Répondez s'il vous plaît

RSVP is an initialism derived from the French phrase meaning "Please respond" to require confirmation of an invitation. Sometimes invitations will request an RSVP for "regrets only." This means that if you know you cannot attend, you should let the host know via the requested method as stated in the invitation. Keeping in mind if you DON'T respond to a "regrets only" RSVP, you are expected to be there.

On the last three days of this month, select NYDLA members will be at the Marriott Marquis, New York City. It's kinda a big deal, where qualified "NYED-LA" members will be "fully hosted" including airfare, accommodations, meals, and planned activities. If you are a decision maker for your company, if you qualify to attend because you have the power of the pen, if you influence the buying decision for your college, school, corporation or organization, you can expect an Uber Black to pick you up at your home, take you to the airport, fly you to NYC, wine and dine you for three days, all while you experience the iconic landmarks and sophisticated culture of New York City. All of this, with the intention of converting you into a paying customer. Yeah, we have some AMAZING sponsors. And they want to meet you, up close and personal. 

So here, yeah, with such a "fully hosted" event, the RSVP from the invited guest is a big deal. After all, there are only so many rooms at the Marriott Marquis. And of course, even the largest of the conference rooms can only hold so many people, right? If they send an Uber for you, you better have your bags packed and be ready to go to the airport.

Also this month: NYDLA members shall be attending (actually co-sponsoring) a virtual global expo. From Singapore to Silicon Valley, from New York City to London, "NYED-LA" members will be invited to gather online to build and launch and sell their products globally. With a focus on crowdfunding, entreprenuership and global growth, this global interactive event will help an (unlimited) number of people to build their global brands. 

Here, all are welcome - RSVP from our invited guests is not required. Everyone on the planet is welcome to attend our virtual global expo - there's plenty of room in the clouds. And it's carbon footprint friendly. 

Powered by Workplace by Facebook, this virtual event is forecasted to be our biggest event to date. There is NO LIMIT to the number of people who can attend live. It is estimated that 2.89 billion people use Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, or Messenger each month and more than 2.26 billion people use at least one of the Facebook family of services every day, on average. Workplace has 3M+ paid users, companies from retail, technology, telecommunications, financial services, media, entertainment, hospitality, food & beverage, transportation, real estate, utilities, shipping and government.

The Oculus Rift headset was for gamers by gamers, end of story. But then Facebook bought the company for around $2 billion because it had much bigger vision and plans for virtual reality as the future of engagement. Such as virtual events, virtual trade shows, virtual meetings, and of course - Esports. 

I live around 30 miles west of Times Square. So, with no traffic I could leave my house and be at the Marriott Marquis in just over an hour. No big deal. But for someone who has never been to The Big Apple, it is a very big deal. I'll be attending the three day event at the Marriott Marquis the end of this month - and - I'll ALSO be attending our virtual global expo on the 29th - via my Oculus headset. From the Marriott Marquis. 

Last thing: according to Goldman Sachs, the global Esports audience will grow from 194 million to 276 million in 2022. So mega global events at venues like the Marriott Marquis in New York City will be like hosting the ultimate GLOBAL Super Bowl. 

That $2B+ that Facebook paid for Oculus is starting to look like a pretty good deal.

Now, please RSVP here so that I know you read this blog. 

Esports shall soon overtake the NBA's 400 million fans. 

What's the Story, Jerry?

If you lived in the NYC area in the 70's you have heard Gerald Rosenberg's voice a million times. But you probably never knew his last name.

Jerry was an American television direct-response advertising salesperson most notable for promoting local businesses. His distintive balding scalp, rotund body, thick Brooklyn accent and impassioned sales pitches made him a recognized television presence in the USA, primarliy in the "New York Megalopolis." 

Starting back in 1971, Rosenberg's ads were always they same: "What's the story, Jerry?" and the ads ended with the off-screen line "So that's the story, Jerry," in which he would reply in his trademark accent "That's the story!"

It was more like "Dat's the STOOORRRRRREEEEEE"

If you do remember Jerry, if you were living in the NYC tri-state area in the 70's, or if you had TV coverage from the New York market in the 70's, I just gave you an earworm - sometimes known as a brainworm, sticky music, stuck song syndrome, or Involuntary Musical Imagery (IMI). 

Your welcome. 

We just had the Super Bowl. We've come a long way from TV ads in the 70's and 80's. Radio was still king, with drive time radio spots out performing TV. The winning ads, the ads that we talked about at work on Monday, were all about the story. Yeah, some ads were cute, some were funny, but the ones that win the awards are mini movies - they are all about the story. 

Earlier this month I did a video podcast with Chris Brogan.

Chris is the Yoda of Storytelling for Business. 

Did you see what I just did there? That one word - Yoda - you know EXACTLY what Chris Brogan does - because there is a 99.9999% chance that if you are reading this blog, you have seen Star Wars, and you know EXACTLY what it means to say that someone is "the Yoda of" anything. 

