GDC, SXSW Recap, Federal TikTok Ban, Chat GPT Momentum, Conference Thoughts - The Creativ Briefing
Weekly Expertise for Smarter Marketing
Out of SXSW and straight into GDC next week. By definition a Conference is a formal meeting for discussions around a shared interest in a particular subject, business, sector, or hobby.
They are normally held by a body representing that industry group. GDC is run by the Games Developer Association. Masters of Marketing is held by the Association of National Advertisers. Comicon is run by Comic-Con International, a non-profit dedicated to comic book reading. SXSW is a weird breed, an indie music festival that grew into a media festival.
When thinking about conferences, a good strategy has always been:
Determine the industries and audiences most important for your business
Define and refine your message
Meet them where they are
Conferences remain a great way to meet a concentrated cluster of industry clients face-to-face.
3 Stories Dominating Headlines
Meta to lay off 10,000 more workers after initial cuts in November. Mark Zuckerberg announced another 10,000 employees will be let go soon. Why it Matters: This is another sign that big tech is in a challenging position and that layoffs are likely to continue.
A24's "Everything Everywhere All at Once" sweeps Oscars. The film snagged 7 wins including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor, a major feat for an arthouse film. Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win Best Actress. Why it matters: The film’s major wins may be an indication that the Oscar’s DEI efforts over the last few years have made some progress.
U.S. Pushes for TikTok Sale to Resolve National Security Concerns. The Biden administration has demanded its parent company, Chinese owned Bytedance, to sell the app or face a possible ban in the U.S. Why it matters: If TikTok is banned in the U.S., there would be a major shift in the short-form video landscape. It would also be the U.S. government's biggest action taken against a technology company in the social media era.
Games Developer Conference Next Week!
I’ll be accompanying our gaming clients to the convention next week. Looking forward to diving into the gaming space Monday morning. Please give me a shout, email or DM if you’ll be attending!
Stat of the Week
Generative AI program ChatGPT set a new record for consumer application growth by gaining 1 million users within 5 days of launching.
That’s faster than Instagram which took 75 days to break 1 million users.
The website currently has over 100 million active users, averages over 600 millions monthly visitors, and is predicted to reach over $200 million in revenue by the end of this year.
Recapping the SXSW Rodeo
SXSW was a wild ride, but not our first rodeo. We attended with our two media and agency clients THE FIFTH and MOCEAN.
I moderated one panel at Brand Innovators and organized another for the SXSW gaming track panel moderated by The Verge.
My big takeaway was how BIG this conference has gotten. You need a plan to get the most out of it. Highlight a few key things you want to take away from it, and then doggedly stick to that plan. Focus helped us have key meetings across several brands.
