PHD Perspectives: From Ad:Tech to the Ashram, A 7-Day Journey of Digital Extremes - Lance Neuhauser - MediaBizBloggers

It39s 9am Monday morningI39m staring at my Outlook calendarI39m befuddled by my scheduleamp8230quotAm I really traveling to Chicago AdTech to talk all things digital and submerse myself directly into the heart of connectivity AND THEN travel directly to an Ashram for a completely unplugged weekend of yoga and meditationquotThe answer was yes thanks to my fiancamp233 Roya the soontobewife had used the Web in all its glory to find an article in the NY Times on Spiritual RetreatsRoya39s thoughtsamp8230quotHmmm void of all technologyLabor Day weekend seems perfectWe39re bookedquotI had never been to an Ashram or on a meditation retreat I practice yoga And while I was open to the experience and the 39unplugging39 it would require I didn39t realize that AdTech would happen just before the tripWhat I also didn39t realize was how extreme my week was going to be and just how much those extremes were going to teach me about what I appreciate and don39t appreciate about the Digital LifestyleLet39s go on a journeyamp8230Monday August 31st 200pmamp183 Board my AA flight from LGA to ORDamp183 Notice 39Wifi onboard39 stickeramp183 Actually say yes actually say to the flight attendant quotWOW Wifi on a regional flight that39s amazingquotMonday August 31st 830pmamp183 Chairman39s Keynote with the 39Godfather of Integrated Marketing39 Professor Don Schultzamp183 Debate with colleagues the merit and influence of academia on Digital directionamp183 Feel inspired to speak on tomorrow39s panel about quotBuilding Great Brands in the Digital SpacequotTuesday September 1st 1100amp183 Panel beginsamp183 My mother is in the audienceamp183 I speak and walk offamp183 My mother references Spartacus and tells me quotI am Digitalquotamp183 Thanks momWednesday September 2nd Afternoonamp183 Sessions ampamp more sessionsamp183 Mobile social and measurement oh myamp183 Another debate with a colleague this time about the 39next great technology39 and whether it will actually change the world in which we live like the Facebook ampamp iPhones of generations pastThursday September 3rd Afternoonamp183 Board my AA flight from ORD to LGAamp183 No Wifiamp183 Slightly relievedamp183 Need a breakamp183 The resultamp8230I check email while 39working offline39Friday September 4th Afternoonamp183 Walk off a train in Monroe New York while on a conference callamp183 Hop into a shared cab with Roya and two other gentlemen also on their way to the Ashramamp183 I brush off their introduction only to do a double take when they introduce themselves as the instructors for the weekendamp183 Yep I was 39that guy39Friday September 4th EveningMonday September 7th Morningamp183 Yoga meditation ampamp healthy eatingamp183 No cell phone laptop or Wifiamp183 Brilliant music and entertainmentamp183 Wonderful lectures and conversations on topics like 39The Value of Uselessnessquot and 39The Balance of Responsibility and DreamingquotThen two things happened before getting back on the train1 I met Dave An NYU business school grad and Grammy nominated musician whose only goal in life is to help under privilege youth And his means of supporting thatamp8230teaching yoga and grassroots sales of is music He wanted to have a digital marketing conversation and I was TOO DETACHED to want to engage Brutal2 At the train station the 3 and G showed back up on my phone I was engaged again without a second thought Even worseA few insightsamp183 Wifi on a plane is not amazing What really is amazing is a 150000 lb steel bird flying 30000 ft in the air while carrying 150 peopleamp183 The Digital space is evolving and evolving us as a species It is worth discussing and worthy of passionamp183 Detaching is necessary but having tools like search to gain more insight on desired topics digital recorders to remember ideascapture lectures and even the bump iPhone app would have been easy to grab Dave39s contact info are all preciousIn the debate on the next great technology and throughout the duration of the week there were a few conclusions drawn The first was that there will always be technology advancements and whether it is the Kindle advanced sensory perception or a foldable piece of digital paper and our minds can recognize the purpose of these technologies even before we possess them Second and perhaps most important it is our responsibility as humans not just to adapt to technology ie Twitter but to actually determine how the technology39s use adds value instead of merely placing value on its uselessnessInsert your favorite tweet here like my sister39s 39I like cookies39As Digitalists we need to lead the assessment and help shape the purpose of our technologies As such I urge you to evaluate your individual technology use today Ask yourself whether that IM was necessary or if a text really is more appropriate than a call Let me know what shakes out Namaste all namasteLance Neuhauser EVP US Digital Director PHD Media an Omnicom Company You can follow PHD39s Twitter feed at httptwittercomPHDisSmartMedia

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PHD Perspectives: From Ad:Tech to the Ashram, A 7-Day Journey of Digital Extremes - Lance Neuhauser - MediaBizBloggers

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