All because of.....the power of story. 

I could have said that Chris Brogan is an author, keynote speaker and business advisor who helps companies tell their company story better. Or, I could have said that Chris believes that business storytelling is a necessary tool for 2020 and beyond.

I had you at Yoda. 

Now that TV and Radio have been replaced by "the cloud" and all things instant global mass media - it is even MORE important to know:

It's not who has the best story.  It's who can tell their story the best.

So that's the story, Tommy?

Dat's the STOOOORRRRRRREEEEEEEE!!

Anything good on TV?

OK! It's Super Sunday!

First, if you say "I only watch the game for the commercials" then you are in luck! Click here to see 'em all. 

The first Super Bowl commercial cost $37,000.
Today it will cost $5,600,000 for a 30 second spot.

There were 42 Super Bowl commercials in 2019, but that number fluctuates from year to year.

Most of today's commercials will be 30 seconds long, but some will surely be 60 seconds or longer, especially the tearjerkers. There may be a few 15-second quick-hitters thrown in, and maybe some company aiming for volume and quirkiness.

One of the BEST Super Bowl Commercials ever, is the 2014 "Puppy Love" spot. It was a mini movie. It is the most watched, the most replayed. Here is the winning ad:

Now, here is the explanation as to why "the story" works. The Poynter Institute's Al Tompkins explains how to use story structure, character development, story focus, video & audio basics. If you are in sales, or if you are in marketing (OR IF YOU HAVE A PULSE) you will really want to watch the above - and then watch the below.

THIS video from Al Tompkins is a MASTER CLASS in storytelling, for the biggest stage (The Super Bowl)

Remember, in business, it's not who has the best story - it's who tells their story the best!

Join NYDLA.net and meet (and learn from) cool people like Al Tompkins

And Go Kansas City Chiefs!!!

It's been eventful

If you describe a period of time as eventful, you mean that a lot of interesting, exciting, or important things have happened during it.

This month alone, teams from NYDLA attended CES2020 (180,000+) in Las Vegas and NRF2020 (40,000+) in New York.

Tomorrow, we expect around 400 people to attend a small event in NYC and then 4,000+ to attend an event at the New York Marriott Marquis on Tuesday.

New York City (bus)

Las Vegas (long flight)

Orlando (short flight)

EVENTS! There are always...events!

Last month, the NYDLA co-sponsored the AI Summit at Javits Center. We had 5,000+ attend. 

But the story LEADING UP TO the AI Summit is interesting:

Late in 2019 I attended a "Lunch 'n Learn" at Morton's The Steakhouse in NYC. (Free steak? I'm in!).

The topic of the lunch was AI. How you engage with customers, to how you fundamentally operate an organization, AI is a catalyst to business transformation all over the world. Great speakers, great topic. And great steak. 

Hey Tom - are you attending the AI Summit in December?

Ah, what's the AI Summit?

Next thing you know, we are on the phone with the folks at AI Business. Next thing you know, we are inviting the NYDLA community to attend the AI Summit NYC at Javits. Of the 5,000 that attended the AI Summit New York, 237 attendees were via our membership outreach. And now, we are supporting the AI Summit London 2020 in June - and - the AI Summit New York 2020 in December. We are going to invite NYDLA.org members to go "Across the Pond" with us, and make it a working / learning vacation: NYC & London. 

All of this from a free steak at Morton's The Steakhouse

Last week, I attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. 

From my home.

Via the power of Zoom, I was able to participate in sessions that covered the global economy, climate change, geopolitics and health. We're in a new economic era: Globalization. The meeting at Davos-Klosters is the foremost creative force for engnieering the world's top leaders in collaborative activities to shape the global, regional, and industry agendas at the beginning of each year.  This was the theme at Davos - from my home. 

It was NHL All-Star weekend in St. Louis for the past three days, and what a weekend it was.

Via our partnership with Geniecast, NYDLA members enjoyed the converation (live) with Wayne Gretzky and Blues CEO Chris Zimmerman. From any time zone, from anywhere in the world, technologies like Zoom and Workplace by Facebook enable live "events" both truly live (as in slice up a free steak live) and virtually via cloud technology. We should always skate to where the puck is going to be - not where the puck has been.

I live around 30 miles west of Times Square "as the crow flies" so I can leave my home and be in "The Big Apple" at The Javitz Center in less than 90 minutes, via a $12.25 bus fee and a 10 minute walk from PABT. Or, I can stay home and attend Javits Center hosted events, virtually. 

Event marketing, webinars, seminars, summits, Lunch 'n Learns.

