INBOUND Bold Talks: Mitch Joel "wtf: What the Five-ish?"

I love intros like that. There's no pressure. How are you all? This isn't YouTube. I'm actually here. You can interact with me. I said, how are you all? You're good. Thank you. So, yeah, I was going to do a bull talk on Control Athlete, which is the title of my new book, but I sort of changed my mind. I'm going to call my bull talk. This is get your minds out of the gutter. It stands for something. It stands for what? The 5ish. There are these five movements that have fundamentally changed business forever that most brands are doing absolutely nothing about. And that was really the sort of impetus for what I wanted to do with the new book. And the truth is, in 20 minutes, there's no chance I could go through all of them. But what I wanted to talk to you about is the sort of bigger the macro play and why this change is so important, what it means to all of you, because you're all here and spending a ton of time in the next few days trying to up your game. So what happened to me is really interesting. And in building up to the second book, from about 2008, I would say all the way through to 2013, I spend my time doing stuff like this where I'm traveling around the world. I'll do about 70 speaking events a year. I work with big brands at my agency, which is called Twist Image. We work with brands like Walmart, work with brands like Pfizer, really helping them with digital and social and understanding this world. And it was amazing to me that no matter where I traveled, whether it was B2C companies or B2B, that when I would speak to senior marketers or people like you about how they felt about the world and how they felt about what it takes to connect with consumers in this day and age, unequivocally, I got the same answer. People would tell me that they feel like they're in hell, which is like an interesting thing to hear from people. Like, hell? Really? Hell. Okay, why hell? Because, like, the stuff that we used to do doesn't really feel like it's working. That's why we're all here, because we're trying to figure out this new path and do this other thing. And the way we see things and perceive things, whether it's social media or whatever it might be, is sort of unproven. Like, it's hard to sell to the boss, right? They're sort of like, prove it to me, like, where are the case studies and things like that? And it leaves us in this weird place. And I really sort of kept hearing, hell, we're in hell, we're in hell. I was like, this is wild. And I started thinking about what hell really means to me. Hell for me was not where we are now. Hell for me is where we were 15 years ago. Fifteen years ago, I'd sit down with the big brands and inevitably the question would be the same thing. They'd lean forward and they'd say to me, tell me why I need a website. Do you remember those times? It wasn't that long ago, right? Like, justify why we need. And I would sit there with that same sort of smirk and laugh that you guys just had, and I'd be like, for real, this is my life. This is what it's become. But I learned a lot. And what I learned is that at the time, what was so clear to me, and I'm sure very clear to people who are sitting in this room was not clear to these people. Because get this, the Internet could have been a fad. It's true. Think about the numbers and where we were 10 or 15 years ago. The Internet could have been a fad. It could not have become what it was today. That was hell. Right? We're not in hell anymore. We know what the world is about. Like, do you think mobile is going away anytime soon? Do you think social is going away anytime soon? Do you think the data, having access to data? Of course not. So we're not in hell. We're in purgatory. See, purgatory is knowing full well that these changes have completely changed the playing field. You can't change that. It's done, but yet we're not doing anything about it, or we're not doing enough about it, or not pushing enough in these directions. And so what I wanted to talk to you about today is a bigger concept that I hope will drive you forward in the work you're trying to do as you move into what I would consider to be purgatory. So you're not in hell. We know that this stuff has happened. We know that social is here. We know mobile's here, data here. All that great stuff is here. But what are we going to do to drive our businesses and our bosses and everybody else out of this purgatory? So I would argue that what we have to do is accept a new world. And I call the new world the one screen world. So you've heard of the third screen, the three screens, right? Web tv. What's the other one? Computer. That would be computer tv. And that Would be the third screen, would be the mobile four screen. They're calling tablets or at home digital, right? Not true. The only screen that matters is the screen that's in front of me. The only screen that matters is the screen that's in front of me. This, you know, we have a mobile strategy, we have a social strategy, we have a web strategy, we have an E commerce strategy. Stupid effing strategy. All you need is a one screen world strategy because we are in that world. Screens are connected, they're ubiquitous, they're extremely cheap and they reside right here in the palm of our hands. Why do businesses open up stores where they open up stores? Foot traffic, right? A lot of people coming through. Why are physical offices office spaces where they are? Well, they're there because they want to attract the right talent. If you know Toronto at all, our office is at Spadina in front. It's a very cool area, very expensive. Why? Because if I put it out in Mississauga by the airport, nobody would want to work for us. We have to be in an area that will attract that type of talent. There's a new real estate in town. That real estate is right here. That's the new real estate. And every day that you wake up, you have to figure out what you are going to do as a brand to connect your consumer to that brand in that world