AMA Atlanta Panel Presentation: Advocacy In The Digital Age

I was honored today to be part of a panel presenting ideas, concepts and case studies related to social media, social web and interactive marketing to the American Marketing Association - Atlanta Chapter. It was an energized, sold out crowd that provided insightful and eloquent questions during the Q&A.

The panel: Advocacy in the Digital Age was moderated by Glen Caruso (@glencaruso), FY 2008-2009 AMA Atlanta President, and Director of Advertising Sales at Tremor Media.

Panel Description:

Social media is greatly impacting the lives of everyday people and as well as the marketers that are trying to reach them. After all, online communities provide businesses with an efficient way to reach targeted segments of the population as well as monitor their customers’ opinions about products, services and brands. But what does this sea change really mean for brands? Join us to learn how to:

Effectively tap into this groundswell of activity.

Leverage your most passionate fans to drive bottom line value.

Foster brand advocacy while adhering to the delicate and varied mores that govern marketing’s role within social networks

Panel members included:

Thought Leader Perspective on Social Media and Advocacy - Dave Rollo (@iRollo) – SVP, Director of Digital Media Strategy, 22squared

WOM as Social Media – Dave Balter (@DaveBalter), CEO, BzzAgent Dave will look at the role of WOM in creating advocacy and spark a discussion of what social media means for brands. Balter will explore a selection of word-of-mouth generating success stories and highlight how marketers have effectively engaged with brand advocates and measured the outcome. Mr. Balter is also the author of several books including: The Word Of Mouth Manual: Volume II and Grapevine: Why Buzz Was a Fad but Word of Mouth is Forever.

Brand Case Study - Bert DuMars (@bwdumars), Vice President E-Business & Interactive Marketing, Newell Rubbermaid. Bert will present how Newell Rubbermaid has successfully used social media to drive business results.

Dave Rollo and David Balter did an excellent job of framing the social web ecosystem and provided a number of statistical insights and case studies from their clients. I discussed our social media marketing efforts at our Graco Baby, Rubbermaid and Sharpie brands. See my post: Newell Rubbermaid Social Web Ecosystem Update.

I want to send a big Thank You out to the AMA Atlanta Chapter and especially Glen Caruso and Tracy Frank for running an excellent event and inviting me to participate.