They’re innovating. They’re building partnerships. They’re getting inspiration. They’re being creative. They’re repositioning themselves. Here are some examples of what non-tech companies are doing at CES 2017.
- L’Oreal is launching a smart hairbrush
Cute robots and smart hairbrushes, what else can a digital strategist ask for? The Kerastase Hair Coach Powered by Withings is accompanied by a mobile app that gives tips on how to brush hair and shares customized hair product recommendations. Good product or just good brand positioning? We’ll see.
- Agencies are building communities
Generally, agency teams are deployed to this type of conferences to meet industry influencers, tech companies and prospect clients. AdAge reports that Omnicom has its “innovation team” on the ground looking for hot startups and hosting cocktail parties. IPG and R/GA are hosting a women’s breakfast featuring innovators in marketing and technology. - Hershey is looking for answers
Like agencies, brands join conferences like CES to get inspired. The energy there is something you can’t get from a trend report. And brands know they need the energy and the talks and the ideas as much as they need the trend reports. As Brian Kavanagh, Hershey’s Senior Director of Retail Evolution puts it:
Our brands don’t play as well online. They’re hard to ship, the impulsivity is not as big as it is in the store. So we’re here to figure out how are company is going to look like in 10 years.
Post image by Alan Light (1982 Consumer Electronics Show) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Mar Barbera 
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