DMA 2014 Takeaways – Goodbye San Diego

Our DMA 2014 Takeaways

The San Diego Convention Center was lovely, and the weather collaborated to make a beautiful experience (especially in the back atriums and patio areas). Our only qualm – the exhibit booths weren’t on the sailboats outside. Great choice of a venue.

The keynote speakers were fantastic, and you could tell by the way people packed up and crowded the main hall that excitement was in the air. Our personal favorite was Magic Johnson – “Keep trying, consistency is key”.(I may have made part of that quote up…he got me so pumped all I could think about during the keynote was, “You can do anything.”)

There were plenty of thought provoking tracks to keep marketers intrigued and actively learning. A few of the CRM tracks were phenomenal, but my personal track favorite was the short session with Google creative director Ben Jones. His ability to mix data and storytelling is something marketers need to listen carefully to. Data might tell you predictions, but storytelling is what will ultimately create brand presence and loyal followers. A point made several times from different speakers was that integrating data the right way can make all the difference when it it comes to analyzing omnichannel interaction (ready for the holidays?).

Our neighbors at 1 point mail were great – Managing Director Paul Westhorpe and team really know enterprise email and were incredibly friendly, and we were able to connect with lots of folks over our #mymarketinghero contest, which turned out to be a huge success…Our simple concept – nominate your marketing hero on twitter and win a chance to get two Apple TVs – encouraged people to engage with each other and earn some brownie points. By the end of the conference, people started calling us the marketing hero guys, which I took as a job well done.

Congrats Rick Miller on winning the contest, and nominee Brian Kurtz!

Wrapping up…

What we loved:
Magic Johnson, the focus on traditional AND digital marketing, our #mymarketinghero contest, San Diego weather, the beautiful venue, DMA’s hard work

What the people want:
Tracks clearly separated by mastery level, less vendor-led tracks (teach me, don’t pitch me), more exhibit hall traffic

We did not stay for the post-event tracks, so if anyone has thoughts on how they went, feel free to shoot me an email at daniel@nectarom.com.