Cracking Middle America
When you work in a coastal city such as Los Angeles, San Francisco or New York, it can be easy to get a little tipsy off the tech Kool-Aid. We’ve seen some brilliant technologies receive millions of dollars in funding only to later discover this technology or service doesn’t appeal to the majority of consumers. The coder in your local coffee shop might geek out at the brilliance and complexity of your product’s back-end and nuanced algorithms, but will a St. Louis soccer mom change her routine to incorporate what you’ve created into her day-to-day life? This panel will walk aspiring entrepreneurs and marketers through the steps needed to give their product or service mass appeal that spreads far beyond the coastal centers. It will go over what to consider when an idea is in the development phase, how to test it outside of the major metro markets, how to brand it in an accessible way and how to approach PR.
Presenters
Craig Elbert
VP of Mktg
Bonobos
Craig Elbert is the Vice President of Marketing for Bonobos, a menswear brand that has been recognized for its exceptional fit and great customer service. In this position, he oversees the customer...
Show the restKerry Bennett
SVP of Mktg
DogVacay
Kerry Bennett is the SVP of Marketing, for DogVacay, a leading online and mobile community that has more than 20,000 vetted and insured dog sitters across the country ready to care for your dog lik...
Show the restNeil Grimmer
Co-Founder & Pres
Plum Organics
Neil Grimmer is Co-Founder, President and Chief Dad of Plum, PBC, a leading organic kids nutrition company and one of the fastest-growing organic food brands in the U.S. An imaginative force and de...
Show the restSarah Kessler
Assoc Editor
Fast Company
Sarah Kessler is an associate editor at Fast Company, where she covers technology companies. Prior to this, Sarah wrote about entrepreneurs as well as emerging technology trends in education, activ...
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