Executive Track
Corporate Blogging Myths & Reality
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM, F203
A recent report from Forrester suggests that corporate blogging has had its day, the craze has passed and, frankly, companies don't blog very well. Corporate blogs can't drop corporate-speak, they fail to build up an audience and they're just plain boring. True or false? Another new report says that 39% of the Inc. 500 are blogging. And nearly 12% of the Fortune 500 have blogs, double the number of three years ago. So which is it: Myth or Reality? Come to this session featuring A-list corporate bloggers Paula Berg of Southwest Airlines and Mario Sundar of LinkedIn . Debbie Weil, consultant and author of the widely-praised THE CORPORATE BLOGGING BOOK, will lead a pointed discussion that answers the key questions: Can corporate blogs fulfill the promise of blogging as a two-way conversation with customers? Are blogs being eclipsed by social networks and online communities? What can we learn from the most successful corporate blogs? Paula Berg is the Manager of Emerging Media for Southwest Airlines, the nation’s leading low-fare air carrier and the largest domestic airline in terms of Customers carried. Over the last two years, Paula has managed and developed the Company’s corporate blog, “Nuts About Southwest.” Since its’ launch in April 2006, “Nuts” has experienced tremendous success - building a community for its loyal Customer base, serving as a virtual focus group, and influencing several business decisions. In 2007, “Nuts” was named Best Blog by PR News and has been recognized in major publications ranging from Wired Magazine to The Wall Street Journal. In addition to managing the Company blog, Paula leads Southwest’s online communication and social media efforts. Prior to her work in social media, Paula was a spokesperson with emphasis on strategic communication, media relations, and reputation management. Paula also supervised on-location production for three seasons of Airline!, Southwest’s reality series for the A&E Television Network, which filmed Southwest’s daily operations in four cities. After brief stints selling beer on Phish tour and working for the Colorado and United States Senates, Paula woke up and smelled the jet fuel and began her career at Southwest Airlines in 2001. Paula is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Award-winning blogger Chris Baggott has been a leader in marketing for more than 20 years. Named by BtoB Magazine as a "Who's Who in B-To-B," Chris’ blog was also voted "Best Online Marketing Blog" by MarketingSherpa readers and "Best of the Web" by Forbes.
A marketing futurist and voice for blogging, search engine optimization and email best practices, Chris has been quoted in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc. and ADWEEK.
Chris is a co-founder of ExactTarget and recently launched his latest venture Compendium Blogware, which focuses on organizational blogging and its role in search engine optimization. As a long-time blogger, he is a firm believer and witness to what goals blogging can help a company accomplish, especially as it relates to achieving high search engine rankings.
Finally, Chris is author of a book from Wiley: Email Marketing By The Numbers. He is also one of the featured marketers in the new book from Wiley: Online Marketing Heroes: Interviews with 25 Successful Online Marketing Gurus.
See also:
Sept. 21 at 12:15 PM: How to Track, Measure & Adjust Corporate Blogs for Maximum ROI
Mario Sundar has over 5 years experience in marketing leadership, managing projects for Fortune 50 companies. He currently works at LinkedIn as Community Evangelist where he handles user communication related to social media from running LinkedIn¹s corporate blog to telling their user stories, on video. In May 2006, he launched his blog, Marketing Nirvana, where he discusses marketing in a socially networked world.
See also:
Sept. 21 at 11:00 AM: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Business Blogs
Micromedia: The Next Big, Small Thing
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM, F303
This session shows marketers what the true power of services like Twitter, FriendFeed, Pownce, Flickr and Facebook have on a micro level. Also known as "micro blogging", micromedia has exploded with the growth of mobile technology and lets us look into the future of platform-agnostic marketing. Don't be left behind. Matt Dickman is Vice President of Digital Marketing in Fleishman-Hillard’s award winning digital practice. He brings over 12 years of emerging media, technology, and integrated marketing experience to this role. Matt’s extensive work with traditional offline advertising and public relations efforts affords him a strategic vision across marketing channels.
Matt is the author of Techno//Marketer (http://technomarketer.typepad.com), a top marketing blog according to Advertising Age and he is considered a leader in social media and emerging technology. He is a nationally known speaker on topics surrounding emerging media and loves golf and photography.
Louis Gray - louisgray.com (Author, Publisher)
Louis Gray is the author of louisgray.com, a Silicon Valley-based early adopter Web site focused on social media, technology and innovation. The site has most notably championed the emergence of RSS feed aggregators, social media sites and distributed conversations, and has been a platform for discussions on best practices for linking, commenting and advertising.
When not blogging, Louis works in corporate marketing and public relations for a private Silicon Valley technology infrastructure company, and is an advisor to ReadBurner, Inc. Louis is a UC Berkeley graduate, holding a degree in Political Science and Mass Communications, and is a recent father of a twin boy and girl.
Louis can be reached by e-mail at louisgray@mac.com or by phone at 408 646-2759.
See also:
Sept. 21 at 12:15 PM: Are Bloggers Losing Control? The New World of Distributed Conversations & Comments
Neil has over two decades of experience in public relations, positioning and thought leadership with startups and Fortune 500s. His agency, Vineberg Communications (http://vinebergcommunications.com), is a technology public relations boutique based in San Francisco and New York.
His clients include Jaiku, Webshots, Jaduka, Arrowsight, Eco-Safe Systems, JVC, and the New York Biotechnology Association.
