Strata-gee.com

Strategy in TECH...

You are here: Home / Archives for Marketing

Marketing

Large Exhibitors Pull Out of CES 2022 Due to Increasing COVID Infections

by 1 Comment

Photo of CES show floor

BREAKING NEWS> Amazon, T-Mobile, Facebook, Twitter, & More Pull Out of CES 2022

**SEE BELOW FOR STORY UPDATE** – On Tuesday, several large exhibitors independently announced that they would be pulling out of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), scheduled to start the week-after-next in Las Vegas, NV. The reason given for these pull-outs was the rapidly spreading COVID-19 infections due to the emerging hyper-infectious Omicron variant. Major brands, such as Amazon, Meta Platforms (Facebook), T-Mobile and more said the rapidly changing COVID situation caused them to consider the safety of their teams and other attendees of CES 2022 – a major indoor event.

See more on this exodus from CES 2022…

[Read more…] about Large Exhibitors Pull Out of CES 2022 Due to Increasing COVID Infections

Branding Lesson: Surprise Kit Kat Tweet Praises Twix; What Happens Next?

by Leave a Comment

Nestle Kit Kat logo used as part of a branding study

The conventional wisdom of branding says that you never mention your competitors in your marketing – it only serves to promote them. Less professional companies have sales and marketing teams that go one step further by publicly or privately criticizing their competitors!

Which is better? Complement or criticize your competitors? New research holds what might be a surprising answer!

Should you be naughty or nice to competitors? Read on…

[Read more…] about Branding Lesson: Surprise Kit Kat Tweet Praises Twix; What Happens Next?

Kaleidescape & Stewart Filmscreen Partner to Deliver Performance and a Discount

by Leave a Comment

Kaleidescape & Stewart Filmscreen partner on a new promotion

Two power players in the high performance home cinema game – media server specialist Kaleidescape and screen expert Stewart Filmscreen – have partnered to deliver a better “seamless screening experience.” And in the process, the partnership will result in a limited-time offer to buyers for a $1,000 discount off the MSRP of qualifying Kaleidescape products.

See more on this partnership and promotional discount

[Read more…] about Kaleidescape & Stewart Filmscreen Partner to Deliver Performance and a Discount

Savant’s Virtual Expo Delivers a Powerful 1-2 Punch That Just Knocks Me Out

by Leave a Comment

Online home of the Savant Virtual Expo 2021

As the first and one of the most prominent brands that decided to pull out of the recent CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis last month, Savant based their difficult decision on placing the safety of their employees and customers as their key concern in a time of surging Delta-variant COVID infections. But that decision did not mean that they didn’t want to communicate with their dealers about the many exciting developments at the company. So Savant developed a powerful two-pronged approach (the 1-2 punch I mentioned) to deliver their dealers a better – virtual – trade show.

See more on the Savant virtual tradeshow…

[Read more…] about Savant’s Virtual Expo Delivers a Powerful 1-2 Punch That Just Knocks Me Out

CEDIA Expo Opens with Few Exhibitors; Not 500, Not 242, Only 76 Booths Remain

by 7 Comments

CEDIA Expo 2021 floorplan
Looks like lots of room for hospitality at CEDIA Expo 2021

CEDIA Expo opens this week, with education sessions starting today and the show floor opening tomorrow. As Strata-gee has been reporting, over the last three weeks literally hundreds of exhibitors have pulled out of the event over concerns surrounding the surge of infections due to the Delta variant of COVID-19. With Emerald expositions vowing to forge ahead with the event no matter what, attendees to the event – whether many or few – will find themselves at a very different CEDIA Expo.

