CES 2013: Tech Gone Wild!
Our Bob Gold & Associates team experienced a digital wonderland of sights and sounds as well as controversy while supporting multiple clients at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where we were busy from morn till night.
The biggest story and PR lesson in years came out of the show that saw nearly 150,000 attendees. Who in America doesn’t now know about the surprising controversy created when CBS CEO Les Moonves personally pulled the Best in Show Award as voted by his CNET’s editorial staff for our client, EchoStar’s design and manufacture of the Dish set top box, Hopper with Sling?
CBS got an avalanche of bad publicity when their own editors’ votes were tossed aside by too-big-to-care corporate brass. Suffice it to say that, as PR professionals, we know independent editorial judgment is among our most prized freedoms.
Beyond the awards fireworks (and another example of poor judgment that only seems to occur in Vegas), we were also wowed by:
- Panasonic’s ginormous 3D TV display. Jaw-dropping doesn’t do it justice
- Samsung’s TVs moving like Rockettes in a smooth million-dollar staging – Ultra HD anyone?
- Intel’s cyclone of personal laptops
- Everyone seemed to have a tablet – even old brands attempting comebacks like Polaroid and RCA
- Chinese brands that start with an H (Hisense, Haier and Huawei, for starters)
- Non-tech brands got in the game – New York Times, Lowe’s and even Ford
The next wave of CE products will be centered around the connected “smart home” with IP security cameras, home healthcare gadgets and energy-efficiency solutions. That means your cable company will be in the game, right?
