Jim Tobin, Founder/President Ignite Social Media: If you don’t know about Brand Innovators, you probably don’t work in marketing for a good sized brand. At first blush, the organization seems similar to many in the space, hosting thought leadership events around the country where CMOs, VPs and Directors of Marketing can talk to one another about challenges in modern marketing.
But Brand Innovators is more than that, as Ted Rubin explains in a conversation I had with him in Austin at SXSW during the 5 days of activities BI hosted.
What resonated most for me was when Ted noted that Brand Innovators isn’t an event company, but a community. In fact, it’s now the largest community of its kind. And as Ted is quick to note, Network gives you Reach… Community gives you Power.
Ignite Social Media is in the second year of sponsorship of Brand Innovators (which is something we rarely do). We participate in part for this exact reason. A select group of cutting edge suppliers can engage with this community and have meaningful discussions. It’s not about selling as much as sharing experiences and challenges. If those align with business relationships, that’s fantastic, but it largely happens because a need is being filled, not because someone is being “sold” to at the events.
Have you been to any Brand Innovators events around the country? If so, what are your thoughts?