Live or virtual, I think 2020 is indeed going to continue to be very...eventful. 

www.NYDLA.org/Events

These ARE the Droids you're looking for

The latest Star Wars movie is out. I cannot believe that I was 17 years old when the original Star Wars movie (Episode IV) was first released in 1977. A droid is a fictional robot possessing some degree of artificial intelligence. The word "droid" has been a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. since 1977.

There were many droids working the crowds last night in Bryant Park.

In 2001, Bryant Park Corporation envisioned offering free Internet access in the park, but was not sure how to build such a network. In the summer of 2002, the Bryant Park Free Wireless Network launched with three access points covering the park and allowing users to access the Internet as long as their batteries will allow.

Since that time, the network has upgraded with 12 new access points, making Bryant Park one of the busiest hot spots in the world. 

From potter's field to reservoir to one of the world's busiest public spaces, Bryant Park has a rich and storied history. Security issues aside, I have logged into the Bryant Park Free Wireless Network a few times in the past year. And because of this, "the droids" knew I was in the park last night.

As soon as I entered the park, my smartphone knew that I was back. I received an email, with a coupon for free Hot Chocolate.
And so it begins.

Welcome to the Winter Village, 2019-2020 Season.
( My Blog from October )

There were over 175 boutiques offering exquisite gifts, distinctive apparel, and local foods. What I found amazing is that collecting people's data (names, emails, etc.) was just as important as making a sale - maybe more important. iPad powered kiosks would make the sale - and free shipping made it unnecessary to carry packages in the park. The "pop up" kiosks would make the sale, without the need to carry inventory. I think this is the future of retail. No inventory, experience the product, and then everything is shipped to the home or office.

I did a test. I bought some New York Hot Sauce paying cash, with a 20% instant coupon for signing up for their email newsletter. I used the fake (but working) email Bryant.Parker@NYDLA.net just to see what would happen. Well, it looks like as of this morning, Time Magazine would like to offer Mr. Bryant Parker a free subscription. And it looks like Bank of America would really like to meet Mr. Bryant Parker. And many others seem to be very keen to connect and engage with Mr. Bryant Parker, who has a true DOB of 12/28/19.


Also, the physical address of the email from the TIME newsletter: TIME USA, LLC: 3 Bryant Park New York 10036

Coincidence? Well, Mr. Bryant Parker actually liked getting this email, as it contained TIME's Best Photojournalism of 2019.

I am fine with getting this form of marketing solicitation, since I did give my permission to contact me as soon as I logged into the park's free WiFi this past summer. But it will be very interesting to see who next wants to meet Mr. Bryant Parker. 

I am a big fan of the Bryant Park Corporation (BPC) which is a not-for-profit, private management company. It is a popular, year-round New York City destination with lush seasonal gardens and a multitude of free activities. Around 12 million people frequent Bryant Park each year - and they (like me) log into the Bryant Park free WiFi.

And this is why Mr. Bryant Parker can now expect marketing emails from Netflix, Bank of America, The New York Times, Lululemon, Southwest Airlines, Citibank, HBO, Old Navy, Evian, Clearchannel, the Wall Street Journal, and many more. These brands comprise Bryant Park's Premier Partnership program, and are recognized as the park's most valued corporate partners.

Like I said, I'm cool with this deal. Keep the park clean and safe for ALL 12 million of us all year long, and your droids can market to me (us).

Just don't overdo it.

https://www.robotemi.com/

All in favor, say "AI"

Do you know what this is?  A better question to ask would be have you ever USED one of these?

This past week, members of NYDLA gathered to attend the AI Summit in NYC. If you Google "What is Artificial Intelligence" you will get a good idea of how AI is transforming the world. Manufacturing, retailing, transportation, finance, healthcare, law, insurance, education - pretty much every industry.

So many NYDLA vendors and sponsors had amazing booths at the AI Summit at Javits Center. Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Google, Accenture. IBM Watson was giving out T-Shirts which at first glance made me pause (be it only for a second) as my OK Boomer brain saw "iHeart a Rotary Telephone"

Everything we love about civilization is a product of intelligence.

So, amplifying our human intelligence with artificial intelligence has the potential of helping civilization flourish like never before. Or will AI lead to the end of civilization?

If you Google "telephone" you will see images like this:

But if you Google just "phone" you will see images like this:

As I spent two days at the AI Summit, I could not believe what I was seeing and hearing. It hit me pretty quickly that what's happening in the world of AI is not just an important topic, but by far THE most important topic for our future. 

Moore's Law is a historically-reliable rule that the world's maximum computing power doubles approximately every two years, meaning computer hardware advancement, like general human advancement through history, grows exponentially.

So, the world's $1000 computers today are smarter than a mouse brain, which is about a thousandth of human level. But we were at about a trillionth of human level in 1985, a billionth in 1995 and a millionth in 2005. So based on Moore's Law, we shall have an affordable computer by 2025 that rivals the power of the human brain. That's five years from now. 

Let's talk about something different - but not different at all.

