Power Profile: Inside the Marketers Studio
Meet David Berkowitz of the Inside the Marketer’s Studio blog, currently holding the 131 spot on the Power 150 (1/10/08).
You just finished your visit to the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), what is the coolest new gadget you’ve seen?
The coolest gadget I played with is this visor you wear to view movies and play video games. I’m assuming it’s for while you’re in transit, and it provides some home theater feel. I’m not quite sure of the practical value of it though, unless you travel alone on some long flights.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen at CES 2008?
I was surprised to see Heineken exhibiting at the Showstoppers press event, as they had some home fridge for their mini kegs. For a mix of the unexpected and clever, I like Microsoft explaining home servers through a children’s book, which you can read online at http://www.stayathomeserver.com/book.aspx.
What else are you doing in Vegas?
I’m speaking at Digital Hollywood, catching up with clients, going to some press events, and playing a ton of Peggle on my iPod Nano to pass the time while waiting in the endless lines.
Talked with anyone famous?
I came very close to getting Danica Patrick’s autograph at the GoDaddy tent, but she was out to lunch when I was over, and I wasn’t up for waiting around (even if she ate as fast as she drives). Oh, and I did get to see Robert Scoble, who I guess qualifies as a ‘blogebrity.’
Give us the 100 words or less analysis of this year’s event.
This is my second CES, having gone last year. In 2007, I mostly hung out with bloggers and others who were more connected to the consumer electronics space. This year, I spent my time talking to clients, peers, and others involved in marketing and advertising, many of whom work in the broader media & entertainment industry, rather than CE specifically. Whereas last year was an education, this year I accomplished much more that’s directly relevant to my day job.
Ok, onto your blog… how would you describe “Inside the Marketers Studio” to your mom?
My mom just found out over Thanksgiving that I have a blog. I told her it’s about some of my thoughts about online marketing and I publish my columns there.
What blog post (of your own) are you most proud of and why?
In December, two friends who separately posted their homes for rent on Craigslist were approached by the same scammers, and they fell for it at first, though fortunately they didn’t take it too far. One of them sent me their complete email transcript, which I posted in full on my blog. Sure enough, as I’d hoped, others searching for info on the scam found it and shared even more information, which inspired a subsequent post. It’s incredibly fulfilling to actually use my blog in a way that can make a difference in someone’s life, as that opportunity doesn’t happen every day.
What blog post do you most regret publishing and why?
I regret spending the full month of January writing up reviews of my favorite books read over the past year. It seemed to fall flat and got a little tedious after awhile. Next year, I’m sure I’ll give some favorite reads, but I’ll limit it to a post or two.
What two blogs do you read most often?
TechCrunch and Mashable are important for my job day to day, but there are so many great bloggers out there who I read daily, like Jeremiah Owyang, Matt Dickman, Christina Kerley, Noah Brier, Rohit Bhargava, and way too many others to name here.
Which blogger would you most like to meet in person?
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a number of my favorite bloggers in person, like Seth Godin, John Battelle, and Michael Arrington. One I’d still be up for meeting is Guy Kawasaki. He brings so much passion to his writing and speaking that I feel like I know him – an experience that I’m sure is common for his readers.
Which blogger would you least like to run into in a dark alley?
Greg Verdino. I might mistake him for one of the Mythbusters guys, and then I’d be scared to death that he’d shoot a penny at me from atop the Empire State Building or something like that. (See an accompanying image at the bottom of this post: http://www.marketersstudio.com/2007/07/in-the-great-co.html)
What two podcasts do you listen to most often?
The only podcast I listed to is Coffee Break Spanish, where I’m (very gradually) learning a bit of the language. I don’t have much time for podcasts otherwise, as I read on the subway, and at home and work, they’re a distraction.
How many hours a week do you spend blogging?
I spend a couple hours a week blogging, though if I’m at a conference I’ll spend even more, and if I’m buried with client work I’ll spend somewhat less.
How long do you expect to continue blogging? What’s your end game?
There’s no endgame. I’d imagine I’ll participate in some form of self-publishing or self-expression for life. Perhaps if I know my time is coming, I’ll set up a bunch of posts to appear well after I’m gone so people keep reading. I could just see the reaction that’d get. One of my grandsons will call his mom and say, “PopPop blogged again. He said ‘If you build it, they will come.’”
What non-blog websites and publications do you read?
I have some distractions, like The Onion, IMDB (Internet Movie Database), and Mets.com. I read almost everything MediaPost puts out, but I’m slightly biased as I write a column for them. I’m a big fan of the print versions of magazines, namely The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Newsweek, The Week, Time Out New York, Crain’s New York Business, Wired, and formerly Business 2.0..
I also finish a book every week or two (on vacation, I’ll sometimes finish one a day). The last great one was Ali & Nino by Kurban Said, which is said to be the national novel of Azerbaijan. I read it after I plowed through The Orientalist by Tom Reiss, which was all about the quest to determine the author’s identity and share his life story. Both the novel and the biography were remarkable, though I’m not sure which one I’d recommend someone read first. I’ll also thank blogger Kaila Colbin for recently recommending Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff, and a cab driver in Kansas City, Missouri for recommending the John Adams biography by David McCullogh.
Last good movie you saw at the theatre?
I soaked up a ton of great dark and depressing films over the holidays – There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, Persepolis, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and others.
Last good song you downloaded?
I recently got married in Turks & Caicos, and we had a local band, Correy Forbes and the Lively Rakooneers. I downloaded some of their music before the wedding, and it’s a fun Caribbean sound, though they’re much better live. I recommend the songs “Knock and Jook” and “Dry Conch and Grits.”
