Author: Tess Kaytmaz

Tess is the Content and Community Manager for Social Media Week. Previously, she has worked at a social media agency and for 3rd party advertisers. She has worked with clients such as P&G, GoPro, and Skype. She has a love for goat cheese, her dog, music, and any excuse to travel.

Hearst’s Lessons at #SMWNYC on Using Data and Gut to Build Social Audiences

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Kate Lewis, SVP and Editorial Director at Hearst Magazines Digital Media (HMDM), will moderate a session with three Hearst Digital site editors to explore how audiences of large scales can successfully build and cater towards their social presence.

They will compare the effectiveness of two different social strategies: the use of performance metrics and audience data to inform social content, and following one’s gut instinct to create content that resonates with a community.

The Hearst brands represented on the panel have experienced the largest social audience increases during 2015, and session takeaways and will include: 1) the significance of insight teams, 2) the importance of humans analyzing data, and 3) how to communicate with your audience as if it’s a group of like-minded individuals.

“Data vs. Gut” will take place on Tuesday, February 23rd at 3:00pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage), and participating editors on this session include:

  • Joyann King of HarpersBazaar
  • Joanna Saltz of Delish
  • Betsy Fast of Seventeen

★ Join thousands of industry leaders at SMW New York ★

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Image Credit: Latino Weekly

Unpack the Industry’s Latest Social Measurement Guidelines with IAB at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Social media, including paid, owned and earned, continues to rapidly evolve, which is why Social Media Measurement Guidelines are needed to help agencies and marketers better understand the real impact of social media spend.

Recently, the Media Rating Council (MRC) issued Social Media Measurement Guidelines to help establish a detailed set of methods, definitions and common practices for organizations that measure social media activity.

Join us at SMW New York to hear leaders from IAB, Ogilvy & Mather, The Coca-Cola Company, Crowdtap, and Media Rating Council (MRC) to unpack these new guidelines, and examine its impact on the media industry. Why was it necessary to prepare these guidelines? Why it is important that we all used the same definitions to define key words? How, practically speaking, should the sell-side and buy-side use the guidelines on a daily basis?

Susan Borst, Director of Industry Initiatives at IAB, will lead this session, “Social Media Measurement: How Everyone Wins” on Tuesday, February 23rd at 9:00am at the SVA Theatre (EDU Stage).

★ Join thousands of industry leaders at SMW New York ★

About Susan Borst

Susan Borst is a Director of Industry Initiatives, heading up the Social Media, Content Marketing, Native Advertising, B2B and Games member committees to identify key challenges and opportunities for growth, and setting standards and best practices.

After 20+ years at top NYC creative agencies (Gotham, Kaplan Thaler Group, Grey Worldwide and Hill Holiday), Susan made the move to digital in 2010. At IAB, Susan leads the Social Media, Content Marketing, Native Advertising, B2B and Game Advertising committees, leading hundreds of digital publishers/platforms and technology providers to identify key challenges and opportunities for growth, and setting standards and best practices. Under her leadership, these groups have produced the IAB Native Advertising Playbook, Content Marketing Primer, Social Media Buyer’s Guide, Game Advertising Ecosystem Guide, User Generated Content guide, Building a B2B Brand Online For Dummies guide and many more.

Recent speaking engagements include OMMA Native, Business Insider Ignition, SXSW, Social Media Week in NYC and Chicago and more. She is on the jury for The Shorty Awards and the Content Marketing Institute Awards and was named one of the “15 People in NYC That are Changing Advertising That You Need to Know About” by Alley Watch (8/14) and named a “Top 50 Marketing Thought Leaders Over 50” by Brand Quarterly (2015.) She is based out of NYC and lives in CT. She is also half Icelandic, but loves Swedish Fish.

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Image Credit: Izea

Hello Alfred! AI, Data, and Empathy of the Future Customer at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Every modern company that sells something or offers a service is concerned with taking care of their customers. This means handling problems when they happen, anticipating needs, making recommendations on products, and responding in a timely fashion.

But as technology becomes more efficient and brand experiences grow deeper and more complicated, how will the idea of customer experience evolve in the coming years? How will things like data and artificial intelligence improve how businesses engage with their customers, and what role will the human qualities of empathy and finesse still bring to the table? What will be the meaningful interplay between the two and what are the big opportunities?

