Well, I just arrived from Cannes, and I feel like I'm in the twilight zone. I didn't picture my first visit to the French Riviera lasting only 17 hours...I spent more time in cabs, airports and planes than I did in Cannes, which is such a dynamic and energetic atmosphere.
But I was there with a purpose. I could only talk my mom into dog and cat sitting for a day and a half while Wendy was away, so I took advantage of what I could and headed for France. Among the buzzing of the Lions Advertising Festival, a group executives from successful digital media independents from the US, UK, Germany, Russia, Spain, Italy, Canada and France, gathered for a 6 hour meeting of the minds in the Hotel Martinez, on the famous La Coisette. We discussed how to network globally to service major clients in an increasingly digital advertising world.
I must say, in 14 hours (3 of my 17 hours were a combination of cabs, airports and a little sleep), I met a group of solid, impressive people, all with similar values and principles, all preachers of the digital revolution, all of which were a blast to hang out with and all of whom I hope to do business with over the years. I'm glad to be part of such an important global initiative.
Hearing about the societal differences across country borders, and how it effects digital media usage was very interesting. Sometimes we take for granted our sizable population with fluid, albeit limited disposable income, and seemingly endless credit. What we walked away with was a plan to build a model to share experiences, insights and key learnings across borders, in order to maximize our collective knowledge and further earn our place in a competitive market of giants.