where that is where it happens. And it seems really intimidating because when you speak to people about this, they'll be like, holy crap, the data is bad. Data will tell you things like 25% of these branded apps get downloaded and used. Only once have you heard about this. There's other data that says something like 15% of these branded apps get downloaded and never opened. How bad do you suck? They downloaded it and they didn't even open it right now all of that data lies. Do you know why it lies? Because they're talking about apps that suck. I mean, you guys use apps all day, don't you? What kind of apps do you use? You use apps that provide a utility to. You use apps that add value to your lives. And what we do know is that these devices are not phones anymore. Who cares? Phones, stupidest thing ever. Who talks on these things, right? These are what my friend Andy Nullman calls the remote control of our lives. Because of this and because of this ubiquity of all these screens and by the way, TVs are connected and all that stuff as well, we have to change the way we market and connect to these consumers. And we're just Completely missing the point here. Why? Because if you think that web has got your company going crazy, if you think E commerce has got your company going crazy, and if you think that social media still has your company going crazy, I'm here to tell you that all of that together is a joke. Compared to the era of this one screen world, that's the magnitude of which we're gonna have to change our tactics and strategies and how we engage with these consumers following me, it's very, very profound. And most brands suck at it. They just don't get it. They have these narcissistic apps that tell people, hey, we've got some coupons. Really? This is what we're doing in this day and age? It's a shame. Seth was totally on the right path with this. Why are we doing that? The same old stuff. In this brave new world, the one screen world, people will look at slides like this. You ever see a slide like this? How many times have you been to an event where they had somebody who was tall, bald and dressed in black showing a slide like this and talking about the disruption and you know, you know, how impossible it is to get your message through in a world like this. This slide might as well be 600 years old. I've got a 19 year old and he's three years ago, 16. She comes home from school, she takes out her laptop, sits in front of the tv, opens up the laptop, turns on the tv, has her earbuds for her ipod and she has a BlackBerry. She's 16 years old. It's like she's running NORAD. Okay, you fast forward now three years, she's 19, she comes home, she takes out her iPad, sits in front of the tv, TV does not go on. And that's it. Everything she needs is in this one screen world now, you might say, but there's companion devices, right? People all the time are like watching TV and they have their smartphone. Listen, your right eyeball isn't on your iPad while your left eyeball is on the tv. The only screen that matters is the screen that is in front of me. These screens are connected and they are ubiquitous. Forget this, it's old news, it's dead, it's done. No one cares about this. Think about it this way. This man came down from the mountains with tablets and, and he gave them to us as a people. This is like a story of biblical proportions, right? This is like an amazing thing that happened. It's crazy happened twice. So you think about these devices, we take them for granted and it's crazy. I can't believe how silly people are with this. They're like, oh, you know, the iPad, like, it's the biggest deal ever. Why is. Because we've reached an inflection point. And the inflection point that this device brought forth is simple. Technology has finally removed technology from technology. You following me? Technology has finally removed technology from technology. How many times you've been on YouTube and you've seen a video of this crabby little kid in a restaurant, and the parents toss the kid the iPad. It's like, zoop, zoop, zoop. And the kid's all happy. You're like, wow, this kid is freaking me out the way they use the iPad. You've seen these videos, right? My favorite one, they have one for the iPhone 5 with a cat. Have you seen the cat video where the cat knows how to slide open the iPhone5 and find the photos it likes? Have you seen this? My mother turned 75 last year. We gave her an iPad, and I told her she can't figure it out. We gotta put her down. You know, the cat can figure it out on YouTube. But there's something really big happening here, right? Technology has removed technology from technology. You don't need instructions for this. You turn it on. It's like a light switch. You can just figure it out and go, this changes everything we do and how consumers connect to brands, and yet we're still toiling around with this crazy idea that the Internet is the thing, and it's not. It's about these connected screens and what they all mean to each and every one of us. And so I want you to embrace this because this is also a moment of exponential growth. You can't even understand exponential growth. Right? We're not talking about iPad. Penetration rate went from 22% last year. It's going to hit. That's not the world we live in. This thing didn't exist for four years ago. Didn't exist four years ago. Right. I wanted to take a break and show you a picture of the cutest human being ever created. Take a look at that. It's not true, actually. Three years ago, I had the second cutest human being ever created. Google onesie. I know you're jealous. Admit it. Don't panic. My son doesn't always wear a helmet. He's. People have asked. He's wearing a helmet because you might be able to see in the app, he was playing a motocross app, and he realized that the guy has a red bike helmet and he has a red bike Helmet. So when he plays it, he wants to wear it. My son just turned five. I took this picture when he was one and a half years old. So I'm working from home one day and my wife says, come to the den. I want you to see what your son's doing. Now how many of you have young kids? Okay, my first child. So I was a rookie. I didn't know how this works. When your spouse says to you, come to the den. I want you to see what your son is doing, it's not good. If it were good news, it'd be, come and see what our son is doing. And if it's really good news, it's come and see what my son is doing. When it's come and see what your son is doing. Not good. So I go into the den and my son is standing there in front of our big screen tv and he's like this with his hand on the screen and he's going like this. It gets better. 