I’m at DEW (Digital Entertainment World) in Los Angeles over the next few days, a joint venture between IDG World Expo and Digital Media Wire. It touts to be the first-ever global event for digital executives, focused on the entire ecosystem of digital content creation and monetization. As I look around the room it appears to be only about half full. Perhaps the early hour is the cause for the lack of attendance; maybe it’s just that it’s the first day and things will pick up tomorrow.
View from big media; networks are still king
The kick off is titled “View from the Top: The state of the Digital Union”. Maybe it should have been titled “View from Big Media: Networks are still King”. Rather than a union, I’m starting to think we have a north and south of sorts. While the two groups do not overtly disagree, the statements they make are certainly not unified.
[tweet “Maybe it should have been titled – View from Big Media: Networks are still King”]
It seems that the big boys still don’t give much credit or respect to the independent content creators. I’m surprised by the lack of understanding amongst some of the larger and older media outlets. Rather than making statements like “It’s not just three dudes in a garage blogging about it” I think the big guys could greatly benefit by reaching out to those dudes and getting their input.
The longer companies like CBS and people like Katie Couric (who talked badly about the blogosphere at CES) continue to look down on the little guy, the further from their audience they’re going to find themselves.
Ads with Context
I did appreciate the conversation around the creation of ads that are contextual. I love the idea that the ads I’m forced to watch – at the very least – have to do with the show I’m watching. While this could be a massive endeavor and difficult to accomplish, there is technology coming to the market that makes context marketing more feasible. Hmm, I wonder if context marketing has already been coined?. If not, it’s mine – you’re welcome to use it.
It’s on Purpose
I find it interesting that most of the “little guys” making big money have a purpose as their core driver. On the other hand, the big guys are all about the bottom line. I think the landscape of entertainment and digital in general has seriously shifted. I’m going to make a prediction; in the near future, those that survive will have a purpose as a core focus in everything they do. This is my warning to the big media outlets that might think they’re too big to fail; you know the saying – the bigger you are…
[tweet “I think the landscape of entertainment and digital in general has seriously shifted.”]
While I’m not overly impressed with the launch of the event, I am looking forward to the next few days to see what they reveal. Plus, the next session has Sean Plott as a panelist. If you’re a gaming nerd, you know this guy! My mission – get a picture with my hero Day9.