Tag: Zady

Jonathan Basker of betaworks’ Guide to SMW NYC

Posted on by Sara Adam

betaworks is a network that builds new products to change the media landscape — some of their work includes Bitly and Tweetdeck. Additionally, they make seed investments in companies and products that they believe have the potential to be game changers. VP of People, Jonathan Basker, is responsible getting some of betaworks’ amazing talent on board. Jonathan is joining us at Social Media Week and took the time to share with us the events that he is most looking forward to and why.

  1. How To Build a Brand That People Don’t Buy, They Join
    This is an impressive panel of brand-forward companies. I’m excited to learn more about how these companies think about strengthening their businesses through brand identity and branded community.
  2. Using Social Technology to Galvanize Residents and Improve Neighborhoods
    With San Francisco, Detroit, Austin and dozens of other US cities in periods of transition, we’re facing a real challenge in bringing our local communities together in useful and meaningful ways. I’m excited to hear how these men and women are using technology as a tool to elicit social change.
  3. The Content Marketing Revolution, hosted by Percolate
    Percolate is awesome. Their branding and marketing work is awesome. I’m really excited to hear what they have to say.
  4. Is Social Killing Storytelling?
    Content is King? Content is Queen? Content is King, but he’s very short? Our communication tools have changed so quickly in the last 20 years…how has this affected what we’re choosing to communicate?
  5. Building Essential Products for the Social World, with John Borthwick, CEO of betaworks
    This is not to be missed. Having worked for John for over two years, I can tell you that he is one of the premier thinkers working with the Internet today. The betaworks team is cooking up some incredible stuff!

Social Media Week is just around the corner, but it isn’t too late to get your pass to see these awesome events and more! And definitely don’t forget about our VIP opening night party, Monday February 17th, hosted by our partner Nokia.

6 Ways for Marketers to Understand Millennials this Social Media Week

Posted on by Nicky Yates

Ok, New York, you’re stuck indoors with yet another snowstorm this winter, and we know what you’re up to. You’re feeding those guilty pleasures: those preferences on Netflix you never want anyone to see. Well, as much as we might hate to admit it, what we’re seeing on Hulu and other platforms is largely shaped by the generation coming behind us. There’s a reason Party in the South is debuting. And this is exciting.

Millennials are shaping our future, and we need to understand this. Everything from our recreational options to innovation in industries like health, you either gotta keep up or get out of the way. And we want to help you keep up:

  1. 5 Ways Millennials’ Habits Are Changing How Content is Made and Shared
    The first step is to admit you need a deeper understanding. So, we recommend starting out SMW14 with Complex Media and their friends to learn how the Millennial generation’s habits are causing a speedy shift in how content is created and distributed. From the discovery of new talent and Vine stars to the ever present listicle, you’ll need a deeper understanding of this generation to get your marketing on track.
  2. How To Build a Brand That People Don’t Buy, They Join
    The millennial generation is the most cause-oriented generation since World War II. So, how do you get them to buy into your brand with a movement? That’s exactly what Zady, charity: water, and Whole Foods have managed to master. Join them to hear more and take away from their case studies ways your brand can become more connected to our passionate generation.
  3. Fueling Social Fandom at MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central
    Once you understand millennials better, it’s time to look to those who serve them best. Comedy Central has the market cornered currently, and MTV was once king of youth. But for both, this demographic is key. The two have quite a bit they can share and learn from each. So, we’re putting them together with VH1 to highlight how you can keep your fan base engaged, drawing from their own examples in everything from online to apps. You can’t miss this session. (Don’t believe us? Comedy Central’s past event on How To Be Funny in 140 Characters was in such high demand that we had to repeat it last year!)

