Creative/B2B Track

Branding Yourself Bootcamp

Lyn Chamberlin, President, Skye Public Relations

This is a highly interactive session in which participants work through exercises independently and cooperatively to produce a marketable brand. Personal branding is not about building an image for the outside world; it is about understanding what is truly unique about your individual strengths, skills, values and passions—and using that new understanding to immediately differentiate yourself and guide your business or organization. You will leave this workshop with a concrete road map to success, armed with a variety of personal branding tools that will keep you and your company consistent, memorable and highly visible.

You will learn:

· What personal branding is and isn't

· The secrets of great brands and how to apply them to one's own evolving brand

· How to craft the five essential elements of a brand portfolio

About the speaker:

Lyn Chamberlin, founder and principal partner of skyePR, is an Emmy-award winning television producer. She has more than 20 years of experience in the design and execution of strategic public relations programs, sales training and leadership coaching. She is a former Director of Communications at Harvard University and a Vice President for Communications at MIT. As Director of Television Programming for The Monitor Channel, she participated in the launch of the award-winning 24-hour international cable news channel. A television producer, writer, and corporate media consultant, she uses her reporter's eye for finding the stories behind the people and companies that she represents. A graduate of Columbia University, she lectures frequently on strategic communications and personal branding. Additional information is available at http://www.skypr.com/, and at http://www.thebranddame.com/. Speaking experience includes—NACME, WIBC, NEWBO industry conferences.

10:30am - 11:45am

Great Creative? You Must Be Out of Your Head!

Steve Tharler, Chief Guide, THARLER DIRECTs

This session will enlighten the audience about how the creative process should really work. It will help them understand the fundamental differences between brand and direct, as well as teach them what their REAL marketing mission should be. Primarily, it provides a different perspective on how creative concepts should be developed. Too often, advertisers/agencies try too hard to be “cool” or “different”—to get attention just for the sake of getting attention—than to look for ways to truly connect with the audience. This session will help you not only stand out, but also project what you stand for.

You will learn:

· How to find out what might motivate a prospect to respond. Or what holds them back.

· How to develop concepts that not only make people feel a particular way, but also conclude that the action you want them to take is virtually their idea in the first place.

· How to become much more proficient in developing/managing creative that stands for something, and also works.

Highlights:

For creative people: Go beyond the typical marketing brief and get into the mind of your audience. What are they thinking/feeling? Learn how to develop high-impact creative that integrates the best of brand and direct in addressing those thoughts/emotions. Your goal is not to demonstrate how creative you can be, it's to sell a product or service in a directly relevant, uniquely creative way.

For managers: Gain a greater insight into and appreciation of the creative process and learn how to think more strategically and conceptually. This new knowledge will, in turn, make you more focused and effective in how you give direction and provide feedback to your creative team.

About the speaker:

Steve R. Tharler was the New England Direct Marketing Association's 1987-88 President and, in 1998, was named NEDMA's Direct Marketer of the Year. During his 40-year career in direct marketing, Steve has served as VP/CD at Ingalls, Quinn & Johnson Direct; VP/CD at Cinamon Associates; and Copy Chief at The DR Group. He was a partner in Tharler/Opper, an award-winning marketing, communications and design agency he co-founded in 1984. In 2006, he founded THARLER DIRECTs, an innovative, independent consulting firm specializing in strategy, creative and mentoring.

1:30pm - 2:45pm

Breathing New Life into Direct Mail

Damon Frugoli, Vice President—Digital Technologies, Lehigh Direct

This presentation is designed to introduce you to the latest and most effective direct mail marketing techniques, and how to utilize them in producing rewarding campaigns. We will explore the interaction with the newest follow-up methodologies, including electronic media and social networking. The discussion will take you through formats, decorative processes, personalization, “thinking green”, and a glimpse into the future. Our expectation is to have attendees leave the presentation with the knowledge of what you might be able to do, and without the fear of “thinking outside the box”.

You will learn:

· How to utilize new and innovative printing, production, and communication techniques

· The latest in manufacturing techniques

· The interaction of the printed message with other media

· A peek into the future

· How to promote and foster creative thinking and production of effective direct marketing

About the speaker:

Damon Frugoli is a graphic arts professional with 15 years experience working for top innovative direct marketing printers. His expertise is production of highly personalized direct mail and utilization of new media to drive customer action. His passion is personalized customer communications and exploring new technology to create them. Speaking experience includes—seminars, conferences and presentations.

3:00pm - 4:15pm

Poised to Bounce Back: Creating Strategic Changes to Capitalize on the Economic Recovery