When was the last time you drove off a cliff, hit Continue, and just tried again? If you played video games as a kid, you know the drill. You get stepped on by a giant thing. You crash into a cow. You try again. We had no idea what was around the corner back then. If we died, we didn’t freak out. We didn’t say, “The whole world is falling apart.” We just went again. Because it was fun. That’s what I want to bring back. Right now so many marketers are freaking out about what’s around the next corner. A lot of us are operating from fear instead of opportunity. So here’s the announcement: the theme for Social Media Marketing World this year is retro. We’re taking the ‘90s and gaming and applying it to the modern era of AI. A few ways we’re bringing it to life: → Badges with a ‘90s video game look → A Mario Kart station where you can fly off cliffs together (yes, I know it’s not the ‘90s) → An opening keynote with that same vibe I think we’re at a precipice. We can choose to have fun and embrace change, or we can be scared and do nothing. My hope is that injecting fun into an age of uncertainty gives us room to build things, break things, and figure out new ways forward. Now I want your ideas. How would you bring a ‘90s game theme to a marketing conference? This is Mike’s Thoughts from the Porch. Drop your ideas in the comments 👇 #SocialMediaMarketingWorld# #AIinMarketing# #MarketingConference# #SocialMediaExaminer#