Year of the Robot
One of my predictions for 2020 is that this will be the year of the robot. I’m not thinking about the takeover of humans, but I don’t think robots will become en vogue as a status symbol and influencer. 
As I walked through a crowded mall area of a Vegas casino, I stumbled on a simple bar called the Tipsy Robot. The company describes itself as a one-of-a-kind, interactive experience where guests can enjoy technology of the future. There is no waving down a bartender or wait staff. You order from tablets and watch the show. It was fun, fast and the drinks were good. More importantly, it drew a crowd. Much like the crowd I saw at the National Association of Broadcasters meeting surrounding a robotic camera that followed the action (without a camera person) and did a little robot dance.
The robot at the Tipsy Robot can mimic the movements and actions of a bartender, from shaking a martini to the thin slicing of a lemon garnish. It can even mud a mojito.
The robots are coming, and they have some marketing power humans don’t have. 
Mark Mathis
Mark wrote his first direct-mail fundraising letter in 1981 for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. The effort raised a few million dollars in undiscovered wills and legacy gifts. From that day forward Mark discovered a love of the big idea that moves the needle.
After 12 years at KWWL, Mark became a business owner as a co-founder of ME&V — rebranded as AMPERAGE in 2015. After 25 years of leading creative teams in video production, graphic design, PR, writing and web development, Mark transitioned out of ownership in 2021. Today he serves in an employee role as special projects consultant.
He is creatively ambidextrous — son of an artist and engineer — and famous for distilling complex ideas down to a few words and a few visuals. Mark is a writer. When he found that many nonprofits struggled with complex branding puzzles, he wrote the book, “NonProfit-NonMarketing .” He also wrote a novel called “Reenactment.”
Mark is an active blogger OneMinuteMarketer® with nearly 1,000 readers each week on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. One of his most popular YouTube videos is on “How to Look Good on Zoom.”
One of Mark’s fondest business memories was being named to INC 500 two times and attending the INC 500 conference with other winners. Mark is considered by some a Civil War expert (and that explains his novel). Mark also served as an adjunct professor in the business and in the communications departments at Wartburg College.
Mark is a graduate of the University of Iowa and is currently vice president of the University of Iowa Journalism and Mass Communications Advisory Board.
Mark is married to state Sen. Liz Mathis, and the two love to travel, even when it means being trapped by a volcano in the Czech Republic for three weeks.