Jess Beck, COO & Co-Founder of Hello Alfred, an automated portal for getting your chores and home services done, will join a session at SMW New York with leaders from Havas LuxHub, Barbarian Group, and IBM to discuss the evolution of AI, and what the next 5, 10, and 25 years might look like for businesses and customers.

Jess’ session “AI, Data, And Empathy: The Future Of The Customer Experience” will take place on Thursday, February 25th at 2:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Jess Beck

“Jess is the Co-Founder & COO of Hello Alfred, the home operating system that is making the luxury of help affordable. Hello Alfred is one of the first companies in the on-demand economy 2.0, and under her direction the Alfred team has grown to 22 people in two cities and raised $12.5 million in VC funding in the past year. Prior to Hello Alfred, she worked at McKinsey, and before that, graduated from Harvard Business School with an M.B.A, and from Williams College with Honors in Economics.”

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Data, Trust & Transparency in Content Advertising Featuring Goldman Sachs at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Marketers and publishers are using more and more innovative methods to create, deliver and disguise digital advertising. Native advertising is the latest under scrutiny from the FTC, which released new guidelines last month, but it won’t be the last as more examples come to light where advertising is indistinguishable by consumers from content.

Amanda Rubin (Global Co-Head of Brand and Content Strategy at Goldman Sachs), will participate in this session at SMW New York with Barbara Basney (VP of Global Advertising, Brand Content, and Media at Xerox Corporation) and Tonia Ries (SVP and Executive Director, Edelman) to discuss the age of native advertising, and what exactly is the transparency experience for consumers.

“Making The Invisible Visible: The Evolving Roles of Data, Trust And Transparency In Advertising And Publishing” will take place on Tuesday, February 23rd at 5:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Amanda Rubin

“Amanda is global co-head of Brand and Content Strategy in the Executive Office. The group is responsible for creating and highlighting content that focuses on Goldman Sachs’ analysis and work related to economies, markets and clients. The group leverages various communications channels, including advertising and digital platforms, to reach across the firm’s core external constituencies, including clients, investors and the public.

Amanda joined Goldman Sachs in 1997 in the Brand Marketing and Digital Strategy Group, focusing on the firm’s corporate brand, including advertising campaigns, the external website, social media presence and marketing efforts for corporate engagement and recruiting initiatives. From 2010 to 2014, she served as co-chair of the Legal, Compliance, Internal Audit and Executive Office Women’s Network. Amanda was named managing director in 2012.

Prior to joining the firm, Amanda worked at Chiat Day, Ogilvy & Mather, and DDB Needham Worldwide. While at those firms, she worked with industry leaders such as American Express, Bank of New York and Digital Equipment Corporation.” (via Forrester)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Image Credit: IAA

The Millennial Guide To Being A Boss: Forbes’ CMO & 30-Under-30 Leaders Joins #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

It seems like we’re hearing more and more about Millennial employees taking over the workforce. These young, passionate, trailblazing leaders are founders, technologists, designers, strategists, creators, and everything in between.

At SMW New York, we’ll hear from one of Forbes’ 30-Under-30 honorees, Neil Parikh (Co¬founder and COO, Casper), along with Michael Monroe (VP of Marketing, Forbes Media), to discuss what it’s like to lead a company, and some of the learnings they’ve had along the way.

“The Millennial Guide To Being A Boss – Secrets From Forbes 30 Under 30 List Members” will take place on Friday, February 26th at 11:30am at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

Building Your Social Presence at #SMWNYC with BuzzFeed’s Social Team

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

In this interactive presentation, BuzzFeed social experts Rachel Christensen and Summer Anne Burton will discuss how they helped successfully build the largest social networks in media—by rethinking the way the industry sees social media editors, content, and distribution.

They’ll cover how BuzzFeed stuck to scrappy and unconventional ways of thinking about and creating content for social platforms, and how they used data to inform their strategies. There will also be examples of BuzzFeed’s biggest wins and fails (in the form of a quiz!), with insight to how, why, and where BuzzFeed experiments.

Summer’s session “Building A Great Social Presence The Resourceful Way, Presented By BuzzFeed” will take place on Wednesday, February 24th at 11:00am at the SVA (EDU Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Summer Anne Burton

Summer is the Editorial Director of BFF, a team at BuzzFeed that makes cool original stuff on social networks and platforms. She was previously the Managing Editorial Director in BuzzFeed’s editorial department, and once upon a time she was BuzzFeed’s first Weekend Editor.