He served as Managing Director at Middleberg Euro, leading accounts for IBM, United Airlines, Sony, Gartner, and Ziff Davis. Prior to that he worked at Golin/Harris where he launched the MP3 Association and helped gain acceptance for and popularize the MP3 digital music format for clients MP3.com, MusicMatch, eMusic, Xing and Diamond Multimedia. He has led accounts for Sprint, Texas Instruments, and CMP.
Neil is also deeply focused on social issues as a longtime consultant to Save the Children, UNICEF, UNDP and the United Nations. He created and managed the Peace Run, the world's largest relay run for peace, and extended that
initiative into 127 nations involving 4 million people, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Mikhail Gorbachev, Sir Paul McCartney, the Dalai Lama, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and dozens of U.S. governors and
Members of Congress. The program continues today -- renamed the World Harmony Run (http://worldharmonyrun.org).
Finding Your New Media Voice: Getting the Right Mix of Tech & Talent
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM, F403
For new and experienced internet creators, getting the right mix of your message and the technology you use can be a big challenge. This session will address both the left and right brain aspects, to this task. For the left brain we will review the top 10 technology platforms for blogging, audio & video podcasting, analyzing the key features of each. We will also discuss the key requirements for creating a successful text blog, audio podcast, and online video series. We will look objectively at the pros and cons of whether to write, speak, or shoot, and then at the upside/downside of each method. For the right brain, we will explore how to find your inner message, and creative ways you can tell your story letting the tech help not hinder you. Being authentic is the #1 ingredient for having longevity with your new media. We will "inquire within" to make sure your message is aligned with your methodology. This session addresses both individuals and businesses. Roxanne has over 20 years experience as an expert presenter and trainer throughout North America, Asia, and Europe, consistently garnering 5-star ratings. She educates and inspires while translating complex technology jargon into easy-to-grasp concepts. A popular speaker in the tech and business communities, including BlogHer Business, New Media Expo, IABC, and PRSA, Roxanne is effective with small intimate groups and has presented to audiences of over 1500 people. She has a "gift for both grounding and lifting you at the same time."
Co-owner of Bare Feet Studios, she has been working on the web since 1995; she is one of the original video podcasters and the star of the award-winning internet TV show, Beach Walks with Rox which currently has over 680 episodes. She is a founding member of the Social Media Club and Hawaii's original social media expert, and is featured in three new book releases: Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business & Set Yourself Free by Ian Sanders, Web Video: Making it Great, Getting it Noticed by Jennie Bourne, and Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day by Dave Evans.
Roxanne lives at the bleeding edge of new technology, is comfortable working in disruptive marketplaces, and is a passionate translator of complex new concepts into easy-to-understand and implement strategies. Her many years as a coach for Johnson & Johnson and as an international trainer enable her to connect with diverse audiences and to help her business clients use the internet in personalized, tech- and business-savvy ways. Her philosophy is to cultivate a unique mix of technology, authentic messaging, and audience interaction for each project.
Rox will be announcing the opening of the Know How Cafe at Blog World Expo!
How to Implement Blogs & Social Media Strategies for Big Business
3:30 PM - 4:45 PM, F503
Hear experiences and best practices from those leading blogging and new media communications at Fortune 500 companies. As part of Walmart's new Emerging Media Team, John Andrews is responsible for building deeper engagement with consumers. This includes leveraging technology to make shopping easier, faster, friendlier and a better overall experience. He brings to this position over 12 years of various CPG brand management roles and consumer marketing experience. Mr. Andrews lives in Fayetteville, AR with wife Mary Shannon and daughter Mary Catherine.
Michael Brito is a Social Media Strategist for Intel Corporation focusing on the consumer segment. He blogs, communicates and builds relationships with other people. He uses Twitter actively. He believes that marketing is good; and if you love your customers they'll love you back and tell other people about it. He believes that business results are critical but should not be the driving force behind connecting with people. He believes in being real, authentic and human. He believes that consumers are real people with real passions; and that marketers should start treating them that way. He is a recovering direct marketer and has worked for companies such as Sony Electronics, Hewlett Packard and Yahoo! He is on the Interim Board of Directors for the Social Media Club; a member of the Blog Council and sometimes even blogs there. He is also the founder of Conversations Matter (yet another blog about social media).
See also:
Sept. 20 at 11:00 AM: Beyond Blogging: Stories & Social Media Lessons Learned in the Real World
Michael works as the VP of Community for GasPedal, where he works as the community organizer for the Blog Council. This is a community specifically dedicated to the needs of blogging in a corporate environment.
Michael’s expertise lies in helping companies use social media to tap into the positive power of social media. His mantra: “It’s about the people, not the technology.”
Hilary Weber is Kaiser Permanente’s Director of Internet Marketing Services (the national Center of Excellence for online marketing for the organization); Kaiser Permanente is the leading integrated health care organization in America, with nearly nine million members across the country. She directs web/digital marketing & promotional strategy for Kaiser Permanente, with particular emphasis on search marketing, email and e-marketing technologies such as social networking (e.g. Kaiser Permanente’s first external blog, kp.org/farmersmarketrecipes).
Prior to her foray into not-for-profit health care, Ms. Weber spent nearly a decade executing high ROI direct marketing, integrated online/offline, e-marketing and brand strategies to both B2C and B2B audiences in the information and publishing arena, working for corporations such as Thomson and IDG. Her last position before Kaiser Permanente was Director of Marketing for Macworld, promoting both the print magazine and multiple Web sites. She is a founding member of the Blog Council, a trustee for the Marketing Science Institute and a member of the Marketers Only Advisory Board for iMedia. She has presented at national conferences such as Search Engine Strategies and Marketing Sherpa. Also, being a former farm girl raised in rural Ohio, she has a long-standing passion for green living and sustainability.
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