Wednesday, March 26, 2008 - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Harrah’s Reno Convention Center
RSVP online now

Located in Minden, GE Energy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies including those driven by renewable resources such as wind.

Have you ever wondered how GE Energy handles marketing? GE people are living the brand and have turned imaginative ideas into a new marketing approach. As an engineering, process driven company, they’ve developed a method to engineer marketing as well. And their innovation has produced significant results.

Find out what GE does differently that you can apply? Learn tips and tactics, and take home a few ideas that just might help you turn the corner with your marketing plan.

Our Speaker:
Lee Bonner is Senior Communications Manger for GE Energy.

Time
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Networking: 11:30 AM - Noon
Lunch: Noon - 1:00 PM

Cost
$20 - AMA Members with RSVP
$30 - Non-Members with RSVP
$40 - Without RSVP (Seating is on a space-available, first-come, first-serve basis)
$10 - Students with RSVP

RSVP online by Monday, March 24 at 2:00pm

RSVP online now and save

UPDATE: You’ll have to wait until the next Just Talk to find out what a Schmoozapalooza is, because we’re postponing it until spring!

But, please join us and NCET for Wifi Wednesday instead!

The Chocolate Bar
Wednesday, March 12, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
475 S Arlington Ave
Reno, NV 89501
(775) 337-1122

Visit NCET for more info and to RSVP

In anticipation of our February AMA luncheon panel that will be critiquing this year’s Super Bowl ads, we ask the question, “are the ads getting better or getting worse?”

Surely, more money is being spent on them each year. Surely, ad execs and creatives have more data and better understanding of what drives consumers. So, in theory, with all the attention and effort that is poured into them they should be getting better- right?

This year’s Super Bowl attracted more viewers than nearly any other program in the history of television (only getting beat by the last episode of MASH- that pesky bugger refuses to go away). On top of that, there’s no other program that people tune in specifically with high interest in the ads- even if they have no interest in football at all!

All those captive eyeballs are a precious treat for advertisers, anxious to set their services or products before them. It’s no surprise, then, that there has evolved a standard that viewers expect; we don’t just want to see your ad, we want to be entertained. People tune in to be surprised, to be drawn in & to see ads that reach a level not usually seen during regular programming.

It’s not just on TV that the war is waged either. Two major trends have pushed the attention to the internet as well: 1. Companies now use the TV spots to generate web traffic and 2. Internet video has become incredibly easy to create and access. Super Bowl commercials see longer lifespans as they are reposted on the internet- something that countless companies attempted to harness this year. Youtube even gave the ads their own page.

So what was the result?

Well, there were certainly more people watching the Super Bowl this year, but their habits may show a general dissatisfaction with what they saw. Many have claimed that the commercials aren’t what they used to be. CBS’s Sunday Morning blames the internet:

Every year, we expect miracles — and every year, to be honest, many of them disappoint. This year is no different, though the culprit might surprise you - that vast new advertising frontier we call “the Internet.” Yes, the great equalizer has leveled the playing field; now bad is the new good.

Even web traffic from the ads wasn’t what was expected. According to Akamai Techologies (the folks who track this sort of stuff), the ads this year didn’t drive significant traffic to the advertisers websites. While ad execs and marketing VPs attempt to figure out why, the question remains “could it be the ads themselves aren’t living up?”

One exception, though, was the Godaddy spot. While many others failed to drive the expected traffic, Godaddy won big by having their original ad banned by Fox, and be replaced by another they produced in order to sent viewers online to watch the original. I’m pretty certain the ban was part of Godaddy’s strategy, but nevertheless it succeeded. I’ll post the aired ad below- you can decide if it’s enticing enough to follow it to the original. See you all at the Luncheon!

The Super Bowl is the biggest advertising venue of the year, reaching up to 60 percent of the United States’ population. However, it is not just the big game that draws spectators. According to a Retail Advertising and Marketing Association survey, 36.3 percent of consumers will tune in primarily to watch the commercials. With so many eyeballs on the screen, Fox had advertisers paying $2.7 million for a 30-second commercial.

The top-dollar ad spending was not the only impressive number for the big weekend:

Viewing Statistics
- 141.4 million viewers
- More people watched the Super Bowl than voted in the 2004 Presidential Election

Party Time
- 7.5 million parties on Super Bowl Sunday
- 1.5 million televisions are sold the week prior to the game
- Big screen television sales increased five-fold

Food Consumption
- Food consumption during this weekend is second to Thanksgiving
- 13.2 million avocados are sold in preparation for guacamole
- According to the Snack Food Association, 30.4 million pounds of snack foods are consumed by Americans
- 1 in 7 people order take-out or delivery from a restaurant
- The largest number of pizza deliveries are made during Super Bowl Sunday, most of them during half-time

Beer Consumption
- According to the Beer Institute, 3.5 percent annual beer sales come from Super Bowl weekend
- The big game makes January one of the top months for beer consumption

Sources: Associated Content and About.com

We know you’re excited about the February Luncheon, “Who Fumbled, Who Scored” panel, and we know you can’t WAIT to chime in.

So, here’s a couple clips of Super Bowl commercials that YOU can sound off on.

What do you think- instant classics or just ho-hum? Are they worth the nearly $3 million they cost for airtime alone?

