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ADWEEK is shadowing Razorfish at CES this week. Follow along for more behind-the-scenes reporting from the event.
The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is a big moment for agencies looking to set the stage for the year.
For Razorfish, the Publicis-owned digital agency on the cusp of its 30th anniversary, this year’s CES marks a time to celebrate, but also to look ahead to the next 30 years of innovation.
“We want to have a moment to celebrate the last 30 years, and really acknowledge all of the work that we’ve done, all the firsts that we’ve had. But there are so many firsts ahead of us,” said Razorfish president Dani Mariano.
CES is inherently not a marketing show—but while the consumer gadgets of the future are set up on the Las Vegas Convention Center show floor, the marketing industry has established a robust satellite conference at the C-Space convention center at the Aria hotel.
The tech show is a chance for Razorfish to connect with clients and vendors at the top of the year, set priorities and even finish up planning for the year ahead. But it’s also a moment to explore the technology of the future, “dream a little bit,” and get inspired about what’s to come, said Razorfish CEO Josh Campo.
“You have the benefit of not being in an office somewhere and being already constrained in your thinking,” he said.
Fostering client connections
Razorfish’s attendance at the show is largely driven by clients. The agency has between 15 and 20 people at CES this year, with more people joining at the last minute as their clients make plans to attend.
While there are no specific goals for the agency to hit around new business or striking deals, networking and serendipitous run-ins are a big benefit of attending. For example, Mariano shared that she ran into someone while having lunch at the Wynn hotel that she had been trying to get a meeting with for months.
“There is always a surprise—a product you weren’t expecting, a relationship that got started,” she said.
More than a dozen Razorfish employees gathered near the convention center on Tuesday to share plans for how and where they’re connecting with existing clients like Bread Financial and Samsung as well as building relationships with potential business partners and those the agency is currently pitching.