serial Marketers, AIMG and FOAF, Jeff Minsky, Founder, Mediawhizards, LLC, and longtime media sales pro, Kathy Newberger.
In this bonus episode, we touched on a wide range of topics shaping the future of the industry…and covered some literal miles, too. We compared firsthand experiences, some cutting-edge technologies, innovative products, and inspiring activations from global companies.
David Berkowitz explained his own AI Marketers Guild and what’s intrigued him – like AI-powered beauty makeovers to AR projected in Zoom rooms. Is there still a place for the IOT of refrigerators??
[00:03:55 → 00:04:10]
“Things like a beauty app that analyzes your face and gives you some real insights that maybe you never had. Your dermatologist might not have access to this tech yet, and yet you can get it on a consumer app, which is crazy.”
— David Berkowitz
But, as David says, “what I think a lot of people miss about CES is it’s ultimately about people’s lives, about people’s lifestyles…like how are we going to shop? How are we going to cook, how are we going to drive? How are we going to communicate with each other?””
Speaking of communicating, Raoul Davis did a great job representing NTT Sonority’s sound zone technology followed by SoundFun’s spokesperson on their helpful TV speaker.
Then, I was photo and audio-bombed by Jeff Minsky and invited this longtime CES observer to drop in and discuss trends, of course, including SK’s presence and its sustainability efforts in media.
[00:09:59 → 00:10:36]
“CES is a microcosm of a global economy. First, we had RCA, Magnavox so America was the core center. Then you had Japan, with Sony and Toshiba, and then you had the rise of Korea. You see China all over the place. Now, SK – a South Korean based multinational conglomerate – has a presence that has to be a million plus dollars.”
— Jeff Minsky
Finally, as she does so well, Kathy Newberger shared some observations as a first-timer and talked about the strong presence of media and marketing pros at CES and shared highlights from panels and sessions, including savvy insights from “media cartographer” Evan Shapiro.
[00:13:27 → 00:13:36]
“It was like there were two conferences. There was the conference at the hotels that was about marketing and where I saw just about marketers of every kind and people from every publisher. It was wonderful to run into people, and then there were connections with people that I knew I was going to make.”
— Kathy Newberger
[00:15:16 → 00:15:37]
“Everything about this event made me feel like 2024 is going to be a good year and beyond. The other thing that I noticed was the creativity of the companies on the floor. The products that they create, the glasses that close caption things, the cars that don’t have steering wheels.”
— Kathy Newberger