Besides going for the barrage of product previews and launches, I was asked to speak on two panels to share my expertise on mobile apps: “Apps, Apps Everywhere” (moderated by Veronica Belmont) and “Do You Have an App for That?” in Kodak’s K-Zone.

The “Apps, Apps Everywhere” panel happened on Thursday morning and we touched on several key points that were very relevant to our work at Carrot Creative: making major companies’ apps successful, social mobile apps, and trends from both a developer and a user standpoint.

Later that day, I joined a different group of panelists on the Kodak K-Zone Stage to talk about how people are leveraging all of the social media tools to reach and engage consumers—basically, what we do every day at Carrot.

A lot of the conversation in the Kodak panel was centered around music and music apps. Coincidentally, fellow panelist Jim Lucchese from Echo Nest and I were both on hand to discuss how our latest work, the MTV Music Meter, gives people a more personalized way to experience music through recommendation and delivery. (Check it out for yourself… the Android app is live and other mobile apps are launching soon.)

As with all great panels, there was some disagreement. A fellow panelist believed that apps should scale back on pushing marketing messages, but as I’ve learned from previous client work, one of the largest reasons that users download branded apps is to receive deals and incentives. The most successful apps and sites have capitalized on the customers’ (sometimes subconscious) desire to receive real-time, targeted messaging.

You can watch the entire Kodak session here (including my grand entrance).

This article is copyright © 2012 

One of the most respected names in business publishing has asked me to speak at their worldwide Direct Marketers Forum this coming March. Direct Marketing International Magazine is “the only publication which has the global reach among international direct and interactive marketing professionals. Now in its third decade, DMI was the first magazine to be printed in the UK for direct marketers – so not only is it unique, it is also truly original!”

This exciting opportunity is a great way to stay informed about marketing activities around the globe and to find out how my European counterparts are using the Social-Web in powerful new ways.

I am very excited to travel and share to an international audience our Social Media tactics. 2009 IDI Marketers Forum “International Direct & Interactive” will make stops in New York, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Brussels, & Budapest.

Find out more here.

This article is copyright © 2012