DR4WARD

TURNAROUND MAN TO SPEAK AT RAMA MARKETER OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2008

I am looking forward to the Rochester Business Journal and Rochester American Marketing Association (RAMA) Marketer of the Year Awards 2008 luncheon on Wednesday, May 7 from Noon - 1 PM at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center for three (3) reasons:

1. Turnaround Man a.k.a. Peter Cuneo, former CEO and current Vice Chairman of Marvel Entertainment Inc. will be giving the keynote address on “Marvel – Evolution of a Super Brand.”

I am a lifelong fan of the Marvel Universe of Super Hero characters and a marketing professor who admires how Marvel strategically uses Branded Entertainment to market their characters as celebrity brands. I look forward to hearing from Cuneo about the challenges and successes with the Marvel brand over the years.

Also, Iron Man is opening on May 2nd and The Incredible Hulk on June 13. These films are the first produced by Marvel Studios so there is a lot of upcoming news and excitement surrounding the brand.   

2. As a Board Member of RAMA I am honored to be part of a professional organization that recognizes and supports excellence in marketing and salutes Rochester area marketing heroes. I am looking forward to networking with the areas best and brightest marketers at the event.

3. As a Marketing teacher, professional, and researcher I had the privilege to be a judge and review the excellent marketing from the Marketer of the Year Finalists and look forward to seeing which of the finalists will be  the winner in the following categories:

• Turnaround/Start-up Marketer of the Year
• Non-profit Marketer of the Year
• Marketer of the Year
• Online Marketer of the Year

You can register for the Marketer of the Year event online. I look 4Ward to seeing you there!

Keep Digging For Worms!

 

 

MARVEL CHARACTERS IRON MAN / HULK = BRAND ENTERTAINMENT

Like many of you I grew up reading Marvel comics featuring the Marvel Universe of Super Hero characters.  I spent many hours imagining what it would be like to be Spider-Man,The Incredible Hulk,  The Silver Surfer, Captain America, and Iron Man or to be part of a team like the X-Men or the Fantastic Four. I am a Marvel fan and have also seen all of the television shows and movie adaptations over the years and I am happy to see the blockbuster box office success of the Marvel Comics Film Franchise. Who is your favorite Marvel Character?
 

I realize that some of the films based on Marvel characters have not been as well received as others. However, I am pleasantly reminded of the movies of one of my other favorite film franchises, James Bond 007, based on Ian Fleming's fictional spy character from his novels. James Bond films have also had varied levels of success and have survived and thrived over 40 plus years, 22 films and six lead actor changes. (The Sean Connery James Bond films from the 1960's are my favorite in the series but I  enjoy the new films with actor Daniel Craig too.) Which actor is your favorite Bond?
 

I am eagerly awaiting the release of Iron Man on May 2nd and The Incredible Hulk on June 13. Iron Man (starring Academy-Award nominated Robert Downey Jr. and Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow ) and “The Incredible Hulk”(starring Academy-Award nominated Edward Norton) are the first films produced by Marvel Studios. Which Marvel film are you most looking forward to?
 

How is Marvel Brand Entertainment?
As a marketer I am impressed with how Marvel has strategically marketed the characters as celebrity brands paving the way for Marvel's success. Brands want their products integrated with the characters and story in Marvel films through product placement and marketing tie-ins. The Audi R8 , part of the Iron Man product tie-ins, is driven by the Iron Man / Tony Stark character in the film and is also featured in Audi sponsored advertising referencing the film. (James Bond drove Aston Martin and BMW autos in his films.) Burger King and 7-Eleven also have product tie-ins in Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk. Why are product placement and marketing tie-ins important? 

ALFRED UNIVERSITY WINS AWARDS AT AMA COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE IN NEW ORLEANS

I am catching up after an exciting weekend at the 2008 American Marketing Association Collegiate Conference in New Orleans and wanted to share the experience with you. I attended the 30th Annual AMA Collegiate Conference with ten students from the Alfred University Collegiate Chapter of the AMA. I have had the privilege to be the Marketing Faculty Advisor for the past two years and have watched the students and the AU AMA chapter grow. The opportunity to be a mentor and help students gain real-world marketing experience and leadership has been a wonderful experience.

The AMA Collegiate Conference in New Orleans had record attendance with over 1,300 students and over 120 of the leading collegiate chapters from around the country competing, networking and gaining professional experience. The conference was particularly rewarding as the AU AMA chapter was recognized as a "Revitalized Chapter of the Year - 2007/2008" and I received the "Hugh G. Wales Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award - 2007/2008." 

Why is the AMA important to students?

TOPLESS MEETINGS / CLASSROOMS ENGAGING CONTROVERSY

As a teacher, researcher and marketing professional I have been watching the coverage of Silicon Valley meetings going 'topless' with great interest. No laptops, cellphones or email/internet hand held devices allowed in company meetings and in classrooms is a growing trend. Here is the link to an ABC News story on Ditching the Devices. (Warning - ABC forces you to watch a brief pre-roll ad before the story).

In my post on Multitasking Addiction A Turnoff I explain how cognitive research supports that the devices are a distraction and multitasking is a myth. Dan Saffer at Adaptive Path coined the topless term (as in laptopless) and even posted the Rules for "Topless Meetings." I can tell you from first hand experience that enforcing topless meetings and classrooms can be a challenging task.

It is very telling that the Social Media and Marketing experts who rely on this technology are recognizing that these devices can also be a distraction. At the same time that corporate America is going topless there is also a competing trend in the classroom that technology is the answer to learning. You can also see the challenges and opportunities in the classroom in the video below, "A Vision of Students Today" and then compare and contrast this with the trend in "Topless Meetings."

I have "Topless Classes" but I also try to address the multitasking addiction and create an interactive learning environment by using eInstruction Interactive Wirless Remote Clickers. The clickers allow students to interact and respond to the PowerPoint slide presentations. No cellphones or laptops are allowed because I find that most students who bring these devices are not working on class stuff. They  are too tempted to feed the multitasking addiction and give only partial attention to the discussion at hand. An article in Wired titled  Classroom clickers make the grade explains why these devices can help to stimulate discussion, participation and learning.

To encourage learning and engagement I also try to use a lot of interactive technology including Audio / Video Podcast downloads of the PowerPoint slides, Internet Activities and online Toolkit Exercises, Digitally Submitted Assignments, Electronic Feedback of all assignments within a few days of submission, and online quizzes and exams.

New technologies can be used to create collaboration and engagement and increase learning opportunities. However, if technology is used without structure, discipline and monitoring the multitasking addiction will continue to creep into the classroom and in meetings. The multitasking addiction will continue to distract us from human interaction and focusing on the task at hand until we learn how to turnoff at the appropriate times.

I look 4WARD to your feedback.

Keep Digging For Worms!