The Many Faces of Internet Advertising – An Ad:Tech SF Commentary

By now, you’ve spent one, if not two days deep in meetings while trying to squeeze in some time to roam an exhibit hall the size of some commercial farms, a floor space that should have airport style carts to take you from row to row. During this time, you’ve met those you know, those you didn’t know, and those you wish you didn’t have to know. This week, we have Digital Thoughts pieces inspired by the show. One takes a more macro look at the event as it compares to other Ad:Tech’s, other Ad:Tech SF’s, and the landscape of those here this week. This piece focuses on the people.

Tradeshows do what we can avoid doing so easily in the online space, interacting with other people. After a day of doing our face to face time, we thought we’d share our observations in this completely unscientific, by no means exhaustive, I want to go party instead of writing,DM Confidential Tradeshow Personality Profile. Like any undertaking attempting to categorize people, we all fit into more than one. That said, our less than random sampling has led us to the following types:

• The Networker – this person seems to know everyone at every company. They are relationship people, active in their quest for a broader contact base but not necessarily with the aim of just add more names to their LinkedIn. The Networker is not so much known as recognized, a one man brand who, if not the personable founder of a company tends to work at an organization large enough to support their catch and release ways. They can’t steer the ship and work the engine room while casting their net. Networkers do not necessarily occupy the same role at each company, and they are rarely the CEO.
• The Pioneer – where the Networker thrives in trying to see and be seen, in understanding a landscape by focusing on the people that occupy it, the Pioneer has built the boat and staffed the ship that provides the Networker a chance to fish. Pioneers’s are known and not seen; the prized fish that Networkers and just about everyone else wants to meet. The Pioneer has, often behind the scenes and not so visibly, given their company a brand which tens, hundreds, or thousands call their own. Their network has been built almost passively, either as needed to grow the business or because others have sought them out. They achieve a level of celebrity almost in spite of, or perhaps because of, their head down, low profile.
• The Independent – our industry, as it is still relatively young, still evolving, but big enough where the crumbs can feed more than a few, makes it possible for the Independent to be just that – without strings. If they work for a company, it’s a small company where they have a large say. That doesn’t diminish their value. They can be some of the most successful people you have not known. They, however, do not want and have made sure they do not have a "job."
• The Partier – we all want to be this person, especially last night. You can recognize a partier not by his weary look in the morning, but perhaps by the fact that he looks so much better in the morning than the rest of us, even though he stayed out later. The partier floats around the show like a butterfly when you are stung like a bee. You don’t understand their almost unnatural good mood and permagrin. You know they get something done, because some make and have made a lot of money; you just don’t know how.
• The Connector – if the network is the public face, the lead generator of the personalities, the Connector is the COO. This person will know almost if not just as many people as the Networker , but it’s this person you turn to when you need to get something done. If you need an introduction, and especially if you need information, they are in your T-Mobile Faves. Many were Pioneers that moved into the investing world or are back again in the entrepreneurial saddle. They don’t just know people; people know them back. You don’t understand how they can know so much and/or make so much happen but they do…the don’s of our digital age.
• The Salesman – this person has a job to do and a quota to fill. They came to Ad:Tech on a mission, a one-man turnstile looking to process as many people as possible. We like them, because we know what they want and what makes them tick. You turn to the Salesman when you want to do business and get the ball rolling through a predictable process, unlike the Pinko style of many other relationships.
• The Sponge – you often don’t know what to make of a Sponge. While not always enigmatic, their lack of external animation sets them apart. They often attend as many sessions as possible; and when interacting with you, they ask a lot of questions. Talking to them, though, will yield little in return. You might mistake them for not knowing much, but do not make the mistake of underestimating them.
• The Grunt – last but certainly not least with respect to value, we find the Grunt. This person, often junior and putting in their time so that they can rise through the chain of command and become their personality of choice, keeps the rest of safe. They man the booth, they field questions from those who have no likelihood of doing business with you and monitor the brand image – replacing depleted collateral and politely saying no to the strange tchotchke snatchers who wander free exhibition hall tradeshows . Almost everyone has served as a Grunt; it’s a rite of passage and a great vetting process to see the true value and nature of an employee.

Did we get them all? Unfortunately, we had to leave off the the person who is writing but would rather be partying right now. 🙂