On the first full day of sessions at DMA09, I arrived at the San Diego Convention Center and walked toward Hall F for the keynote. There was a huge crowd milling about. Surely the hall wasn’t filled to capacity already?
I mean, why would that many people want to get in? Was there going to be a bake-off between embattled Direct Marketing Assoc-iation CEO John Greco and keynoter Martha Stewart or something? (That would be soooo awesome.)
But sadly, no. Soon, we were being let in to the hall, to the tune of….1940s swing music????
I looked up to see Party of Four, a quartet of singers dressed in 1940s attire, singing and bopping. Sure, they were fun, and my mom (age 84) would have loved them.
But I had to wonder whether this was the right branding decision for the DMA. Think about it. The DMA wants to present itself as being on the cutting edge of marketing trends and technology. Is the music of Benny Goodman really the right tune for that melody?
Of course, what do I know? Maybe all the kids are clamoring for Kanye to lay down some Artie Shaw tracks. But I kind of doubt it.
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