Before she started at BuzzFeed, Summer lived in Austin Texas as a freelance illustrator and writer who contributed to ESPN: The Magazine, The Hairpin, Fangraphs, The Classical, and more. She was also a waitress, barista, bookseller, toy store clerk, advertising manager, hair salon receptionist, a writer at a now defunct website for tweens, and a stablehand.

She also has a new project called “Every Hall of Famer,” a blog where Summer is drawing every single member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. (via Summer Anne Burton)

About Rachel Christenson

Rachel Christensen is the managing social media editor for Buzzfeed, the social media manager for Food52, the James Beard Award-winning online food community, recipe hub, and home and kitchen shop. She formerly led social media for Real Simple magazine and at NBC’s Television Without Pity. She lives in Brooklyn.

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from these speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Image Credit: Texas Monthly

Ana Andjelic on Customer Experiences Using AI, Data, and Empathy at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Every modern company that sells something or offers a service is concerned with taking care of their customers. This means handling problems when they happen, anticipating needs, making recommendations on products, and responding in a timely fashion.

Ana Andjelic, SVP and Global Strategy Director of Havas Lux Hub, will join a session at SMW New York alongside leaders from Hello Alfred, The Barbarian Group, and IBM to discuss the evolution of AI in the coming years, and what that means for businesses and customer relations.

Ana’s session “AI, Data, And Empathy: The Future Of The Customer Experience” will take place on Thursday, February 25th at 2:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Ana Andjelic

An experienced strategist with a passion for new things, she earned her doctorate in sociology and worked in the world’s top advertising agencies. Known for her future-facing approach to strategy, she led design of digital brand experiences and business solutions for global luxury and fashion brands like Tom Ford, Topshop, Canali, Harry Winston, PUMA, Rom Ford Beauty, Replay, DeBeers,The Macallan, Blomberg Media, Knoll and The Peninsula Hotels.

Ana was recognized as one of the top 10 digital strategists in the world by the Guardian, her writing has appeared in Fast Company, Adweek, Advertising Age, Campaign, Luxury Daily and the Guardian. She presented at SxSW, Advertising Week New York, OMMA and the Retail Futures Forum among others and guest lectured at Columbia University, SVA, Miami Ad School and HyperIsland. Ana lives in New York City. (via Lux Hub)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Image Credit: LS:N Global

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: BuzzFeed’s Lessons to Build Your Social Presence the Resourceful Way

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

In this interactive presentation, BuzzFeed social experts Rachel Christensen and Summer Anne Burton will discuss how they helped successfully build the largest social networks in media—by rethinking the way the industry sees social media editors, content, and distribution.

They’ll cover how BuzzFeed stuck to scrappy and unconventional ways of thinking about and creating content for social platforms, and how they used data to inform their strategies. There will also be examples of BuzzFeed’s biggest wins and fails (in the form of a quiz!), with insight to how, why, and where BuzzFeed experiments.

This event is targeted both at social media editors and their employers, and will include a short presentation via PowerPoint, along with a Q&A. Some of the biggest mistakes we see in media are caused by an outdated way that brands and publishers look at their social talent.

Participants will leave with a new way at looking to hire social candidates, the best ways to manage a social editor’s workflow, and how to create sharable content without a sizable budget.

Rachel Christensen, Managing Social Media Editor at BuzzFeed, will lead a session at SMW New York with Summer Anne Burton to discuss how they went outside of the box to rethink how successfully create large networks on social media platforms.

Rachel’s session “Building A Great Social Presence The Resourceful Way, Presented By BuzzFeed” will take place on Wednesday, February 24th at 11:00am at the SVA (EDU Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: The High Stakes Of Content Marketing and POV’s from Brand, Agency and Publisher

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

When it comes to brands creating engaging content, the stakes have never been higher. The growth in programmatic and in ad blockers means that content needs to be at Hollywood-scale and cost half the price. That means that brands, agencies and publishers need to prove that the level of investment in content is worth it.

This leadership series of presentations will be led by Shareen Pathak, Brands Editor at Digiday, and will examine how leading brands, agencies and publishers are strategizing, planning, creating, distributing and measuring the most successful campaigns.

The presentations will conclude with a quick-fire round with the leaders sharing their speedy and unfiltered thoughts on the hottest buzzwords in content marketing and what they mean for your business.