What kind of computer/set-up do you run at home?
I generally use my Dell laptop from work, but I have a desktop that gathers dust. It’ll probably be the last desktop I buy myself.
What is your next big technology purchase going to be?
It would have been a Slingbox, but it’s not compatible with my cable setup here. Slingbox did what it could, but Time Warner Cable refused to make my life any easier. That’s number one on my wish list. I’d do the iPhone but I won’t switch to AT&T.
Favorite food to eat (or beverage to drink) while you blog?
Cereal (dry) – lately, it’s been Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs (whole grain – it’s health food now). My IT department hates fixing my computer since it gets buried in crumbs.
What one thing would you change about your blog if you had the time?
I’d post much more often, I’d add even more substance to my posts, I’d comment even more on other blogs, and I’d learn a few things about design so I can move off the TypePad template.
What is your favorite blog plugin?
The Rollyo search application comes in handy for searching my own blog, though I often just do a site search in Google. I also love Feedblitz, especially for subscribing to other blogs via email. And FeedBurner is a must-have. The most useful one for me is Google Analytics.
What other hobbies do you have?
I love the arts, spanning blockbuster movies, Broadway plays, and museum exhibits. I’m a snack food gourmand, and I cook when I can, though I’ve done so much less of that lately given my workload. I now have quite a few local restaurants’ numbers stored in my cell phone for delivery.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that your readers don’t already know.
One of my favorite hobbies from as early as I could write was writing letters to companies with consumer complaints when I was the victim of some injustice, like not getting the pack of Rain-Blo bubble gum promised inside a Rice Krispies box (that was the first such letter I wrote, and it was a great injustice to a six or seven year old). They sent me two packs of gum to make up for it. Since then I stood my ground with Good Humor, Mike & Ike, Broderbund Software, and a few others. I still use my blog for the same purpose on occasion.
What famous person do you most look like?
Dr. Joel Berkowitz, author of Shakespeare on the American Yiddish Stage. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Okay, it’s not an Amazon bestseller. I look like him (he’s my brother), and he gets mistaken for Jerry Seinfeld a fair amount.
I was once on the 1 train in the NYC subway and got off on 96th Street, and a young couple, around age 20, was walking behind me. The girl stopped me as I was taking the stairs above ground and said, “Are you famous?” I said, “In very small circles.” She returned, “My boyfriend and I were wondering if you were famous. Are you?” “Among my five friends, yes,” I told her. She gave up and I went home. I’m not sure who exactly she thought I was, but given my coy response, I’m sure she was all the more convinced I looked like that person.
What is your full-time job?
I’m Director of Emerging Media & Client Strategy with 360i, the search-centric digital marketing agency.
What cool/interesting clients or companies have you worked for?
It’s hard to play favorites, but right now I’m working with quite a few of the broadcast and cable TV networks, and it’s fascinating partnering with them as media goes through all these changes, especially since last year when online video consumption really took off. It’s just as interesting though to see how major retail clients who don’t have the content reserves find ways to embrace emerging media.
How do you think newspapers will evolve over the next 15 years?
I’d imagine they’ll still be around, as there still will be value in print, but the percentage of Americans reading newspapers has eroded steadily since the 1960s, and that trend should continue. Years from now, they may truly be multimedia, multichannel companies. The New York Times does some great work with online video right now, so years down the road, maybe it’ll take over a cable network.
Have you posted any videos on YouTube, Google, etc.? Can we see?
You can see my Oscar-winning YouTube uploads at http://youtube.com/dberkowitz. They’re just a couple tests I did, shots of Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
What was your first job in high school, college or earlier?
I started a couple businesses in middle school. One was writing custom song lyrics for others to sing for friends’ special occasions – Lyrics Unlimited. Then there was Horizon Computers, the computer building and repair business with my friend who will be my best man at my wedding this December. My first paying job was a camp counselor in New Rochelle, NY, which I did for eight summers. My first campers were five years old, and they’re graduating college soon.
What kind of car do you drive? What’s the next car going to be?
I ride the 4, 5, and 6 trains, run by New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority.
Tell us about your 15 seconds of fame.
This is it.
Another, though, was that I once appeared on The Today Show in a segment where they filmed me on a first date with someone I supposedly met online, but I had actually met her weeks before and the two of us faked it just to get on TV. The fake date was at Trata, a Greek seafood restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and I’ll never forget the waiter’s name: Socrates.
I also appeared in national news coverage my senior year of college for a prank that’s best discussed over a few beers rather than on a blog.
What is your most embarrassing email/cell phone/blogging (pick one) moment?
One comes to mind from my time at eMarketer, when I was editing its newsletters. One reader sent some feedback to a newsletter, and I can’t remember what it was, but I was motivated enough to forward it to my boss laughing at what an idiot the reader was. Of course, I replied to the reader rather than forwarding the message. I can’t say it’s the last time I made that mistake, but after that I got better at double-checking who’s on my recipient list for emails.
How has the Power 150 helped you/your blog?
It gives my blogging some added credibility, like a Better Homes and Gardens seal of approval. It does make it all seem a little more real, like I’m an actual marketing blogger. Before, I was just some guy who had a blog. Thanks for that.
What would you do with $3 million dollars?
With that, I’d probably be able to afford buying a studio apartment in Manhattan, or at least in Park Slope.
What’s the next big thing?
Chia Pet widgets. All the kids’ll want ‘em. That, and mobile marketing, and advertising on peer-to-peer networks.
