Blog o' RAMA

April Event: Web 2.0 for Sales and Marketing with Dana VanDen Heuvel

RAMA is proud to announce our April event: Web 2.0 for Sales and Marketing, with Dana VanDen Heuvel, a pioneer in the blogsphere who continues to be a leader and innovator in social media, today. His company, BlogSavant^tm is one of the first blog consultancies created.

Thanks go to presenting sponsor Windsor Media Enterprises 

 This event will help the you understand how Web 2.0 works for sales and marketing. This year, in January, Dana launched the "Marketing Stimulus Plan Boot-Camp" in Wisconsin, to help companies "revitalize [their] marketing strategy to help [them] swim upstream during the recession and position [themselves] for long-term success."

We look forward to having Dana share that insight and reveal a bit of what he teaches in that program, with our local business community. You'll want to bring your whole team to this one! Register below...

Date: Wednesday, April 29th Time: 11:30- 1:00 Location: Mario’s Italian Steakhouse

2740 Monroe Ave

Rochester, New York 14618

(585) 271-1111

Members: $35.00
Non-members: $45.00
Student: $20.00
Board Members: $20.00

Register here now!

Personal Branding 3.0: A Panel Discussion

Please join us for the Personal Branding 3.0 Member-Only Networking Event and panel discussion on March 19th at 7:30 am, for breakfast.

 

The panelists will share the tools needed to position yourself more competitively and proactively in today’s market. If you are a marketer in transition as a result of the current economic crisis, you won’t want to miss this event. This is a members’ only event; however, it is not too late to join RAMA.

• Dr. Neil Hair, Assistant Professor of Marketing at the E. Philip Saunders College of Business, will speak to the local Rochester Chapter of the American Marketing Association on personal branding in the age of web 3.0. With the current economic climate and increased personal competition, Dr. Hair’s presentation will explore the means by which you can present yourself online more effectively.

• Bruce Peters, president & CEO of CABHQ LLC, will explore the essential tools needed to survive and thrive in a Gig Economy. No one is out to land a job anymore. They land gigs. If you are not already a part of the Gig Economy, you might want to start thinking about it now.

• Patti Phillips, Executive Director for Career Management at the Simon Graduate School of Business, will share the methodical way of translating your specific work experiences into a more generic and usable discussion of your abilities. After being displaced from an organization, you have to rethink how to portray what you have accomplished. Learn the technique on how to best “market your skills" to other companies.

AT: Mario's Italian Steakhouse: 2740 Monroe Ave: Rochester, NY 14618: 585-271-1111
TIME: 7:30 a.m. registration & networking: 8:00 Program begins
PRICE: $10 Member and Student Chapter price

Register here now.         

Exciting Times in Marketing

With all the doom and gloom on TV, with all the bad news being circulated around the net, one would think it was time to pack up and go home. Except, according to daily news reports, for many there no longer is a home to go home to.

Rather than sit at your desk, head in hands, bemoaning the state of the economy, it behooves every person in every company - especially the CEO and Director of Marketing - to stand up and make a declaration. "We're not participating in this recession! Let's brainstorm some new, exciting innovative ideas - NOTHING IS OFF LIMITS!"

What Every Marketer Wants for Christmas: A few new connections

We know it's the busiest time of year for marketing professionals. Still, we want you to play hooky for a couple of hours—and we’ve got free food to entice you!

On December 9, RAMA is hosting our annual Holiday Networking Bash. Network with Rochester’s top marketers at this members-only event. You’ll make some great connections. And after you’ve been missing for two hours, the world will appreciate you just that much more.

Location: Tastings, next to Wegmans in Pittsford
Date: December 9th
Time: 5:30-7:30
Tickets: $30 for RAMA Members --- $25 for students

Click here to register - today!

RAMA Platinum Sponsor: Rochester Business Journal

My Take on the Recent CAB Event at Mario's

On Wednesday of this week RAMA held an event that had everyone buzzing. Yes, all of our events cause buzz around Rochester, but I was impressed by the audience's attention to this event, and by some of the questions brought up during the Q&A session.

The event was around the topic of Customer Advisory Boards. Bruce Peters of CABHQ and Renaissance Executive Forums brought six local executives from around Rochester (check here for the complete group list) to Mario's Steakhouse to talk about their experiences with CABs. I'll share some of my take-aways (relying on scribbled notes, so be kind).

Rebuilding Corporate Reputation

Wal-Mart is the world's largest retailer. More Americans shop in a Wal-Mart every week than voted in the last Presidential Election.

For most of its existence, Wal-Mart as a corporation has stayed quiet, even in the face of an increasing number of attacks from various groups. After years of being on the defense, Wal-Mart has shifted its communications strategy to proactively tell the public and its customers the story of how it takes social responsibility very seriously.

