CoED: Addressing a Universal Concern of Agencies and Brands Alike
In the fall, dozens of employees from Denver and Boulder based brands and agencies took the plunge into employee education and attended the first two installments of the CoED workshop series. The workshops allowed advertisers and marketers from smaller, more nimble organizations to access relevant, practical and thought provoking content curated by industry leaders. Attendees left the workshops inspired by new perspectives on current trends and approaches to industry problems. For a more complete review, see the infographic below.
In Q4 of 2016 we offered two CoED workshops to members. The first workshop covered the intersection of creativity, technology, and media, and was led by Eddie Revis, Head of Creative Media at Essence. The second workshop focused on dynamic content strategy, and was taught by Kaleb Ruel, the US Marketing Lead at Spotify.
Both classes addressed a universal concern of brands and agencies alike: how to best create and distribute content in constantly evolving markets and on ever expanding platforms.
Times are changing. Today, banner ads still serve a purpose, but as this recent campaign by IKEA highlights, they garner limited genuine attention for brands. So, if not banner ads, how do brands authentically reach their target audience? Eddie and Kaleb shared their perspectives on varying approaches through personal anecdotes stemming from their innovative work with major clients, such as creating GOODFest - A live stream festival for good, to promote the new Google Pixel Phone, and launching the “Thanks 2016, It’s Been Weird” global outdoor ad campaign for Spotify.
Both Kaleb and Eddie utilized their experience and expertise working on projects for major national and international brands to distill actionable takeaways in attendees and inspire innovative thought.
CoED workshops are led by industry expert practitioners, with topics dictated by co-op members and current industry trends. For Q1 and Q2 in 2017, the workshops will focus on member selected topics such as AI (in the news here, here, here, and here), Prototyping (a popular topic here, here, here, and here), and the deeper inevitable technological forces that shape the future (covered here and here)
To become a member, or if you have any follow up questions, please contact me directly at chandler@smithandbeta.com.
Yes, we’re bombarded with information and filter what’s true, relevant, and meaningful, but just when we think we have it figured out, the questions shift. A topic that seems critical to know is artificial intelligence (AI). It feels familiar, doesn’t it?
In today’s fast-moving world, it can feel like everything is moving too quickly. With so many digital tools at our disposal, we often wonder: Are these tools really making us faster, or just more overwhelmed? Can we keep up with the speed of modern life while still finding time to reflect, create, and connect?
At smith & beta, we believe that the joys and challenges of childhood learning can and should continue in our daily work. By fostering a learning culture, we ensure that tackling new developments—like artificial intelligence, equity, and digital communication tools—is met with the confidence that comes from knowledge and mastery.
