Previewing Seed + Burke’s Trip to CES 2020

Las Vegas hosts its fair share of trade shows—nearly twice as many as anywhere else in North America—but none may generate more buzz and excitement than CES. This one-of-a-kind show is a veritable all-you-can-eat buffet for manufacturers, developers, marketers, innovators and everyone else who does business in consumer technologies.

Seed’s Cherri Prince (EVP, Head of Growth) Donna Zaring (VP, Strategy) and Jeff Johns (SVP, Creative) as well as Burke’s Sandip Narang (SVP, Client Services Management) are all looking forward to being among those in attendance.

I was fortunate enough to catch up with this fabulous foursome to get their thoughts prior to heading out west.

 

So, what made you decide to attend CES?

Cherri: Attending this show is a bit of a “bucket list” item for me. I’ve worked in marketing, advertising and innovation for over 25 years and I’ve never been! Plus, I can’t think of a better, more futuristic sounding year to go than 2020. 

Sandip: I never thought about that—2020 does sound pretty futuristic! Getting back to your question, with an increasing number of our clients in the technology vertical and many others integrating technology into their existing brand and service delivery, I am excited to hear about the latest trends and see how brands are utilizing technology platforms for business and innovation. I look forward to having conversations with the manufacturers, developers and suppliers of breakthrough technologies at the show, as I know this will allow us to better help our clients with their current challenges and future vision. 

Jeff: As a creative director working in the field of innovation, specifically in bringing brands to life via branding and design, it’s important to stay current with the latest technology. So, I am thrilled to attend CES and experience the breakthrough technologies that are sure to define the future of consumer-based products in nearly every industry.

 

Why is it important for Burke and Seed to be there?

Cherri: The business of Burke and Seed lives where data and analytics intersect, with strategic creativity to innovate new products. The people, products and businesses at CES are on the leading edge of this intersection. My colleagues and I will be there to get a glimpse of the future for ourselves, and even more importantly, for our clients. 

Donna: Well said, Cherri. At Seed, we are inspired by bold and innovative approaches to improving our world and people’s lives. Whether it’s a novel approach to an everyday need or a major disruption in the way we live and do business, we are always seeking out new ideas and different approaches that can help us push boundaries and help our clients think creatively.

Sandip: As I mentioned, we serve lots of clients in the tech space as well as non-tech clients who are bringing technology-related innovation into their products and services. It’s important for Burke + Seed to be listening to the trends and disruptions in the industry so we can be better partners to our clients and stay abreast of the issues, challenges, and future promises that technology brings to their businesses. Continuously learning and mining insights empowers us to help our clients with superior level thinking and decision-support strategy.  As John F. Kennedy said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”    

 

Which topics and trends will get most of your time and attention?

Donna: I’m curious to see the latest in how technology is influencing consumer behavior—and vice versa—especially in areas like healthcare. I’m also interested in the way tech is shaping the workforce of tomorrow and how companies can be more nimble and innovative in the way they do business.

Jeff: As we head into this new year we can all see the speed at which technology is changing, and more importantly the speed at which data is transferred. With that in mind, one trend I’ll be sure tracking is the expansion of 5G—specifically which devices will offer this tech and what this actually means for both content creation and consumption.

Another topic I’m very interested in is sustainability. It’ll be inspiring to see how companies are improving in this space with the products they offer, how they package these products and most importantly, how efficiently the products are being made.

I’ll also be sure to focus on the latest in marketing and advertising in this highly social environment. And as a designer, I’ll definitely have an eye on innovation prototyping along with the latest in package and prototype design.

Finally, another trend that I’ll be tracking is personal health monitoring. This is a really interesting space and something that I look forward to personally utilizing more in the near future. 

Cherri: Jeff, you just stole my answer! I too am very excited about the merging of technology with health and wellness. The popularity of tracking and wearable devices has empowered people to take greater control of their health and quality of life. More specifically, I’m really interested in learning more about a fast-growing sub-segment of health technology called “fem tech.” Within this, one of the fastest growing categories is fertility tracking. As someone who struggled with this myself, I am delighted to see advancements here. Finally, I’ll also be sure to check out the Female Quotient lounge at CES as they strive to work with less diverse industries, like technology, to ensure all audiences are served and heard. 

Sandip: There are several topics that I am super interested in—like artificial intelligence, cloud services, software and apps, digital health and robotics. Many of these technologies are becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives and one can already see that the next generation will see exponential growth in these areas—just like my generation saw the growth and disruptive power of the internet. Personally, I’m also curious about tech innovation in the travel and leisure space because travel is a personal passion of mine—and who doesn’t like leisure?        

 

Thanks, guys! Safe travels, have fun and please be sure to keep us updated on all of your experiences at CES Vegas—unless it involves a regrettable tattoo—feel free to keep that experience to yourself.

 

Going to CES? Cherri, Donna, Jeff and Sandip would love to connect with you there. Feel free to email or reach out to them via LinkedIn.

And be sure to follow Seed Strategy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more updates on their adventures.

 

Adam Siegel is the Editor of The Accelerator and VP, Creative at Seed Strategy where he draws upon his diverse experience in advertising, research and innovation to craft breakthrough creative and winning concept copy.