1 1/2 years old, so very limited vocabulary. He looks back at me and he goes, dada. Broken. The best is after that he said Angry Birds, which I thought was hilarious. My wife, not so much. It's like what I call protective services. You're playing Angry Birds with a one and a half year old. Like, hey, such is life, right? So I had a real moment of awakening. And my moment of awakening was my son's going to grow up in a world where the office and the work that he does will look nothing like our environment. Just think about that and lay it against the cubicle or the desk or the computer or, or the lamp or the pencils and the pad. Like, you just won't need this in a one screen world, will you? I can look across this room of hundreds and hundreds of you and I can tell you something really profound. On top of that, you're all going to work in that environment. You will all work in this transformative environment because we are at that exponential growth. We are seeing the data that supports that. We are currently, right now, all of us in this post PC world, we are in the post web browser world, all of us. And so when I ask you, what are you doing about this? Some people will say, well, we've got some planning that we're doing this year and the next year we should be in market with some of this stuff. Two years, the iPad didn't exist four years ago. Do you think you're gonna make it? Do you think your brand's gonna make it across that finish line? So it's called Bold talks for a reason. You need to be bold right now in how you're engaging with your consumers and how you're thinking about how you're connecting those brands through to them. And because the writing is on the wall and it's bloody, the sales of PCs have dropped so dramatically that they don't even know how to chart it. Analysts thought it was going to be like 7% this year and it's like over 15% already done. Now we're talking about an influx of devices, tablets, smartphones, whatever. We're not just talking about products shipped because that was the news two years ago, where we're now shipping more smartphones and tablets. That's not shipping isn't really great. What's more important is the install base, right? The percentage of people that are actually using it. Now the install base is more significant than PCs. That just happened this year. So you're seeing it. We are seeing every single article that's looking at smartphone and tablet traffic and all that. It's going to what they're calling leaps and bounds. Leaps and bounds is code for exponential growth. We're not able to track it in that sort of small percentage way because it's like hundreds of percentage and growing and growing every single year. That's the truth. And you can see it in a visual way. It hopefully really illuminates to where we're at. I mean, take a Look at this. 350 million PCs. Compare that to 66 million iPads didn't exist four years ago. Again, but look at that middle one. Look at those mobile handsets. 1.7 billion. That's Dr. Evil Pinky stuff, right? That's like a lot of devices there, right? And so you start feeling it and you start understanding it and you have to do something about it. I mean, what happened? The iPhone 5 goes on sale. Two million units get shipped in the first 24 hours. Were all of your contracts up on AT&T? Like, were all of you just suddenly ready for a hardware upgrade? No. I mean, these are the remote controls for our lives. And so we are invested in them. We are willing to spend significant dollars against it. And for those who aren't willing to spend it for that device, I happily going to Android. Android is basically, I think, close to 80% now of the market. Start thinking about what that means. The ramifications are huge. Over 30% of all the traffic we're now seeing to these sites is coming from mobile devices. 30%. We're not talking about 1, 2 3, 4, 5, 30. That's just today. What's it going to be next year? How prepared are you for that world? Because if you're not prepared for that world, stuff happens. And being Canadian, this is not an easy slide to put up there. You can imagine, because innovation has a funny way of working. And what I'm here to tell you is that there are actually two types of innovations. The two types of innovations are the companies that had a brilliant innovation and were able to capitalize and monetize it, RIM, BlackBerry. And then there are companies that are able to take and constantly innovate and figure out the new ways in which consumers are going to look at the world. And I don't think it's even fair to compare an Apple to a BlackBerry for that specific reason. There are fundamentally two different types of companies. One company is entrepreneurial and that they are trying to invent the future that does not yet exist versus another company that's simply trying to mitigate and minimize risk against their innovation. Do you understand the difference? You have to figure out when you walk out of this room in a one screen world which company you want to either be or which company you want to work for. Because that's the reality of this world and what it means. And that's what you need to really start thinking very, very deeply about. Why? Because this isn't a bubble. People say, is this a bubble? I mean, you live in a world where Instagram is bought for a billion dollars and the same month that Kodak files for chapter 9 or 