DIG SOUTH in a Day: A Marketing Manager's Perspective

Once again, Charleston brings together leaders in technology, marketing and business from around the country for three days of innovation.

The DIG SOUTH Conference connects leading global brands to the top tech leaders and entrepreneurs in the South. Charleston is quickly becoming one of the South’s epicenters of technology. It’s even been dubbed the “Silicon Harbor.” 

DIG SOUTH has made Charleston its home for the last four years, and this year, I got to go.

“How Stinky is Your Cheese?” – Creating Iconic Advantage from the Start

What makes a brand iconic? And, how can I create one?

“Humans attach meaning to almost nothing,” Soon Yu said. To become timelessly relevant, or an iconic brand, you need to become the standard. Easy, right?

Lesson: Be distinct, be relevant, and be recognized.

Predicting the Turn: The High Stakes Game of Business Between Startups & Blue Chips

Use venture capital as research and development. Once a change starts, it accelerates quickly.

Lesson: Read Jeff Bezos’ and Warren Buffett’s Annual Investors Report.

Storytelling and Content Creation in the Digital Arena

Make people care about your brand through storytelling. The story doesn’t even have to be about your brand, but the story can be branded by your brand.

Lesson: Every color, font, word, and image is carefully considered to tell a story.

Leveraging Consumer Neuroscience in the Age of Distraction

I receive a text from my boss about 3 minutes into the conversation and it distracts me. I pick up my phone to respond. Without thinking, I tap the instagram icon. I scroll through a few posts, and then it hits me. I’m not being present. I’m falling victim to media multitasking.

Media multitasking “decreases efficiency, accuracy, and speed,” Marci said. It leads to short attention spans. In one study, he found that 21-27 year olds switch their attention between various media platforms 27 times an hour.

Lesson: Consumers want authentic content even in their advertising.

Think Like a Journalist: How to get Press for your Business

Jason Feifer is the editor-in-chief at Entrepreneur.

Using humor, he gives the entrepreneurs and business leaders sound advice: “a journalist doesn’t care about your business, a journalist cares about their reader.”

His other take-aways include:

1. Ask yourself, “What do I need to get from a story in the press?” Don’t pitch a story for fun. Have a goal, and a clear message.
2. Strategically pick the publication before you pitch your business. And, research the appropriate reporter.
3. Understand how that publication tells stories.
4. Sometimes it is better to be a part of the story, not the focal point.

Lesson: “We all want one thing, to be heard.”

The New CMO: Why Product Development Experience Now Defines this Role

I will refer to this presentation often as I move towards world domination.

Lesson: Stay curious. Think like a CEO.

“The Future of TV Advertising in Today’s Digital World”

TV isn’t going away. Content is premium. Branded integration.

Moving on.

“The Surprising Power of Enoughness”

Lisa Wang. THE Lisa Wang of gymnastics fame. THE Lisa Wang, entrepreneur.

In front of a packed house, Wang introduces herself by sharing a story of failure. After winning the National Championships, among other competitions, she missed qualifying for the Olympics by 0.25 points. She went to Russia, trained for 9 months, and returned to the United States and won every gold medal that year at Nationals. Then, she retired.

Now, she is the CEO and founder of SheWorx, an organization looking to close the funding gap for female entrepreneurs.

Lesson: “When fear of failure drives us, we soon learn that success and enoughness do not live hand in hand.”

PS. Read my profile on David DeWolf, CEO of 3Pillar Global, here.