How Technology Improves Audience Engagement

Respectfully, I've been doing this. This video from 13 years ago is proof of it. Here's the story... In 2010, I challenged the conventional music video formula with a simple question: "What if viewers could choose what happens next?" We shot "Attack of the Five Foot Hipster" in Brooklyn using DIY camera rigs made from PVC pipes and iPod Nanos (yes, those devices in the photos). No fancy equipment, just creative problem-solving. When we uploaded the standard version, the reception was brutal: • "Don't quit your day job" • "This is garbage"    One week later, we uploaded the EXACT SAME footage but added interactive elements—a choose-your-own-adventure interface letting viewers control the story. The transformation was immediate: • "This song is a hit!" • "When's the album dropping?" • Views increased 10X • People started BUYING the track they'd trashed days earlier    This wasn't just a cool experiment. YouTube had no interactive features back then, so we had to hack together a solution that made traditional content interactive. That's when I realized: We don't have a content problem. We have an engagement crisis. Passive content has a ceiling. Interactive content has a ladder. Soon after, Fortune 500 companies started calling: "How can we use this technology?" That experiment evolved (over years) into Adventr—now powering interactive experiences for major brands: • Personalized ancestry journeys for 23andMe • Choose-your-path storytelling for NBC • Gamified commercials for Paramount    The lesson wasn't about having fancy equipment (clearly, from our PVC pipe rigs). It was about reimagining the relationship between content and audience. Years before Netflix, HBO, and YouTube invested millions in interactive content, we were pioneering it with creativity and resourcefulness. I've been doing this for 10+ years, and I'm excited that the industry is finally catching up. -DH P.S. Check the comments if you want to see the video (keep in mind this was ~2012!)

Earlier this week, I saw something that might end one of my frustrations as an audience member watching a speaker: scribbling illegible notes while trying to capture a bad phone photo of an interesting PowerPoint slide. At Cvent Connect in San Antonio, thousands of attendees experienced a breakthrough in real-time speech transcription. As speakers talked, their words appeared instantly in the event app with virtually zero lag. When someone heard something worth remembering, they simply tapped a button—and the system captured a full minute of context around that moment. According to McNeel Keenan, Cvent's VP of Product Management, a future version of the app will capture the accompanying visual, like a PowerPoint slide, along with the text. I like this. No scribbling in the dark required. No trying to remember what my cryptic note was supposed to mean later on. Instead, one click saves a few paragraphs of what the speaker said, labeled and summarized by AI. This feature has another benefit: it reduces cognitive load. When you're simultaneously trying to listen, write, and photograph content, your brain is managing multiple competing tasks. What happens? You often miss the insights you're trying to capture. Cvent's solution eliminates this friction. Attendees can focus 100% of their cognitive capacity on listening and engaging, while AI handles the capture, summarization, and organization. From a behavioral perspective, there's something even more valuable happening: every tap creates revealed preference data. Instead of relying on sketchy post-event surveys, organizers can see exactly which moments resonated enough for people to save them. As a frequent speaker, I know when I see phones go up to capture my slides that I've hit something important to the audience. But after an hour on-stage, I can't always remember in detail which ideas sparked that response. Or, which didn't. Now, that engagement becomes quantifiable data. The friction we've accepted as "just how conferences work" isn't inevitable, it's a design problem waiting for a solution. What are your conference pain points? Can technology fix them?

The Future of Music Festivals: Powered by AI and XR Imagine attending a music festival where AI customizes your experience, from the perfect playlist during downtime to suggesting artists you’ll love based on real-time feedback. Or picture enjoying the same festival from the comfort of your home through XR technology, where you can “stand” in the crowd, feel the energy, and interact with other fans, all in a virtual space. This isn’t the distant future—it’s happening now. AI is powering smarter stage designs, optimizing soundscapes, and even creating holographic performances that bring legendary artists “back to life.” XR is breaking down physical barriers, allowing global audiences to experience the magic without traveling. Beyond the fan experience, these technologies are also reshaping sustainability efforts, from AI-driven waste management to energy-efficient lighting and sound systems. Music festivals have always been about connection, emotion, and energy. With AI and XR, they’re becoming more immersive, inclusive, and sustainable than ever before. Takeaways for Businesses 1. Personalized Customer Experiences: Leverage AI to customize your offerings, whether it’s products, services, or content. Tailoring experiences to customer preferences drives deeper engagement and loyalty. 2. Breaking Physical Barriers with Virtual Engagement: XR technology can help businesses expand their reach by creating immersive digital experiences, enabling participation from a global audience without physical constraints 3. Sustainability Through Smart Technology: Adopt AI and IoT tools to optimize resource management, reduce waste, and improve operational efficiency—building a greener, more sustainable business model. What’s one piece of tech you think could transform live entertainment next? Let me know if you’d like any further adjustments!

