Elissa Berchelmann is January’s Volunteer of the Month for her diligence, organization and energetic attitude with regard to her work as the Director of Executive Luncheons.
“I started attending the DFW AMA events as a student at SMU. Nine years later I am still enjoying myself. In my experience, the efforts I make within the organization come back to me tenfold. It’s a reward I can’t resist.”
Outside of the DFW AMA, Elissa works directly from the Advanced-Online production facility to help companies reduce spending on branded promotional, apparel and print related products through centralized fulfillment and distribution programs she calls online company stores.
New Members
John Sanders
Kimberly Hawkins
Raymond Arguello
Marcia Pellicone
Jeannie Odza
Lakshmipriya Venkateshkumar
Lourdes Figueroa
Amanda Wisdon
Steve Tatum
Jody Collup
Lauren Alexander
Sandra Nottestad
Edna Monterrosa
Michelle Schneider
Jennah Stiffler
Suzie Smith
Sarah Hilliard
Cristina Kuhn
Janice Hunt
Ashley Poe
Brittnee Belt
Chloe Lawrence
Paige Johnston
President 2008-2009
A Note from the President
We're Starting the New Year Off with a Bang!
It’s almost New Year’s Eve, and as I reflect on the amazing accomplishments of roughly 200 DFW AMA volunteers in 2008, I also realize the best is yet to come in the second half of this Board’s term. Never in the 50+ year history of our chapter have our members faced the daunting economic challenges 2009 is expected to present. Being ever the optimist, this translates in my mind to a unique opportunity for your chapter to ‘step up to the plate’ and deliver unparalleled value to you for every precious dollar and minute you spend with us.
Speaking of dollars, you may have already heard that, like most other AMA chapters, your Board of Directors will be cutting our budget. Oddly enough, this is just one example of how we really are in better operational shape than ever! Never before have we had the accounting capabilities to know in such detail where we stood financially, so being able to adjust our planned expenditures mid-year is truly a blessing! Your Treasurer, Janet Overton, has done a superlative job of working with our CPA firm of Davis, Kinard, and Co., P.C., and your Board to achieve the fiscal responsibility you deserve. Of course, budget cuts mean new members, in-kind service donations, and sponsors are more critical than ever – know anyone who’d be interested?
Please be assured that cutting expenditures will NOT mean cutting the quality of the programs we deliver. We’re starting off 2009 with a bang, and here’s just a sample of what you can learn over the next few months:
·January 8 –Meet n Greet – January will be our usual opportunity to make valuable new contacts through networking – which is even more important than ever with layoffs and slashed marketing budgets.
·January 16 -Marketing Research SIG – Is outsourcing market research analysis to low-cost countries is everything it’s touted to be? Learn the trends, opportunities, and challenges, and how you can make it work successfully for your company.
·January 21 – Dallas Executive Luncheon – Superior innovation is going to be paramount to success over the next few years. With 110 offices worldwide, GfK Custom Research has the knowledge to teach you how to identify innovation opportunities and create successful new products.
·January 22 – Fort Worth Executive Luncheon – Did you see the recent article about LEGOs in the Dallas Morning News? Learn how this 50-year-old company caught the Cluetrain and used the Web to generate a whole new customer base…and how you can do the same!
·January 26-28 – AMA’sMplanet: Navigating the New Marketsphere, Orlando, Fla. Learn new trends, best practices, and strategies from a ‘Who’s Who’ of Fortune 500 CMOs.
·January 27 - Non-Profit SIG – Learn how to add value when creating sponsorships for your NPO, as well as the pitfalls to avoid.
·February 4 –Combined Telecom and Wireless SIG – Our world is changing faster than we can keep up! Engage in a discussion with global speaker and futurist Allen Kupetz regarding technology and the impact new developments will have on how you interact with your customers and colleagues.
·February 6 - Small-Medium Business SIG Interactive Workshop – To improve your bottom line, get take-home tips, techniques, and tools from our “Marketing Toolkit - Thriving in 2009".
·February 19-20 – AMA brings its popular Marketing Research Boot Camp to DFW – you don’t want to miss this!
·(April 15 – Save the Date for our 4th Annual Beyond Borders Global Marketing Summit – it’s going to be incredible!!!)
See the whole list of events with more information and reservation details further below in this newsletter or visit the events page on our web site at www.dfwama.com.
If you’re looking to gain new skills, experience, or build personal relationships, then you’ll want to seriously consider volunteering with us. Don’t forget to let us know if you’re interested in a leadership position for next term – the Nominating Committee is working with President-Elect Michelle Lemire to put together the proposed slate of officers for next term.
We expect to also be submitting for your approval revisions to our Constitution and Bylaws --- way overdue since the last revisions in 1992! Many thanks go to Secretary Kay Byfield for hours of tedious work that will bring our guidance documents into agreement with the way we operate and the new technologies available (the Web!).
Your Board will be having our Mid-Year Board Retreat on January 31, at which time we review our Strategic Plan. Your input is always welcome – but especially valuable as we tweak the plan for a strong finish to our term. This is YOUR chapter, and if we don’t know what you’re wanting, then it’s difficult to meet your needs. Let us hear from you!