On Tuesday, November 18th, Steven Restivo, will share how Wal-Mart is now talking about its advancements in employee health care, environmental sustainability initiatives and economic impact success stories. He will highlight how an integrated marketing communications and PR program is now one of the company’s key priorities for continuing success.

This breakfast seminar is co-hosted by the Rochester Chapter of the American Marketing Association (RAMA) and the Rochester Chapter of the Public Relations Society of American (PRSA).

Event will be held at Mario's. For more details and to register, visit our EVENTS page.

[or REGISTER HERE NOW]

Client Advisory Boards: Make Your Client Your Business

Please join RAMA for the Make Your Clients Your Business seminar on October 22, 2008 where Bruce Peters, CABHQ founder and CEO, will facilitate a panel discussion with companies who have implemented the Client Advisory Board (CAB) program into their overall marketing strategy. Learn how seeing your company through the client lens can generate more business, better results, and greater personal satisfaction. Hear from companies who have made the Client Advisory Board program a key strategic advantage with quantifiable returns. In these companies the entire senior management team, including their CEO, is actively engaged in regularly attending client board meetings with their customers in cities across the U.S. **Registration is open: click here!** Panel experts include: Jack Baron, Pres. of Advanced Solutions Group,PAETEC Tracy Robertson, VP Marketing, Harris Interactive Kevin Pickhardt, CEO of Pharos Systems International Michelle Soltesz, Dir of Marketing, Global Crossing Michael Kaufman VP & Financial Advisor at The KSH Group (a division of Merrill Lynch). For more information, visit our events page. Or, register today, right here.

Xerox's VP of Worldwide Branding to Speak at RAMA Event

RAMA ramps up the year with an exciting luncheon at Mario's Italian Steakhouse on September 16th. Title sponsor of this event is Roberts Communication.

Richard Wergan, VP of Worldwide Brand Marketing and Advertising Marketing Operations for Xerox, will speak on:

* Maximizing the competitive advantage of a global brand
* Lessons learned during Xerox's recent brand transformation
* Paying attention to the macro and micro brand elements

Xerox recently went through a brand transformation. Plan on attending to hear Wergan share some insights around that transformation with the attendees at this premier RAMA event.

Date: September 16th (registration by September 12th)
Location: Mario's Italian Steakhouse; 2740 Monroe Ave.
Roch, NY 14618  585-271-1111
Time: 11:30 Networking ... 12:00 - 1:00 Program and Lunch

AMA Member price: $30
Non-Member price: $45
Student Chapter Member Price: $20
Board Price: $20

For more information visit our Events page.

Study Shows CMOs Need to ReThink and ReCalibrate

Just in from the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council today: "...the majority of global companies surveyed acknowlege significant deficiencies in their go-to-market capabilities and marketing and sales processes."

Shocking news? Probably not. The survey comes from more than a thousand senior marketing and sales execs from multiple industries, so the media alert I received told me. "This research was conducted in partnership with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)," they went on. Together, the CMO and the BCG reported these findings:

The CMO Council and The Boston Consulting Group define the "go-to-market" process as comprising the strategic and tactical aspects of delivering and supporting a product or service offering in the marketplace. This includes product specification, pricing, distribution, marketing communications, sales, after-market support and customer experience management. The survey examines a broad range of marketing and sales variables tied to companies' go-to-market processes - including their strategies, functional competencies, operational processes, customer knowledge, relationship management practices, budgeting and level of innovation.

The survey revealed that a surprising number of marketing and sales executives at some of the world's largest and most respected corporations acknowledge a major disconnect between what they know they should be doing and what they are actually doing in terms of enhancing their go-to-market processes. What's more, respondents gave themselves decidedly low marks when assessing their existing processes.

For more information, or to download the report, visit the CMO Council website.

Delivering Optimal Customer Experiences An AMA Webcast

On June 12th, the American Marketing Association is offering a unique webcast for members interested in learning: The Art of Engaging the Customer: Taking Proactive Steps to Deliver a Differentiated Experience.

If you are not an AMA member yet, perhaps this webcast description will give you incentive to join:

The importance of delivering an optimal customer experience in today’s global marketplace cannot be underestimated. It is increasingly difficult for companies with comparable products and services to distinguish themselves merely by creating and communicating unique value propositions. As most organizations scramble to differentiate themselves, those which are most successful will be ones that continually look for new ways to actively engage the customer – effectively “flipping the switch” from a reactive stance to a proactive one, implementing forward-looking measures which will result in the ability to deliver a differentiated experience.

Find out more about AMA webcasts here.