See more on this very different CEDIA Expo

[Read more…] about CEDIA Expo Opens with Few Exhibitors; Not 500, Not 242, Only 76 Booths Remain

CEDIA Expo 2021: Should You Risk Your Health to Attend a ‘20% Expo’?

by 6 Comments

CEDIA18 Day 2 crowds
I saw more open aisles on Days 2 & 3

The Day After Losing 39 Exhibitors, Expo Loses Another 26

What a crazy couple of weeks it has been for exhibitors of CEDIA Expo 2021, and also for potential attendees who watched a slow-motion train wreck unfold right in front of their eyes. It was almost exactly two weeks ago – on August 10th – when Savant CEO Robert Madonna suddenly announced that Savant was pulling out of CEDIA, due to concerns over the surging infections from the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Little did we know then that this was the trickle before the flood…

See more on the saga of CEDIA Expo 2021

[Read more…] about CEDIA Expo 2021: Should You Risk Your Health to Attend a ‘20% Expo’?

CEDIA Expo Loses More Than 100 Exhibitors; Redraws Smaller Floorplan

by 2 Comments

CEDIA 2018 crowd
CEDIA Expo in better days

CEDIA Expo 2021, scheduled to run in less than two weeks from September 1-3, 2021 in Indianapolis, IN, has been steadily shrinking over the last ten days or so, as exhibitors began pulling out in the face of the rapid expansion of COVID infections due to the Delta variant. Emerald, the exposition company that owns the CEDIA Expo, has said they are going forward no matter what – even though their data shows that more than 100 exhibitors have pulled out of the event in the last two weeks.

See the latest numbers from Emerald and the smaller floorplan

[Read more…] about CEDIA Expo Loses More Than 100 Exhibitors; Redraws Smaller Floorplan

TechStarter: Will We Find the ‘Next Big Thing’ at CEDIA Expo 2021?

by Leave a Comment

CEDIA 2018 crowd

Emerald, the exposition company that owns CEDIA Expo, announced this week that they will again field a TechStarter competition at CEDIA Expo 2021. TechStarter, the show says, is sort of a tech-specific version of ABCs Shark Tank show, where exhibitors in the show’s “Launchpad” section – the section that used to be known as Innovation Alley – get to pitch their business models to the judges (comprised of top industry executives) in the hopes of being selected as one of the TechStarter FIVE.

See more on the TechStarter competition at CEDIA Expo 2021

[Read more…] about TechStarter: Will We Find the ‘Next Big Thing’ at CEDIA Expo 2021?

The New West Coast Experience Center for Savant? A Stunner…

by Leave a Comment

Savant's new West Coast Experience Center

Nestled in the hills over the Nevada plains, not far from the bright lights of Las Vegas, Savant Systems partnered with design-led development firm Blue Heron and integrator Eagle Sentry to create what they call their West Coast Experience Center – otherwise known as a stunning residential home showcasing a million dollars worth of Savant technology (as well as a few technology partners). The ultra-modern home, clearly destined for an ultra-rich niche, featured a design that was – to my eyes – just stunning…and the installation is a true testament to Savant’s theory that installed AV should be “hidden in plain sight.”

You’re going to want to see Savant’s new West Coast Experience Center…

[Read more…] about The New West Coast Experience Center for Savant? A Stunner…

MQA Finale: Both Anti- and Pro- Forces Have Their Successes and Failures

by 26 Comments

MQA and Tidal on a smartphone

Part 4 Finale – A Summation That Doesn’t Always Add Up

STRATA-GEE – This is the fourth and final installment of our contemplation on the controversy swirling around MQA. I want to start by thanking Bill Leebens for the many, many…MANY hours he spent interviewing, speaking with his editor (me), writing, and rewriting these pieces. It was a lot of work that for him, I’m afraid, will largely be thankless, as one side or the other will decry his work. At the same time, Bill and I end up in a slightly different place and you can see some of my thoughts at the end of his piece. But none of that takes away from the herculean effort this topic represented and I am eternally grateful to Bill Leebens for his thoughtful approach.

See where we end up after weeks of study on MQA

[Read more…] about MQA Finale: Both Anti- and Pro- Forces Have Their Successes and Failures