CES Tech Talk

For this entrepreneur, the American Dream came true in Eureka Park at CES. The year was 2020 and Shark Tank scouts were combing the floor, as they’ve done for about a decade, searching for exciting strokes of tech genius. When they met Robbie Cabral, they were blown away. This episode of CES Tech Talk explores how Robbie and his padlock innovation, the fingerprint-activated BenjiLock, made their way to the Shark Tank studio, earning a highly lucrative deal with the show’s “Mr. Wonderful” shark, Kevin O’Leary. Today, the biometric BenjiLock is sold through Hampton Products International, and can be purchased across retail’s top outlets including Walmart, Best Buy, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware and Amazon. Learn what Supervising Casting Producer Mindy Zemrak saw in Robbie, how BenjiLock stood out, and strategies Eureka Park exhibitors can apply as they contend for the Shark Tank spotlight. Could you be next? Find out what it takes, and what to expect at CES 2024.

AI is everywhere, and has been at work for years in our social media feeds, navigation apps and streaming platforms. Now, it’s increasingly helping businesses improve customer service, manage supply chains and more. As generative AI through ChatGPT, DALL-E and many others is grabbing headlines, investors are taking notice. Here to explain how AI works and what it means to consumers, as well as to tech indices, are Sara Mehle, Nasdaq index research strategist, and Brian Comiskey, CTA director of thematic programs. In less than 32 minutes, they break the tech down for general audiences and investors: AI at its core is simply a digital utility. It’s a tool that’s only as smart as the people programming its operations and setting its boundaries.

With Warner Bros. Discovery, and its 28 networks that span digital media, attaining detailed data on ad impact demands a sort of alchemy. This media behemoth is compiling and applying data ingeniously across its properties to effectively connect advertisers with their target audiences. Andrea Zapata, head of ad sales research at Warner Bros. Discovery, breaks down strategies that get results in this episode of CES Tech Talk. Get the full story about ad data collection done right.

From music to TV and film, Variety is all over what’s happening in the entertainment industry. Three years into the company’s Variety Intelligence Platform (or VIP, as it’s known to insiders), which goes beyond headlines to alert media businesses of developments in their industries, Variety has accumulated deep insight into what makes media platforms and products succeed. Variety’s Andrew Wallenstein discusses the media business in this episode of CES Tech Talk, observing that the question on everyone’s mind is, “Who will be left standing?” In this intensely competitive business, Andrew offers predictions on specific platforms’ futures. Find out what he foresees for the metaverse, virtual reality applications, industry mergers and more.

With the largest podcast network in the U.S. and Canada, SXM Media has a lot to offer listeners – and brands seeking to target audiences with extreme precision. The company has mastered advertising technology, or ad tech, employing it to steer advertising to better target audiences that creators seek while informing listeners in ways that entertain. SXM Media, by the way, knows how to advertise with impact. It’s the combined sales organization of Sirius XM Holdings, Inc., which includes the Pandora and Stitcher platforms, and their audiences totaling some 150 million listeners. So, what does SXM Media do in advertising that others don’t? SXM Media ad SVP Lizzie Widhelm shares deep insights gleaned from 17 years in the audio-entertainment space. She also brings first-person experience from her role as creator of the popular Lady Space podcast.  

From cameras to hairdryers, shavers, headphones and much more, Panasonic has been giving the consumer electronics public what it wants, and needs, for 105 years. Now this global business is prioritizing sustainability with EV batteries and high-efficiency car accessories such as stereos. With American operations and manufacturing that span 60 years, Panasonic is building sustainability solutions in the U.S. Its production facility for EV batteries, in partnership with Tesla, is in Reno, NV. More of the company’s sustainability story is detailed in this episode of CES Tech Talk as Panasonic North America CEO, Megan Myungwon Lee, discusses an ambitious planet-friendly mission. Find out what else Panasonic has in store. Hint: It has to do with hydrogen fuel-cell technology.

For broadcast programming, is there a right way to insert commercials into popular shows? NBCUniversal’s Yusuf Chuku says yes. As the corporation’s executive VP of client strategy and insights, he should know. Audiences shouldn’t just tolerate ads, but enjoy and appreciate them. He cites engagement with advertising on NBC Universal’s Peacock channel as proof. In this episode of CES Tech Talk, Yusuf discusses how to incorporate ads into compelling programs for better user engagement.

What’s the outlook for autonomous cars taking over our roadways? Are EVs and self-driving cars really the future of transportation? MotorTrend has been investigating, and credibly reporting on, these and other questions ever since vehicle tech first challenged the internal combustible engine we all know so well. The magazine’s president, Alex Wellen, discusses how MotorTrend, a publishing industry success story, sees the car-driving future.

A Web3 platform that fosters digital creative control: Priceless. This is the Mastercard Artist Accelerator, launched at CES 2023. Because Mastercard recognizes that effective marketing must be value-based and purpose-driven, the company created this Web3 creative collective. As explained by Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard CMO, the platform is intended to give artists and athletes greater digital and financial control over their brand. He’s joined in this episode by Crystal Dunn, U.S. women’s soccer champion and Mastercard brand ambassador. She shares her views on the Mastercard accelerator, and how initiatives like this can heighten creative performance, whether in the studio or on the playing field.

With Super Bowl wins in 2022 and 2000, the Los Angeles Rams continue to demonstrate a champion mindset. As hallmarks of the team’s progressive culture, the Rams embraced the first Black contracted player, first male cheerleader and first openly gay player, and now welcomes advanced technology. What’s new, and how will technology further propel a team that draws outside the lines to make things happen? Listen to Jennifer Prince, the organization’s first chief commercial officer, as she talks about the Los Angeles Rams at CES, and ways that technology and sports converge.