Last week I had the pleasure of attending THE Conference on Marketing in Las Vegas. The conference featured a who's who of marketing gurus. Tom Kelley, Scott Bedbury, Seth Godin, Marc Gobe, Renee Mauborgne and many, many more. Needless to say, it was like getting an MBA in contemporary marketing all in three days. Here's a quick summary of the highlights and notables of the conference.
Biggest surprise: Keith Ferrazzi, author of "Never Eat Alone"
Keith has to be one of the more dynamic and inspiring speakers that I have seen in the past decade. He has a great energy and his way of helping the audience better understand not only the importance of relationships, but also how to help establish them was truly brilliant. Keith's book is now #1 on my list of things to read."
Best Line: "If your boss is not letting you do something remarkable, quit!" - Seth Godin
The rest of Seth's presentation was equally instigating and thought provoking. Another one who, if you haven't read his books, do it soon.
Presentation you should see every few years: "Marketing to Women" - Marti Barletta
I met Marti about a year ago at the Tom Peters Summit in Vermont. Her presentation does an outstanding job of helping you understand the differences between the way men and women think and behave when solving problems or addressing various situations. As I told her, I think I need to sit in on one of her presentations ever year or so.
Presentation that caught the most attention: "Cracking the Code on Word of Mouth" - Steve Knox, CEO Proctor & Gamble Tremor
This presentation left everyone who was there talking about it. These guys have done a masterful job of identifying how to get tweens and moms to talk about products and unleash the power of word of mouth marketing. It was riveting.
Presentation that made me most want read the book: "How to Build Businesses with FANS and not Just Customers" - Renee Mauborgne - Author: Blue Ocean Strategy
This was a fascinating, if brief overview of the principles that the book covers. I own it already, but have not had a chance to read it. Now it's #2 on the list after Keith's book.
Presentation I anticipated the most: "The Ten Faces Of Innovation" - Tom Kelley
And it did not disappoint. If you haven't read the book, go out and get it...now!! The premise of the book and the presentation was that in order for a company or organization to be innovative they don't need to go outside for talent, they just need to understand how to unleash the hidden talents within. With the limited time available for a conference presentation like this Tom only had enough time to cover a few of the faces, but the presentation was a great overview and helped inspire me to review the book again.
Other presentations of note:
"Developing Strong and Lasting Brands" - Scott Bedbury. This was another outstanding presentation on how to stand out from the crowd in today's media bloated world.
"A Product Marketing Roadmap" - Don Romano, VP Marketing for Mazda North America. Zoom-Zoom is now pervasive throughout the Mazda organization and Don did an excellent job of explaining how it has become the focus of everything they do.
"How to leverage the Power of Design in Your Marketing Efforts" - Stanley Hainsworth, Global Creative Director, Starbucks. This was one of the more charming and personable presentations I have been to and exactly what I would have expected from the creative director from a company like Starbucks. Stanley helped the audience understand why the company has truly become the 3rd place for many of us. Now I really want a grande mocha.
There are a number of other presentations that I want to blog, but this is running a bit long. I'll include them in the next few days, but wanted to get some of the highlights up as soon as possible.