  4. It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, a Conversation with Author danah boyd and Andrew Rasiej
    Now, it’s time to get advanced. Without contest, few understand youth better than Microsoft Researcher danah boyd. She’s written about what’s new in how teenagers communicate through platforms, and specifically how social media affects the quality of teens’ lives. And at SMW14, she’ll be sharing her findings on identity, privacy, safety, danger, and bullying. Anyone working with youth and millennials will need to stop in and check on danah.
  5. Reading Is No Longer Fundamental: The Shift to Visual Vocabulary
    Our streams are flooded with gifs, Instagram, emojis, and bitstrips. We’re moving to a very visual marketing period, and it’s driven by millennials. “Visual” is a new language that needs to be mastered. As we look to the future, we have to ask: Is this a new era for cross-cultural communication, or is it changing the way we think – and not for the better? JWT leads a group of experts to really look at this impact, particularly in commerce.
  6. The Future of Now: Health Innovation Track, Sponsored by Merck
    And while we’re talking about movements, no generation was more supportive of health innovation than millennials. They are now turning away from politics to find other ways they can create innovation in the healthcare industry. That’s something Merck knows a thing or two about. Value-creation in the healthcare arena is now inextricably connected to digital and social technology. In this special three-hour track, we’ll explore how health is innovating and what’s to come in the future.

Registration is open! Get your pass today here, and join us and our partners, Nokia for what will be an extraordinary week of exploring our always on, always connected world.

The Age of the Conscious Consumer: Soraya Darabi & Maxine Bédat of ZADY Join SMW NYC

Posted on by Nicky Yates

Zady, Fashion, Soraya Dorabi

Gone are the days when tech isn’t glamorous. Honored as two of the most fashionable people in tech, Soraya Darabi and Maxine Bédat are merging the two fields. Founding ZADY.com, they have created a shopping platform for socially conscious fashion consumers. With the goal of doing what Whole Foods has done for the organic food movement, ZADY is helping consumers know exactly where their products come from and make more informed choices. And they’re going about it pretty impressively. ZADY is the first online retailer to merge commerce, media and social media into a smooth and dynamic shopping experience. You hear the story of what you’re buying and the behind the craftmanship.

How did it come about? Soraya and Maxine have been long time friends and share a passion for socially conscious endeavors. Maxine is founder of The Bootstrap Project, where 5% of proceeds from ZADY purchases are designated to helping artisans. Maxine and Soraya merged their backgrounds to create something amazing.

Soraya has long been a strong player in the tech sector. Starting out as Manager of Digital Partnerships and Social Media at The New York Times, she transformed the NYT into a digital global news leader and taught journalists and chief executives alike how to best use and leverage social media. Think it’s overblown? Renowned Times columnist Nicholas Kristof credits her as being “the only reason why he has [millions] of followers on Twitter.”

Soraya also served time helping launch drop.io, followed by Foodspotting. And she’s a regular feature on the tech scene’s listicles, being included in Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business,” Brandweek’s “Hot Digital,” Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30,” and AdAge’s “25 People in Media to Follow on Twitter.”

“It’s all part of the movement of the ‘conscious consumer.’ In the past decade, our collective buying decisions put enough pressure on the food industry to make major waves in revolutionizing it. We’ve opened our pantries for examination and have demanded better — now is the time to open our overflowing closets. We’ll look and feel better if we do.”

Co-founder Maxine (Kaye) Bédat is another trailblazer. Maxine brings to the table an impressive background in diplomacy and the United Nations. In addition, Maxine is the force behind The Bootstrap Project, an organization dedicated to changing the lives of artisans in developing countries. The Bootstrap Project was borne out Maxine’s experience in Tanzania for the United Nation’s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. It was there that Maxine broadened her understanding of economic development in underdeveloped nations.

In a powerful example, Maxine shares a story from her travels in Swaziland. There, she met Thembenkile, a local craftswoman who made beautiful, meticulously carved wooden dishes. The trade had been passed down through Thembenkile’s family, from father to father to her. When Maxine inquired why she stopped passing down this legacy, the response resonated: “No one will buy my things,” Thembenkile said. “My people can only pay for plastic that comes to us from far away, so my kids don’t have a reason to learn.” Thus, The Bootstrap Project was born.

We’re thrilled to have this dynamic duo taking the stage this February. Grab your pass to join us here.