Yesterday, March 20th, I was privileged to faciliate a breakfast with Joseph Jaffe together with a cross-section of key industry folks across publishers (AOL, MSN, BBC, VIACOM), agencies (Profero, WPP, Publicis) and advertisers (20th Century Fox).
I had 
expectations for the event and these were indeed surpassed. I'll be honest, like with every party or event I've had there's always the fear that no-one will show :-) - needless to say, I had planned for 10 people and we were oversubcribed at 20!
As everyone flowed in, I observed that while we know the industry is relatively small, I was still somewhat amazed that a) everyone did seem to know each other and b) they all enjoyed connecting and catching up. This has made me start thinking about forming a regular networking club. With all the power of social networking online, there is still nothing like face-to-face contact.
I kicked off with an introduction about myself and 3 key thoughts on where the industry IS and IS NOT at the moment. This centred around maturity of the industry, measurability and social media.
Joseph then highlighted some themes from his latest book, "Join the Conversation", answering questions at intervals. Joseph talked about the evolution and state of flux that marketing is in at the moment, and his vision being that the CMO will one day be a CCO (Chief Conversation Officer). Tom Bowman, VP of International Sales at BBC Worldwide, raised a valid point about the value of online 'venting' and whether this is simply a new type of broadcasting. There was also an interesting discussion about the marketing role being purely about "customer acquistion" and then once acquired, customers are handed offer to customer service, with agents often based in Calcutta.
The event wrapped up after almost 2 hours of interactive discussion combined with Soho House's elegant granola tubs, croissants and lots of coffee! Recognizing that conversation starts with listening, I tried to be more of an observer than a contributor and I must confess, it wasn't easy but was very humbling.
Post-event, I was warmed to get several appreciative emails which confirmed that attendees had indeed taken away "Inspiration and Conversation". We all get so wrapped up in the short-term deadlines, deliverables, planning and worries of our daily jobs and in fact our daily lives, that its wonderful to see such enjoyment coming from something so simple.
Needless to say, I also thoroughly enjoyed it (surprise, surprise)! Realising that 1) if marketing is a commitment not a campaign and 2) conversation needs to be consistent, then I now need to consider the extension of this great momentum. Watch this space.
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