11 or whatever it is, it must be a bubble. It's not a bubble. Bubbles happen when there's not a market to substantiate the investments that are being put into it. So if you go back in time a little bit and look at what happened with the dot com crash all we had a world where we had 38 million broadband Internet users with all that money. There wasn't a market to substantiate the extraction of what was being invested into it. Now in the mobile world, 1.2 billion people getting broadband on their phones, the market is there to substantiate it. And you see players making and doing amazing, amazing things in that environment. And so again, we sit in a world where we understand that these aren't trends, but these are foundational movements. These things have happened already. And we sit back and go, so what's the Facebook strategy here? Instead of thinking, what is the one screen world strategy in that place where the consumer is so connected to these devices the most Amazing and profound thing that I'm going to share with you about this one screen world idea that I'm trying to spread and get everybody to advocate is this digital has also become physical. But what's really cool is that physical has also become digital. And that's the coolest thing ever, right? You guys are all familiar with Square? How many of you are familiar with Square? Transacted on it this morning. So Square was co founded by Jack Dorsey, one of the guys who co founded Twitter. That's sort of the claim to fame. But Square actually has one of the coolest vision statements I've ever heard. For those of you who don't know, Square really simply is the ability to turn any mobile device into a merchant account, meaning you can transact, you can receive money. Small percentage of that money gets paid to Square much in the same way a credit card swipe would a machine, whatever it might be. You don't even need a dinky little white piece of plastic. You can just finger touch it in if you want to, but it's there if you want it. The vision statement for Square is awesome. Very simple and I wish you all had a vision statement like this. Their vision statement is no more cash registers. See, that's what happens when digital meets physical, physical meets digital. That's why I get so excited about this industry. These are massively cool changes that allow us to do things that we could never do before. So what we're trying to do is fill this channel with a bunch of ads. Who's going to win the mobile ad war? Dumb. Create utility. Create things that people want to connect to make them loyal. Because it's going to be in the pockets and their palms of their hands and they want to have access to things that matter to them that add value to their lives. Now you might be saying to yourself, this tall bald guy is completely off his rocker. I could be wrong, but I'm not. And here's why. What they were trying to do is put global mobile into focus. So on the left hand side, the line going up, you're seeing the zero to seven. That's the population of the earth from zero to seven billion people. On the right you're seeing the percentages of 0 to 90% of penetration of all the stuff on the bottom. Now I recognize that a lot of you guys in the back can't read this. I'm gonna help you out. The bar on the far left, the one that's really tall, the big blue bar, that one is people who have mobile subscriptions to the right of that are people who have electricity. To the right of that, and I'm really glad about the HubSpot partnership here with charity water. People have access to safe drinking water. To the right of that are people bank accounts. Then you have Internet users and on and on and on and on. And that's where you go. You are in a world where this has already transpired. The one screen world is here. It is now, it is real. Now you might say, well, that's because brands are untethered and they're hyperconnected. It's not the case. Do you remember this movie, Neo, the Matrix, right? Consumers used to be in the Matrix and brands were Neo, flying over them. Freaking control. You don't even know you're in the Matrix. You're so dumb. And then it flipped connected smart devices and suddenly the consumers are Neo in the Matrix and the brands are in the matrix and they're hyperconnected and they're untethered. You know that it's stupid words we all use all the time. That's not what I want you to think when you go downstairs and take your break. You go through Copley Place or you're heading and walking through, through the Prudential Center. You watch a couple of kids who are shopping. And if you're stupid enough to think that that's just two people, you've lost your mind. Those two people who are shopping together are 5,000 people because they're connected. Digital is physical, physical is digital. They're texting, they're sharing, they're linking, they're doing stuff. The conversation has completely evolved beyond the physicality into these digital realms. And that's an amazing place to be. Because what happens ultimately, and this is the bold part, is you can tell a different brand narrative. You can go to work tomorrow and decide that you're not going to just take the stupid ads and coupons and all this crap and push the same crap out to people in the same channels. But you can look at this and see a brand new narrative, that we can tell a different story in these different channels the way we want to. I look at that as a truly amazing thing. And I'm here to tell you that for those of you who see this and get completely scared ridiculousness. It's never been a better time to be a professional in business than right now because the opportunities to be the architects of what marketing can be are there for you to take. And I think it's amazing because inbound marketing is such an awesome leader in this and that sort of perspective, I think adds a whole bunch of color to it, and I just hope you're up for the challenge for it. So thank you for your time. Be bold, be brave, and embrace the one screen world. Thank you.