For my sixth pick of great contemporary business speakers, I’m going with David Meerman Scott.  You can check him out at:  http://www.webinknow.com/.  There are links to his blog, which is consistently interesting, as well as video to watch of him speaking.  Particularly note the book launch speech at SXSW 2009 for his new book, The World Wide Rave.  His previous book, The New Rules of PR and Marketing continues to be a bestseller and it was that book that first propelled David onto the national and international stage as a speaker on a ‘must-have’ subject, the new social media and viral marketing.

David Meerman Scott keynote at BMA 2009 national conference from David Meerman Scott on Vimeo.

What makes David such fun to watch is his enthusiasm and passion for the topic of social media.  He begins right at the start challenging his audiences to grapple with the new reality, asking them how many have used Google in the past 12 months vs the Yellow Pages.  When an audience sees the people around them all raising their hands for Google and sitting on them for the Yellow Pages, it’s a quick, simple, visceral reality check on the importance of online marketing.  You can try this test yourself in your office right now, and I guarantee you you’ll get the same answer.

Anyone who isn’t thinking about social media and the Internet in marketing isn’t thinking.  Its that simple.  David is riding an extraordinary wave of change, and he’s worth hearing for the intelligence and energy he brings to the subject.

Comments

[David Meerman Scott]

Hey Nick. How exciting -- I have learned a great deal from you over the past several years and I am flattered that you think what I am doing is worth mention. Many thanks.