A few days before the AI Summit, I received an advance reading copy (galley) of Rohit Bhargava's new book. For the past ten years, his signature annual Non-Obvious Trend Report has helped over a million readers discover more than 100 trends changing our culture. Rohit and his team of trend curators take an expansive look at the research to reveal "Megatrends" that are transforming how we work, play and live. 

And the mission of "NYED-LA" is living, learning, working, playing - in the clouds. Rohit Bhargava has agreed to do a video podcast with me - which shall reach millions of people around the world via the Workplace by Facebook platform.

NYDLA.net (dot net) is powered by Workplace, which empowers us to engage with millions of members in every time zone. Just a few years ago, this would have been impossible. Today, it is not only easy to reach a global audience - it is expected.

If you had a "time machine" you could transport someone from 100 years ago, show them today's technology and it would possibly kill them with sensory overload. But that person from 100 years ago, would have to travel back 1000 years, to have the same effect. And a person from 1,000 years ago, would have to go back 10,000 years to have the same "mind blowing" impact on a time traveler, can you see that?

This pattern - human progress moving quicker and quicker as time goes on - is what futurist Ray Kurzweil calls human history's Law of Accelerating Returns.

AI Summit NYC - 5,000+ Attending Live

There is a cool video on Amazon and Netflix right now, about the 1964 New York World's Fair (I went, I was four). Or, you can watch clips on YouTube for free. Some of these visions of the future came true - others not so much. But the Law of Accelerating Returns seems to be on full display.

The kind of superintelligence we're talking about today is something beyond normal imagination. We are living in an intelligence explosion - where the smarter a machine gets, the quicker it's able to increase its own intelligence, until it begins to soar upwards, getting exponentially smarter.

In my lifetime, certainly in my children's lifetime, we shall be facing the reality of coexisting on the Earth with something (a machine) that is as intelligent as your Uncle Harry (or maybe a million times smarter) than your Uncle Harry.

And definitely smarter than the average 17 year old, right?

No deals without the feels

As of this post, the E.T. and Elliot Holiday Reunion Short has been watched 10M+ times on YouTube. This number is certain to go up over the rest of the month. My prediction, it will hit 100M+ views before January.

Released on June 11, 1982, E.T. was an immediate blockbuster, surpassing Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film of all time - a record it held for eleven years until Jurassic Park, another Spielberg film surpassed it in 1993.

The Comcast Xfinity commercial (short film) is a great example of the emotions of sales. How feelings drive purchases. How the way that we "feel about the deal" is at the core of every transaction, consumer or commercial.

https://www.xfinity.com/et might have "Won the Internet" for the holiday shopping season 2019.

So, did you shop on Black Friday? Trying to avoid making a purchase on Black Friday is like trying to NOT EAT pie the day after Thanksgiving.

What about Small Business Saturday? The goal of Small Business Saturday is to remind consumers that they play a key role in helping the small business community to thrive, and it encourages people to get out and shop and dine locally.

And tomorrow is Cyber Monday, setting the stage for an Amazon / Walmart / Best Buy / Costco / Target attempt to break the Internet.

Beyond the holiday giving spirit, there are deeper psychological reasons for spending massively.

Everyone loves a deal. When we buy something at a price that's lower than what you are willing to pay, or lower than the expected price - this is very satisfying. Even when we don't need what is on sale, the value of the deal itself triggers dopamine in our brains. In reality, sales happen all year long and prices fluctuate.

FOMO or "fear of missing out" drives people to purchase things they otherwise would not purchase. Consumers tend to give in and make a spontaneous purchase because it feels like a gamble to try to find a better deal elsewhere.

And then there is something called Shopping Momentum. Once you buy one thing, there is a psychological impulse to purchase a second, unrelated product. So, shopping creates more shopping. This is why door-buster deals can have loss leader items to bait you to making a first purchase. ANY purchase will do. You might shop and buy a smart TV at an amazing price, but once you make THAT purchase you then buy other items that are not deeply discounted.

So back to E.T.'s return journey to Earth for the holiday season. It focuses on the importance of bringing the family together. Henry Thomas reprises his role as Elliot, now a father, reuniting with the alien. Cute little E.T. has hacked into your brain's happy chemicals: dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin.

Understanding a prospective client's buying motives are much more powerful than possessing selling skills or deploying sales tricks and techniques.

People buy things for emotional reasons, and then they will use logic to justify and defend their purchases. 

OK, class is in session. Watch the video below, and then focus on how you feel. If you are already an Xfinity customer, you are going feel BETTER about yourself. You might not leave Xfinity if you were thinking about switching to a competitor. If you are on the fence, you might become a NEW Xfinity customer, based on your positive emotions.

But simply watching this video will get you into the holiday spirit, and it will help you to justify any and all of your 2019 holiday purchases.

https://www.xfinity.com/et