This week was quite the whirlwind for me as a professor. Teach Monday morning, jump on a plane to NYC to be part of the Adobe Insiders group at Advertising Week, and create truly amazing experiences and memories.
I have been part of the Adobe Insiders, which are a group of influencers who are advocates and users of Adobe products and who work in the marketing field, since earlier this year. We had our official presence this year at Adobe Summit in Las Vegas, and our last meeting was out in San Jose in June.
This truly is one of the best industry groups I have been a part of, and it is due to the leadership, dedication, and support Mark Boothe, Monica Grant, and Rani Mani provide and lead in our community.
We had a chance to attend Advertising Week for the day and sit in on a few sessions. I cover Advertising Week in the strategic communication classes I teach at the University of Louisville, but seeing this event in person was tremendous.
We actually had a chance to sit in on a generation panel looking at digital advertising. This was in celebration for the first digital ad’s 25th anniversary, and this was a panel that was sponsored by Adobe. The insights from each generation represented (Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers) was amazing. Very candid, honest and real – I know many of the Adobe Insiders present discussed how this was by far one of their favorite panels they have attended recently. I agree! I think more candid insights and responses are important for us to get in order to fully understand what is happening. That’s what research and strategic insights is all about!
We also had the chance to learn all about what Adobe Experience Cloud was working on for the upcoming year with their tools and product features. This is one of the things I love about being part of this community and group is to learn about these tools – the same ones I am discussing with my students in my classes – and what to watch out for in the upcoming year. This is why Adobe is a clear leader in this field and it is exciting to see what happens next.
Visiting Nasdaq. One of the biggest highlights I had during the trip was visiting Nasdaq. I have always had a soft spot for trading and the stock market because my Dad was a stockbroker for several years before he retired. Being at Nasdaq was awesome. What I didn’t realize was the fact we were all going to be interviewed and featured on Adobe Experience Cloud’s and Nasdaq’s Facebook pages while we were there! How cool is that?!
We were each asked different questions related to advertising, and mine focused on what is the biggest challenge facing advertising today. My answer – this was something I discuss all the time with my students since they need to know what they can expect in the field. Continuing education and following the trends in what is happening are solutions to battle the constant changes we are seeing in the industry.
Thank you Giselle for being such a great host and interviewer for our group!
What I also felt was great to see during our session was the fact everyone – and I mean everyone – was making sure to capture our interviews so we can have this record for our channels to share. This was awesome – I was very grateful to Mellissah for taking this picture of me and making sure I was able to share this on my respective channels. Love how #AdobeFam looks out for each other!
Cooking with Insiders. We finished the day in the best manner: a cooking class. What a great bonding experience for all of us to gather around and celebrate a fantastic time in one of the best cities ever! We had Jennifer of Home Cooking NY give us lessons on how to make dumplings (YUM!), shrimp on crostini bread, and chocolate pudding (OMG – this was amazing!).
What I loved about this experience was I got to see professionals – all who I respect and highlight in my classes – in a comfortable and natural light. Never in my wildest dreams I would have imagined making dumplings right beside Scott Monty (who has amazing knife skills by the way).
We also decided we need to create our own live streaming show called “Cooking with Insiders.” Besides being rockstars in the industry, we have some major stars in the kitchen! Who knew?!!
Overall, this experience was for the record books. All credit and shout outs are to be given to three incredible people and friends at Adobe:
Mark, Rani, and Monica – you three are more than just amazing rockstars, but true family members in our industry. Your support, friendship and leadership has created such an energetic and positive community unlike anything I have experienced.
Thank you all for truly making Adobe Insiders more than just an influencer community, but a family.
I am so honored to be part of this community and consider each and every one in Adobe Insiders a dear friend. I am very thankful for this experience and I can’t wait to see everyone at the next event.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
