Continuing our charge down the multimedia path, the latest initiative is video round table sessions among BIA/Kelsey analysts. The idea is to capture a topical discussion and unpack the market events that have the most impact on our local media and advertising coverage areas.

Our pilot episode is more of a square table, with Charles Laughlin and I batting around a few fresh topics. Charles leads the dialogue on local sales transformation — core to his current analytic focus and Insight Paper. I shared some insights from a recent visit to Swipey headquarters to discuss mobile payments and SMB “operational lock-in.”

This likewise ties back to an Insight Paper I’m wrapping up that should be published in the next couple of weeks on mobile shopping and payments. And of course, both of these topics are top of mind in the run-up to BIA/Kelsey’s SMB Digital Marketing conference next month in Austin. We’ll continue the discussion there, on and off the stage.

Stay tuned for more analyst round tables with more voices from our coverage areas (a rounder table). We’ll be working on format, production quality, length and other bells & whistles. Your feedback is encouraged to evolve this effort into a true source of value and a starting point for deeper conversations about local media strategy.