I had the privilege this week to enter the media future – or at least a very smart person’s view of it – and learn that the future is all about personalization.

“The future of local TV (and seemingly everything else digital) is personal,” was the rousing cry of NBC Universal Chief Digital Officer George Kliavkoff who spoke this week at NY:MIEG's holiday breakfast as part of a Q&A session with Limor Schafman, president of The KeystoneTech Group. “Think about all your favorite news and information websites. With any of them 90 to 96% of the pixels are wasted on you,” said Kliavkoff. Instead, using the smarts of technology, you will be able to get served content and advertising that you want. Kliavkoff’s takeaway: The online future includes a lot more personalized products and services.

The prognostication was made at the ultra slick, electronic showcase of The Samsung Experience at the TimeWarner Center, which gleamed with electronic high tech before a sold-out crowd of the media upper crust, along with a few wannabes.

Overseeing this media blitz was Bill Sobel, a middle-aged, rumpled, down-to earth guy who is anything but high-tech in style. However, don’t let his appearance fool you. Sobel, who conceived and runs MY Mieg, is Mr. Media, a master connector and media impresario, who could be an electronic gizmo himself since he radiates enough energy and enthusiasm to light up the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

The Q&A covered what’s happening and will happen in digital. Among some interesting points made:

• Online media leads to more TV consumption. Forget the fear of cannibalization when you put TV clips online. NBC found that online streaming of the Beijing Olympics actually drove viewers to watch more TV than they would have if they were only TV viewers.

• Easy does it. Hulu, a joint venture of NBC and Fox, allows viewers to search CBS and ABC content even though it doesn’t have licensing agreements with ABC or CBS. “It’s easier to search on Hulu than on CBS or ABC,” said Kliavkoff.

• Digital all the way. We haven’t seen anything yet, according to Kliavkoff, who said that behavioral marketing and other forms of personalization will transform the digital experience.

So, as personal branders, what does all this mean?

I think it means that we need to be sure we’re on the digital forefront in everything we do. That, we need to make everything we do as easy as possible for folks and to insure that we not just put our personal stamp on what we do but that it speaks directly to the person we’re doing it for.

What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Wendy Marx, PR and Personal Branding Specialist, Marx Communications

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