Donny Deutsch talks advertising and blockchain tech on CoinGeek Backstage

TV personality and former CEO and chairman of one of the most prominent media and business agency Deutsch Inc., Donny Deutsch, joined Day 1 of the ConGeek New York Conference as one of the judges of the 4th Bitcoin SV Hackathon finals.

Deutsch joined CoinGeek Backstage reporter Stephanie Tower on the sidelines of the event to tackle more about Deutsch Inc., how blockchain and advertising connect, and the big ideas he found at the BSV Hackathon. Deutsch Inc. is a multi-billion-dollar advertising agency founded by Deutsch and his father.

“It was actually started by my dad and I. Built it with a bunch of other people [and] scaled it up. Great creative agency global clients. It’s always about big ideas, and that’s what makes a great advertising agency. And that’s what makes a Deutsche a great agency,” Deutsch said.

Donny Deutsch sold the agency in 2020 to Interpublic Group of Companies, a U.S. publicly traded advertising company. Deutsch began pursuing a career in media entertainment and currently hosts the popular podcast “On Brand with Donny Deutsch.” He previously hosted several TV shows like the long-running CNBC talk show “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch” and “Saturday Night Politics,” and also wrote two business motivation books, “Often Wrong, Never in Doubt” and “THE BIG IDEA: How to Make Your Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True from the AHA Moment to Your First Million.” 

When asked if he sees any value for advertising to leverage technologies like the blockchain, Deutsch said: “Look, in the future, branding, and advertising and marketing are going to separate the winners and losers.”

“There were other small computers built before Apple. Apple was not a technology company but a marketing company. And [it’s] smart going into the future as blockchain develops. It’s the people that understand that starting with consumer need articulate that benefit and do it in an honorable way,” he noted. 

On his experience judging the 4th Bitcoin SV Hackathon finals, Donny commended the potential of the startups that presented on the stage—with 4th Bitcoin SV Hackathon winner Bitcoin Phone catching his attention because of “big idea” that Joe Thomas showcased. 

“There’s a lot of brilliance going on, and it’s so exciting to watch an industry that’s still in its infancy and find its way, but right now, it’s still being driven by technology. As it continues to grow, it’s going to be driven by consumerism as much, if not more than technology,” Deutsch said. “I thought I heard one big idea today, and that’s why I voted for Bitcoin Phone.”

Deutsch also reminded the startups who attended the CoinGeek conference to always start with their consumers and be straightforward on what problems they are solving, how they intend to solve them, and why they are solving them in the first place. 

“The information that kind of hit me is that we have people who are very immersed in technology, and they’ve got to have one eye on what problems are they solving, how are they solving, and why are they solving them? So once again, start with the consumer, and I thought there were certain people that we’re getting that, other people that weren’t,” the TV personality said.

Watch: BSV Hackathon – Judges’ Discussion: How to Build Real Value with Blockchain Projects at the CoinGeek New York 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4szlG98PhyI