This session, “The High Stakes Of Content Marketing As Seen By A Brand, Agency And Publisher” will take place on Tuesday, February 23rd at 2:30pm on the FWD Stage at The TimesCenter Theatre.

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

The Rising Value of Social Media and Live Events: Atlantic Records’ Conversation at #SMWNYC with Camille Hackney

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

According to a recent study, 70% of Millennials feel that social media improves the live music experience, and the majority of Millennials will take part in sharing music moments on social media while attending a live event. In fact, most Facebook users prefer their newsfeed to show their friends at live events and experiences over anything else.

So, when does social belong in the music experience – before, during and after the show – and when does it not? When do brands belong in the social exchange? What content is really being watched and appreciated? How can and should the artists themselves take part – and in what channels and communities?

Atlantic Records is a staple record label with artists new and old. Their musicians range from ABBA, Foreigner and Bette Midler to Alt-J, Frightened Rabbit, Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran. One of the leading minds of Atlantic Records is Camille Hackney, EVP Brand Partnerships & Licensing.

Camille will join us for SMW New York to discuss when and where social belongs in music and the industry, and whether or not social hurts the live music experience all-together. This session “How Social Has Rocked The Live Music Experience” will take place on Wednesday, February 24th at 4:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Camille Hackney

“Camille Hackney, the EVP Brand Partnerships & Licensing of Atlantic Records cultivates these relationships between the two worlds of artists and brands then brings together in a cohesive, wonderful campaigns and partnerships. Atlantic Records is a prominent recording label and needs the best to help maintain their reputation. Camille is the person behind pairing the right music to the right campaigns. She elevates her artists by negotiating deals that puts them into the spotlight of commercials, brand sponsorship and to compliment the brand will help sponsor tours for the audience.

Before Atlantic Records she worked for a label that is now known as Elektra. It was originally a boutique record label called East/West. She started right as Digital Marketing and Branded Content started to emerge. She jumped over to Warner Music and did a year and a half stint there before she went back to Elektra before they merged with Atlantic Records. She decided to work with the Atlantic side and used her knowledge to build a top notch section for partnerships and campaigns for their artists.” (via Atlantic Records)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

Image Credit: Billboard

Skipping Ads and DVR-ing Shows: Crowdtap’s CEO, Sean Foster, To Lead a Talk at #SMWNYC on Emerging Millennial Behavior

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Skipping ads. DVR-ing television shows. Installing ad-blockers. These behaviors have all become a common part of the Millennial experience – and what’s more, they are behaviors that are engrained in subsequent generations of consumers (Gen-Z and even Gen-Alpha).

Sean Foster, Chief Executive Officer of Crowdtap, will lead a session at SMW New York with leaders from ABSOLUT Labs, Ricola, and The Burns Group to discuss the age of ad-blocking, how brands must evolve with this emerging trend, and why working alongside your customers to unlock their ideas, opinions and stories can overcome this barrier.

Sean’s session “Bracing For The Ad-Blocked Future: How Brands Are Moving Beyond The Impression, Presented By Crowdtap” will take place on Wednesday, February 24th at 9:00am at the SVA Theatre (EDU Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Sean Foster

“Sean Foster is CEO of Crowdtap, the People-Powered Marketing Platform. Sean joined Crowdtap in May 2014 with a proven track record of building great consumer experiences, developing thriving communities and scaling successful organizations. Prior to Crowdtap, he served as CEO of dLife, where he successfully transitioned the business from a media company to a branded products and services company, ultimately resulting in the sale of the company in late 2013.

Prior to dLife, Sean was responsible for a $120 million consumer e-commerce business as President, Online of Avon Products, Inc. Previously, Sean served as CMO for The Gilt Groupe where he delivered hyper sales growth and led the development of the flash sales model.

Sean held numerous executive roles at Weight Watchers International. During his time at Weight Watchers, he was responsible for all US, UK, Canada, Germany and Australia sales and marketing for the online division as the Vice President of Marketing for WeightWatchers.com. Sean also held several key sales and marketing roles at ndb.com (National Discount Brokers) and Club Med.” (via Fast Company)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

Image Credit: AlleyWatch

Using Data and Insights to Shape Creative: Pinterest’s CPG Lead to Speak at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

The volume of data and insights available for social media is changing how agencies and platforms strategize, spend, and steer clients. An analytics-driven world means an elemental shift in how creatives work. Designers, writers, photographers and video producers need to think about execution and ideas informed by data on how to better speak to our audiences.

