A weekend on Ayahuasca

I recently spent a weekend on Ayahuasca (hallucinogenic brew from the Amazon) and it was the most significant spiritual experience of my life. (No joke!) Here's what happened.

"Look at this fish I caught" photos

Run your online dating profile photos past someone of the opposite gender. Because dudes, no girl wants to see your "look at this fish I caught" photo. And ladies, no guy wants to peep your "look at me with a fake mustache" shot. Either of those is basically just screaming, "I don't understand the opposite sex!"

The best comedy on TV is the Wendy Williams show

Wendy basically reads Us Weekly and the whole crowd boos or cheers like it's a church sermon. Now Wendy is telling the crowd she needs silence in the airport bathroom when she's trying to do her business. *wild applause* She can tell us that because we KNOW EACH OTHER. *more applause* Lesson: Do NOT ask for Wendy's autograph when she is on the toilet. Time for a commercial break... *dancing* Wendy audience is getting 50 Shades of Grey box set. *standing ovation* Guess what? Wendy loves chocolate! *nods all around* Also, she does NOT think Eva should get back together with Tony Parker. *crowd agrees* Now Wendy is giving advice to the crowd. An audience member found another girl sending her man photos! Red low cut v-neck top & red lipstick. *shocked gasps* And that's it. Now it's time for some show called The Real. I'm sad Wendy is over, but The Real also features an audience that is *dancing* so I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a good time.

You can't say that on television

John Oliver going after Bud Light, HBO moneymakers, and Time Warner in same episode was cool: Why John Oliver Is Even More Badass Than You Might Realize.

Part of it is not worrying about advertisers. It's why shit on HBO is so much more interesting than other networks.

Thought of that while reading this too: Asking "who's the customer?"

It turns out asking "who's the customer?" is a great way of thinking about when certain companies or industries do things that aren't aligned with good customer service or user experience.

The customer for network TV shows isn't viewers. The customer is the advertisers. The viewer is just a means to an end. AKA "if you're not paying for the product, you are the product."

I spoke at a marketing conference about Vooza, humor, and native advertising

Here are some photos of me onstage at the Country Music Hall of Fame. I sang Jolene along with Dolly...er, not really. The real deal: Last week, I gave a talk at the Marketing United conference in Nashville. I showed some of our Vooza videos, made some jokes, and then gave a legit presentation on how we work with advertisers at Vooza and how brands can make stuff that doesn't suck. Here's some of the crowd response on Twitter (and some related links at the end):

@mattruby crushing it at #MarketingUnited w/ his discussion about creating compelling content. pic.twitter.com/YBURFIhdUY

— Mark Scrivner (@MarkScrivner) April 30, 2015

Lots of laughs already for @mattruby at #marketingunited pic.twitter.com/JadG83Szuf

— Waffle (@WaffleSocial) April 30, 2015

According to @mattruby, the key to next gen marketing is marketing to the fetus. #MarketingUnited @voozahq pic.twitter.com/TsWN7X0tGP

— Alexandra Boisvert (@xandraraye) April 30, 2015

@mattruby THAT made my day. Great content ;) #MarketingUnited

— Kayla Nicole (@kaylaaanicole) April 30, 2015

@voozahq bringing some humor & info on #NativeAds to #MarketingUnited @myemma @LiveIntent pic.twitter.com/iLtDWhURJk

— Ali Swerdlow (@swerdtoyourmom) April 30, 2015

Loving this #MarketingUnited session with @mattruby from @voozahq! #TheProblemWithMarketing pic.twitter.com/nwsK7QJotD

— Courtney Corlew (@clcorlew) April 30, 2015

@mattruby comedian and founder of Vooza says next gen marketing is marketing to the fetus. 😂😂😂😂 #MarketingUnited pic.twitter.com/zNiMKCvB0x

— Jason Martin (@martinjasonm) April 30, 2015

. @voozahq much needed laughs and great info and concept! #MarketingUnited

— Tess Helmandollar (@tesshdollar) April 30, 2015

Brands are too fearful. Push peoples buttons. Have some edge. Make fun of people. @voozahq #MarketingUnited

— Andrea Arnold (@jesuisandrea) April 30, 2015

Rehashing #MarketingUnited Day 1: most memorable sessions = @annhandley @jennita @Lifeisgood @voozahq Looking forward to Day 2!

— Jackie Brown (@jaxcomm) May 1, 2015

@mattruby THAT made my day. Great content ;) #MarketingUnited

— Kayla Nicole (@kaylaaanicole) April 30, 2015

@voozahq Super funny, super insightful. #MarketingUnited pic.twitter.com/8OrZdVBgzr

— Maslow's Path (@MaslowsPath) April 30, 2015

Pure genius @voozahq #MarketingUnited Marketing Depts need 2 think beyond millennials, Gen Z. pic.twitter.com/Iy8nWuOOG5

— jbstockton (@jbstockton) April 30, 2015

Matt @voozahq is awesome. Funny stuff. Amazing intro video and fetus marketing strategy. #MarketingUnited pic.twitter.com/XSkAFjh7Mw

— Dave Delaney (@davedelaney) April 30, 2015

Really awesome native advertising presentation by Matt Ruby fr @voozahq. The videos are hilarious #MarketingUnited tech & funny is cool

— jbstockton (@jbstockton) April 30, 2015

OMG @voozahq this is *the* best way to end the day at #marketingunited. New fan for sure.

— Forward Push (@ForwardPush) April 30, 2015

Some of the stuff I talked about in case you're interested in more info:

1,000 True Fans [Kevin Kelley]
The Economics of Internet Comedy Videos [Splitsider]
Jerry Seinfeld Aces Product Placement [Brand Channel]
12 video sharing triggers [Econsultancy]
How Publishers and Brands Can Measure the Value of Native Advertising [Content Standard]
Brands as publishers [Curve]
Brands as Publishers [Huge]