Lessons from a Great City…
Like you, CTAM is jazzed to be back in New Orleans—and not just because some of us happen to have a weakness for Creole jambalaya.
It’s also because New Orleans is a city that shares some of cable’s greatest characteristics. For one thing, it’s a city that demonstrates a willingness to defy the conventional. For another, it’s a city that has proven how powerful collaborative effort can be.
As we join together here this week, I hope we can take a moment to appreciate how New Orleans is working to recover from the devastating storms of 2005 by drawing on collective resources from many disparate quarters—including hundreds of dedicated individuals in our business.
At CTAM, we have an especial affinity for New Orleans because we share a similar faith in the power of cooperation. Our success is driven by collaboration. Working with member-volunteers across geographic and organizational boundaries, CTAM is able to produce results with a scale and impact that would be difficult for any single industry participant to achieve.
A quick glance at some key CTAM initiatives illustrates how we are marshalling resources and contributions from across the industry to help cable grow.
* Consumer research. Aiming to provide insight into an area that’s critical for our members, the CTAM Research Committee is delivering two important studies. "A Barometer of Broadband Content and Its Users" blends Nielsen NetRatings and Nielsen People Meter data to explore demographics and usage associated with broadband video. And "Tracking the Evolving Use of Television and Its Content," Wave 4 evaluates the impact of consumer adoption of new technologies on TV viewing dynamics.
* Business services. The Business Services Council is building awareness and educating small-medium business IT decision-makers throughout the nation about cable’s B2B product offerings through a multi-faceted PR campaign.
* New movers. We’ve got several exciting promotional projects under way to encourage movers across the country to choose cable for their destination homes—with HGTV’s Clive Pearse appearing as our national spokesperson.
* Integrated communications. CTAM is racking up big numbers here, with more than 150 million consumer impressions anticipated this year, as we work to tell cable’s story. This week our spokesperson, David Gregg, will cover cable innovations being presented at The Cable Show in a series of live interviews broadcast on TV stations across the country.
* On Demand. The highly-regarded On Demand Consortium is blazing new ground in enhancing the consumer On Demand experience and improving the behind-the-scenes workflows and metrics that influence the industry.
* CTAM Summit. Our Summit planning committee is busy preparing to bring industry executives together November 9-11 in Boston. Co-chairs Katie Lacey (ESPN) and Mike Lee (Rogers Communications) are expanding the emphasis on product development and management, in addition to consumer marketing and branding. Again, based on the model of coming together to have greater impact, don’t miss this annual opportunity to meet with your colleagues.
It’s wonderful to see everyone united here in NOLA.
Congratulations to the NCTA for drawing on the collective contributions of so many talented people to put on a phenomenal show. As the city of New Orleans can testify, it’s a formula that works.
(Char Beales is pres/CEO of CTAM).