At SMW New York, Pinterest’s CPG East Lead of Creative Strategy, Raashi Bhalla, will take the stage with executives from VaynerMedia and Fast Company, to cover how creative and strategy should collaborate — and work with platform partners — to make content that wins on results, as well as look and feel.

Raashi’s session, “Create By Numbers: How Insights, Data, And Paid Media Shape The Creative Approach” will take place on Friday, February 26th at 1:00pm on the EDU Stage at The SVA Theatre.

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Image Credit: Startup Camp

The 2016 Election Is Changing (Quickly) Right Before Our Eyes: A Conversation with Blue State Digital’s Joe Rospars

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

In 2008, the political news cycle moved to the blogs, and in 2012 it spilled into social media, but remained mostly intact as an insular conversation among journalists and opinion-shapers. In 2016, it’s now disrupted by candidates, trolls, and everyone in between.

Joe Rospars, Founder and CEO of Blue State Digital (and President Barack Obama’s chief digital strategist for both the 2008 and 2012 campaigns) will speak alongside Garance Franke-Ruta (Washington Editor of Yahoo News) for a discussion about how the relationship between campaigns, news media, and the public is being reshaped in real time before our eyes, and what it means for our political process.

This session “2016 Election Throwdown: Campaigns vs. Reporters vs. Everyone Else” will take place on Thursday, February 25 at 12:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

About Joe Rospars

“Joe Rospars is Founder & CEO of Blue State Digital. He previously served as chief digital strategist for Obama for America in 2008 and 2012.

Joe and BSD’s team of more than 200 strategists, creatives, and geeks advise some of the world’s leading brands, campaigns, nonprofits, and cultural institutions to inspire and mobilize people, from the NAACP to Google, the USOC to Freedom to Marry, and Oxfam to EMILY’s List.

For both the 2008 and 2012 campaigns, Joe was Barack Obama’s principal digital strategist and adviser, overseeing the digital integration of the unprecedented fundraising, communications and grassroots mobilization effort. The digital arm of the campaign provided the backbone of design and branding both online and offline, engaged a record-breaking number of Americans through mobile, social, video and the web, and raised more than a billion dollars in mostly small donations from ordinary Americans.

Joe has been recognized as part of the Digital A-List by AdAge, 100 People Who Are Changing America by Rolling Stone, Most Creative People In Business by Fast Company. He has been profiled in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg Businessweek, TIME, Fast Company, and Adweek, among others.” (via Blue State Digital)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Image Credit: The Guardian

Bracing For The Ad-Blocked Future: How Brands Are Moving Beyond The Impression with Afdhel Aziz of ABSOLUT Labs

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

When did marketing become a game of “consumers” vs. “advertisers”? In 2016 and beyond, the companies that ultimately win will be those that partner with people to create stronger, more meaningful connections.

Afdhel Aziz of ABSOLUT Labs joins leaders from Crowdtap, Ricola, and The Burns Group at SMW New York to discuss why working alongside your customers to unlock their ideas, opinions and stories can fuel more effective marketing.

This session, “Bracing For The Ad-Blocked Future: How Brands Are Moving Beyond The Impression, Presented By Crowdtap” will take place on Wednesday, February 24 at 4:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Afdhel Aziz

“Afdhel Aziz is a brand strategist and marketer who has worked for blue-chip companies such as Procter & Gamble, Heineken, and Nokia in London and New York. He is currently Brand Director for Absolut Vodka in the USA.

He is an expert on how to deliver cutting-edge campaigns, content and experiences that harness popular culture, working with world-class artists such as Lady Gaga, Swedish House Mafia and Kanye West, as well as diverse partners like the TED Conferences, Art Basel, Coachella Festival, London Fashion Week, US Open Tennis and the Andy Warhol Foundation.

He has been a featured speaker at SXSW, Advertising Week and the Social Commerce Summit, and has been fortunate enough to collaborate with world-class agencies like Sid Lee, Wieden + Kennedy, Mother and Naked, on award-winning work which has been featured in the New York Times, Vice, Fast Company, Coolhunting, Billboard, Hypebeast and more.” (via LinkedIn)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

Image Credit: LinkedIn