Auld Lang Syne…reflecting on my term as your President so far…and I can’t close without thanking all of you for your continued support and friendship which keep me going. You’d be astonished at the incredible dedication and work your Board of Directors expends on your behalf – and I’m extremely fortunate to serve with such a committed group of professionals. But while we, the Board, may ‘put everything into place’, it is YOU, the member, who makes it all worthwhile. Without your participation – membership, attendance, ideas, volunteering, sponsorships, and in-kind donations – we’d all just be spinning our wheels.
I wish each of you a very Happy New Year overflowing with joy and the realization of your dreams.
Paige
Articles
New Year Offers Many Ways To Get Involved in the DFW AMA
by Tom Dennis, Senior VP of Programs
Happy New Year! I hope the holidays were magical and peaceful for all.
Now it is time to get back to work!It is impossible to avoid the topic – these are “interesting” times. So to ensure your membership in the DFW AMA is as valuable as possible, we are working to make sure the programs we put on are relevant to your business – as well as being both informative and timely. From the Executive luncheons in Dallas and Ft Worth, to the industry-focused SIGs (Special Interest Groups), to special events such as Beyond Borders, we are going to cover a lot of ground. It is going to be an exciting year of programming.
Our Executive lunches are going to be better than ever – great companies with great stories to tell.
Plans are underway to bring you more targeted SIGs (Special Interest Group) programming. The first up is a combined Telecom/Technology and Mobile Marketing SIG luncheon on February 4th. Martha Burns, our Telecom SIG Director, has secured Allen H. Kupetz - a nationally renowned thought leader and author for this event. Mr. Kupetz speaks to audiences around the world about the changes we face in our businesses and personal lives due to the advances in mobile technology. The DFW AMA is thrilled to have him come to the Metroplex - and the first 50 to register online to attend this event receive a free copy of his new book “The Future of Less”!
Next is a special Small/Medium Business SIG workshop. Mark your calendars for February 6th. We are putting together a morning workshop targeted at helping small and medium businesses thrive during challenging times. A panel of experts will be on hand to provide strategic ideas and tactile solutions – as well as take home “tools” for all in attendance.
We also have the next Research SIG Planned for mid-January and the first of our Non-Profit SIG luncheons for the end of the month. See below and on-line for more information.
Next month we’ll have more information about our Beyond Borders conference on April 15 and an AMA Marketing Research Boot Camp on February 19-20.
In closing, this year, you will hear us ask repeatedly for your feedback – please respond. This organization is only as strong as our membership’s involvement. We need to know what type of programming would help you be more successful in 2009. What topics should we cover, and what companies do you want to see present? Feel free to send me an email @ tom@brandextract.com or grab any Board member at the next function you attend and bend our ear. Or even better yet, volunteer and help us make all this happen!
Let’s work together to make this an “interesting” year (but in a good way).
Please visit www.dfwama.com for more information and to register for these events.
Grow Your Network Online with the D/FW AMA
by Melissa Mihelich, EVP Community Outreach and Public Relations
The D/FW AMA is known for providing top notch educational events, networking, and professional development opportunities, and now offers expanded networking opportunities online. Connect with D/FW AMA and other like-minded members on LinkedIn and Facebook.
More and more users are moving online, connecting with anyone and everyone, creating groups, sharing information, and having conversations about companies and products. Nearly 75% of online users are using social media of some sort. If you’re not online, you just might be alone… following are statistics from various sources online and blogs:
Facebook:
With almost 140 million users, Facebook is the fastest growing social networking tool.
35 years and older is the fastest growing demographic.
2.6 billion minutes are spent online using Facebook.
More than 2.5 million users become fans of pages each day.
LinkedIn:
There are over 30 million users and nearly 60% have an income over $93,000.
Most members are between 30 and 55 years old.
People with more than twenty connections are thirty-four times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less than five.
LinkedIn users accept 83 percent of referrals.
Social networking is a great tool that allows you to study your peers, conduct competitive research, seek advice, start discussions, increase your visibility overall and the numbers are growing! Create your personal and company profiles today and become a ‘fan’ of the D/FW AMA.
As I wrote this article, I updated my Facebook page. See you online!
Marketing in an Economic Revolution by Jeff Bond
This New Year brings with it the promise of a volatile global economy, declining job growth and a turbulent consumer market. How will this global drama play out over the next few years? Only time and our Beyond Borders Global Marketing Summit will tell.
Never has the symbiotic relationship of our global markets been more apparent. The economic landscape is changing at a revolutionary pace, and marketers must think and act globally to ride this momentum into a new era. The Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the American Marketing Association’s 4th annual Beyond Borders 2009 presented by GfK Custom Research North America will focus on marketing in this economic revolution.
DFW AMA’s Beyond Borders is quickly becoming the premier global marketing event in the region and this year promises to be the best yet. GfK, a leading global marketing research and consulting firm with offices in over 110 countries, will help enrich the event by providing access to global consumer insights, local country market experts (BRIC, other developing and developed markets) and other marketing resources.
