Greetings from 10,000 feet in the sky. I’m leaving Utah headed for New York City, coming off a very inspiring few days at the 15th PTTOW. This is a gathering of some of the brightest minds in marketing as well as top level CMOs. It’s a great place to exchange ideas, get out of your comfort zone, and connect with awesome folks.
This year, I had the honor of bringing Reed Hastings, Founder and Chairman of Netflix, to the gathering. Reed is going through an exciting transformation with his next project, Powder Mountain. Powder is a mountain that he recently purchased to turn into the next great ski destination. We did a sparks session with him in a private room where we unpacked the vision and helped provide insights. These spark sessions are extremely interesting and impactful.
Yesterday, I was involved in a conversation on the changing landscape of media with Mike Van, President of Billboard, TikTok’s Sophia Hernandez, and Jenny Wall.
My main thoughts around the changing dynamics in media are:
1. There is a Formula for Paradigm Shift
In 2009, paradigm shifting businesses like Venmo, Uber, Slack, and Airbnb launched off the back of a big change, predominantly fueled by:
The Gig Economy + The Mobile and App boom + Mortgage Crash Recession.
We are now entering another age of Great Transformation. 2024 is being seen as a tipping point in history. Everything is changing again: the music business, entertainment, health, tech, media, news, agency models, brand marketing needs, fashion, social media, world sentiment, world power, finance, art, space travel, fashion, automotive, TV, robotics, wearables, longevity, and the collective consciousness.
This era’s great transformation is being fueled by:
The Creator Economy + AI Tech Boom + Recession post Covid.
The next great businesses are being built. And all of the changes are focused around these three key issues.
2. Clear Media Enhancements and Plenty of Room for Disruptions with AI and Web3
Beyond AI, which is a very divisive topic, other Web3 tools are emerging in the new media space. The big 4 areas in which Web3 can play a clear and present role are:
- Play to earn mentality (with gaming and everything else)
- Fan club experiences
- Ticketing disruptions (collectibles, data)
- Data on Web3 is next level and undervalued
3. The State Of Brand Collabs
Now more than ever, there is a need for cultural specialists and experts to help with brand partnerships. The music industry is complicated and authenticity must be prioritized, but brands need music strategies nonetheless. These partnerships can use media to amplify, validate, and prove out impression spends, but the deals work best with a specialized, nuanced agency that moves at the speed of culture to facilitate brand needs. There are still so many areas and industries that will benefit from deals with talent. Even though it feels like a collaboration bonanza, there is a lot of blue sky here.
4. What’s Next
Here are my topline thoughts on what’s next:
- Life after streaming (saturated market)
- Rise in live events
- Wellness wave (and how it’s incorporated into live experiences)
- Sports winning across the board
- The Olympics
- Elections
- Banning of TikTok (what happens next?)
- Short form video continues to rise
- Women’s sports continuing to break records and flourish
- Search re-invented (music search taking shape) Web3 in backdrop
- AI, AI, and more AI
- DATA Revolution (new D2C)
PTTOW is one of the most treasured communities in marketing and I’m proud to call this team a room full of friends and distinguished colleagues.
As for New York…
I’ve got two more speaking gigs this week: I’ll be on NASDAQ Trade Talks live at 12:45 on Friday discussing the excitement around Web3 and Media (tune in here); and on Monday I’ll be at the Music Manager Forum’s Summit as part of Indie Week and NYC’s Music Month, doing the opening keynote and a fireside chat with Amaechi Uzoigwe – manager and business partner of Run The Jewels – who will discuss all of their amazing endeavors in music, brand partnerships, and culture. Tickets here.
Feeling inspired, excited to check out opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival tonight, and ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple.