NATPE: The Marketing Message

I haven’t been to NATPE in 10 years. And by the looks of the torrential rainstorm quenching the thirst of the Santa Monica mountains surrounding Burbank airport, I may be missing another. Either that, or I'll have to swim there.

The Southwest lady tells us that we’ll be taking off within the week, which is nice, I figure, since we’ve just ordered another round of Bloody Marys. As Mr. Glass-half-full, I figure that the delay gives me some time to think about what I expect from this long-overdue visit to the world’s largest television syndication event.

Unless you’ve been living on Neptune since 1998, you know that the international business of television has dramatically changed since the first episode of "The Sopranos." From a distribution, technological and business perspective, the notion of television is so radically different that I wonder if the market will resemble anything I experienced on my last go-round. My assumption is that most of the usual suspects will be shopping, but will iTunes be there? Joost? YouTube?

As entertainment and information marketers, it’s no secret that our industry fundamentally drives the value of any individual piece of content. More than any other vocational function, marketers are directly responsible for driving eyeballs to the content so that the content can be monetized.

And while that task was certainly daunting 10 years ago, these new distribution, technology and business advances have substantially modified the playing field. It's no longer simply about advertising inventory... it's about DVDs, PVRs, VOD, streaming, download, pay-per-view, etc.

It’s not just a new game; it’s a new sport. It’s the Olympics, and our constituents -- entertainment and information marketers -- are tasked with securing gold in every match.

It’s an incredibly unique time in the business of entertainment and information content, and I’m interested to see what role NATPE will play in this evolving marketplace. As a conference, will it work to maintain the business’ status quo? Or will it be instrumental in driving new business paradigms and models that make sense across a vast network of platforms?

And while I will be focused on investigating these fundamental questions and exploring how the business done at NATPE will affect the entertainment-content marketing industry, I promise you this: If the rain doesn’t stop soon, the only valuable information you’ll find on this blog are directions to the best Blood Mary at the Burbank airport.