Here’s how we implemented an AI Agent for our client that increased user engagement on their site by 1000X. A few months ago, the client came to us with a common problem: ⏱️ Website visitors were leaving within seconds. We took a bold step: We implemented an AI agent on their site. But not just any chatbot. This AI was designed to think like a helpful human—able to answer questions, guide users, recommend products, and even crack a light joke here and there. The result? Average time on site jumped from seconds to 4-5 minutes. That’s not just more time—it’s more trust, more exploration, and ultimately, more conversions. Here’s what worked: ✅ The AI greeted users based on the time of day. ✅ It personalized responses using browsing behavior. ✅ It never sounded robotic—it sounded real. ✅ It guided users, not just reacted. We didn’t just install an agent. We gave the website a voice, a personality, and a purpose. 📈 Engagement metrics soared. ❤️ And best of all, users left with a better experience. If your site is a revolving door of visitors, maybe it’s time to invite them to stay a while—with AI. #AI #UserExperience #CustomerEngagement #AIAgent #WebConversion #DigitalTransformation #MarketingInnovation HonestAI - Agentify Your Company GrayCyan AI Consultants & Developers

Unlocking Coca‑Cola’s Secret: CTV Unites Data & Creativity 📺 In today’s multi-screen world, connected TV (CTV) is emerging as more than just another channel, it is a unified storytelling medium. For those new to the term, CTV refers to streaming content delivered via platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV, and smart TV apps. It’s where immersive visuals meet real-time data insights to create an engaging, cross-device experience. CTV allows brands to speak a single, powerful language across devices. Imagine your brand message as a melody that adapts to every instrument in your orchestra. The key is blending creativity with data to craft an experience that resonates everywhere. 1.) Craft a Cohesive Narrative Across Screens ↳ Coca‑Cola’s “Taste the Feeling” update proves that a consistent message strikes a chord on smart TVs, laptops, or smartphones. ↳ Develop assets that maintain a unified tone while tailoring calls-to-action for each screen. 2.) Leverage Real-Time Audience Data ↳ Integrated campaigns use live data to adjust placements and creative variations. ↳ Invest in analytics that gather insights from CTV, social, and mobile channels, then refine your strategy on the fly. 3.) Integrate with Complementary Digital Channels ↳ CTV works best when paired with mobile, social, and digital out-of-home efforts. ↳ Create a seamless journey that guides your audience effortlessly from one screen to the next. 4.) Adopt Programmatic Buying for Precision ↳ Programmatic advertising enables targeted messaging that speaks directly to specific audience segments. ↳ Use these tools to sharpen your focus and boost engagement. 5.) Measure Holistically Across Channels ↳ Unified metrics capture cross-device engagement and conversion. ↳ Build a measurement framework that tracks key performance indicators across your entire campaign. By following these steps, brands can transform CTV from a standalone channel into a vibrant ecosystem where creativity and data work hand in hand. P.S. Which streaming platform do you think is revolutionizing storytelling the most? Share your thoughts! Comment Below. ⬇️⁣ ♻️ Share and pay it forward 🙏 📌 Save this post for later

I got to check out The Intuit Dome last night, home of the LA Clippers. It’s leveraging technology to elevate the fan experience better than any arena I’ve ever been to. First off, it’s great to see NBA basketball after my beloved Sonics were stolen from the city of Seattle… I digress… For startups in the sports app space, there’s a lot to learn from its innovations. Here's how some of the Steve Ballmer-led key features can inspire sports tech founders to focus on the user at every step of tech development.: Immersive Displays: Just like the Dome's Halo Board ensures every fan has a great view, apps should prioritize delivering intuitive, real-time stats and content that enhance engagement for users. Sustainable Design: The Dome’s commitment to sustainability mirrors the importance of building efficient, scalable apps that minimize resource use and maximize impact. Fan-Centric Design: The Dome’s "basketball-first" seating layout proves that user experience should be at the core. Apps should be intuitive and designed with the end-user in mind. Digital Convenience: Contactless ticketing and mobile ordering simplify life for fans—just like streamlined onboarding and frictionless features create loyalty in apps. Interactive Features: Augmented reality brings new layers of engagement to the Dome. Startups can use gamification, AR, or AI-powered tools to enhance their app’s interactivity. Some other awesome features were interactive buttons on each seat to play games during timeouts, phone chargers in the seats and more bathrooms per fan than any other arena. I can’t help but think that if every founder was half as obsessed with the fan experience as Ballmer is, the UX in sports tech would be much improved. (shoutout Malcolm Lemmons for beating me to the punch today haha) #sportstech #innovation #startup #appdevelopment