Aimed at sales and marketing professionals in all phases of the international marketing cycle, this one-day event is set to provide thought leadership, practical advice and resources to improve on your company’s international markets initiatives.
With break-out sessions, as well as keynote speakers, Beyond Borders offers its attendees a unique opportunity to network and mingle with senior marketing professionals and direct access to well-respected blue chip companies with international expertise and track records of success and growth in new and challenging markets. Speakers and panelists from past conferences include executives from organizations such as McKinsey & Company, General Motors, Fluor, Google, Perot Systems, McDonald’s, FedEx, IBM, Oracle, Mary Kay, Baylor University, American Airlines and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Exciting sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available for those companies who wish to increase their exposure to this global audience. “With the ever-changing shifts in economic power, 2009 will be challenging for marketers. Learn how you can manage the turbulence at the Beyond Borders Global Marketing Summit on April 15th, 2009. For sponsorship information, general event information or to register for the event, please visit www.dfwama.com.
Calendar Events for 1-Jan-09 to 31-Jan-09
Meet N Greet Day: Thursday 8-Jan-09 6:30 PM Location: Cadillac Ranch
857 John W Carpenter Freeway
Irving, TX
Summary: $5 at the door for all!
... RegisterMapquest | Add to Calendar
Location: Empulse Global Inc
5068 W. Plano Parkway, Suite 300
Conference Room A
Plano, TX
Summary:
Learn more about outsourcing market research analysis trends from one of the leaders in the field of globalization. Understand what this trend means to your company, you personally, and your career and what you can do to succeed in the new environment.
Dr. Raj heads the international operations of eMpulse Global. He has experience of 15 years at global Fortune 500 companies. He has worked in the Insurance, Retail Banking, Investment Banking, Leasing Services, Mortgage, Automotive, Aerospace, Medical, Medical Insurance, Service, Textile and other business domains. In his career he has held various leadership roles including Senior Director, Director, Manager, Consultant and Program Manager. He has multilingual skills, with working knowledge in five different languages.
DFW Luncheon - New Product Innovation: How product and category evolution illuminates the future for smart designers Speaker's Name: Mike Kassab, Senior Vice President, GfK and Peter Wilkins, Creative Director, Arbor Strategy Group Day: Wednesday 21-Jan-09 11:30 AM Location: Brookhaven Country Club
3333 Golfing Green Drive
Dallas, TX
75234
Summary: We must all innovate to survive, and innovate better than our competitors to prosper. Nothing is more important than innovation in determining our future growth prospects. Next generation product development (incremental improvements) is crucial for staying healthy, and “break through” products are essential if we are to achieve above average returns. Interestingly enough, however, innovation itself is not that well understood and successful innovation even less so.
Join GfK’s Senior Vice President, Mike Kassab, and GfK Strategic Innovation’s Creative Director, Peter Wilkins, as they help us understand how to identify innovation opportunities and create successful new products. GfK will reveal insightful innovation patterns from their database of over 750,000 new products and share several examples of their smart design solutions in support of their presentation.
Ft. Worth Luncheon: How Lego Caught the Cluetrain Speaker's Name: Jake McKee, Chief Ant Wrangler and Principal, Ant's Eye View Day: Thursday 22-Jan-09 11:30 AM Location: TBD
Summary:Ten years ago, four authors started a new conversation about marketing. The result was the book The Cluetrain Manifesto and with it, Chris Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger nailed 95 Theses on the door of the Internet and challenged us all to wake up to a transformation underway in how companies and people engage in markets. One of the companies who embraced the ideas put forth in Cluetrain was The LEGO Company. Jake McKee, The LEGO Company's first community manager spent five years on the frontlines of the company/customer interactions. In this session, Jake will recap his efforts to help LEGO embrace the principles of the Cluetrain, and will share tips for how you can apply those principles in your own business. RegisterAdd to Calendar
Non Profit SIG -Marketing Sponsorships to Support Your Cause Speaker's Name: Ann Ranson, President & CEO, CSR-3 Marketing Day: Tuesday 27-Jan-09 11:30 AM Location: Center for Non Profit Management
2902 Floyd Street
Dallas, TX
Summary:Most non-profit organizations are looking for outside funding. One way to attract donations is through partnerships in the community. In this interactive presentation, you will learn who to approach and how. Learn about the importance of making your social marketing efforts strategic. Consider the long term benefits and costs to your efforts; who are the companies that you want to develop relationships with, and how will you go about doing that. RegisterMapquest | Add to Calendar
Elissa Berchelmann is January’s Volunteer of the Month for her diligence, organization and energetic attitude with regard to her work as the Director of Executive Luncheons.
by Tom Dennis, Senior VP of Programs 
Mapquest
Add to Calendar
and Peter Wilkins
, Creative Director, Arbor Strategy Group
Jake McKee, Chief Ant Wrangler and Principal, Ant's Eye View
Ann Ranson, President & CEO, CSR-3 Marketing
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23-Feb-10