BUDWEISER: ROCKY

BRIDGESTONE: THE SCREAMING SQUIRREL

COKE: FIGHTING BALLOONS

What happens if you take a bunch of marketers, toss them in a blender and turn it on high?

No, it doesn’t make a horrible mess- it brings business people together! At the last AMA luncheon, Alice Heiman put everyone in her “Biz Talk Blender” and the results were awesome.

We know how it is. Sure, the AMA luncheons are the best networking opportunity in town and sure, most of us are marketers (we’re supposed to be natural networkers, right?) but what usually happens? Most of the time, many of us come right in, sit down to eat and leave soon after the speaker ends- totally missing out on valuable networking opportunities! From time to time, even the most natural networkers are guilty of this.

But on Thursday, everything changed.

Even before entering the luncheon I joined my fellow AMA’ers in getting a FREE head shot from Digiman photography! Free! Now if that doesn’t put you in a good mood…

I walked into our banquet room at Harrah’s and it was packed & electric with activity. No one was sitting down. The entire crowd was furiously meeting as many people as they could. Immediately, Alice greeted me personally.

“Hello! Here you go,” She handed me a copy of what we were going to cover in the blender. “you do have business cards- right?”

And with that I was caught. Two months into my current position, I hadn’t gotten around to ordering cards! Alice charged me with meeting as many people as I could and getting their contact info. I may not have cards, but this I could do.

All the AMA members and guests were great. People were laughing, meeting one another and finding out about businesses they previously didn’t even know were in Reno. I witnessed several “introverts” introducing people to each other like networking experts.

As Alice’s talk started, it was clear she isn’t your usual speaker. Not content to stay on the stage, she walked through the tables asking questions, sparking debate and spurring us to collaborate on subjects like “how to create a sales culture.”

We all talked. We learned about each other’s businesses. We found out who could make business cards for guys like me who don’t have them yet!

If you skipped the luncheon you missed an incredible opportunity to meet local businesses as well as pick up powerful networking skills. At the next lunch you’ll easily be able to pick out who attended. They’ll be the ones who don’t rush to eat- who meet everyone they can - and who have business cards!

Are you watching the Super Bowl on February 3rd? For the ads of course!

For many of us, it’s the only time we really tune in to TV commercials all year: The Super Bowl, where major brands with million-dollar TV spots vie for top-of-mind awareness that (hopefully) translates into sales. Who ran for a touchdown? Who fumbled?

Stephanie Kruse returns to moderate a spirited panel discussion featuring a marketing strategist, a public relations consultant and a creative director who will rip the ads to shreds (and hopefully not each other).

We’ll watch the ads, listen to our panel battle on our podium and find out which ads were champs and which were chumps. And why.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Harrah’s Reno Convention Center
RSVP online now

About our Panel
Stephanie Kruse, Moderator. Stephanie Kruse is president and chief strategist of KPS|3 Marketing. She has an MBA with emphasis in marketing and organizational strategy, and a BA in journalism/theater. She is also a retired registered nurse so she’s available to diagnose any errant rashes audience members may have after the presentation.

She is the recipient of many awards for marketing leadership and serves currently on the boards of EDAWN, WIN, Children’s Cabinet, Health Access Network and UNR’s College of Business and School of Journalism.

Lorna Shepard. Lorna has worked with prestigious agencies in Chicago and San Francisco and has handled major accounts such as Sears, Clorox and Janus Mutual Funds.

Desperate to escape the Bay Area rat race, Lorna and her husband moved to Truckee, and Lorna handled brand discovery and account planning with the Rose/Glenn Group and Mering and Assoc. Lorna then took the leap to entrepreneurship and founded Red Dog Consulting where her clients include Lake Tahoe Music Festival, RSCVA, Microsoft Licensing and EDAWN.

Casey Strachan. Casey Strachan is VP, Creative Services, for KPS|3 where he serves as “brand watchdog” for KPS|3’s clients, and is responsible for overseeing the creative concepts, copy direction, broadcast and print advertising.

With a B.A. in Journalism from UNR, Casey has developed award-winning creative for the Reno-Tahoe Airport, Nevada Commission on Economic Development, Moana Nursery, AT&T Wireless, Sierra Pacific, Harrah’s and many more. He was the strategist and creative force behind KPS|3’s work with the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act, the ballot initiative passed by Nevadans to limit smoking in public places.

Nancy Eklof. Nancy Eklof is a longtime marketing, advertising and public relations executive with over 25 years of experience in this market. Currently she runs the office of Nancy Eklof Public Relations. Previously she was agency director and VP for the Reno office of R&R (Advertising) Partners for ten years and has worked with other agencies in Reno. She enjoys mentoring UNR students and working with non-profit groups.

Time
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Networking: 11:30 AM - Noon
Lunch: Noon - 1:00 PM

Cost
$20 - AMA Members with RSVP
$30 - Non-Members with RSVP
$40 - Without RSVP (Seating is on a space-available, first-come, first-serve basis)
$10 - Students with RSVP

RSVP online by Monday, Feb 25 at 2:00pm

RSVP online now and save

The 2nd Annual Post-Superbowl Ad Review

The Super Bowl Ads:
Who Fumbled? Who Scored?

Join the AMA next month as our panel of advertising and marketing professionals recap the best (and worst) Superbowl ads. Check back soon for more!

With Alice Heiman, Sales & Communications Expert

Thurs, January 24, 2008 - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Harrahs Reno Convention Center
RSVP online now

Tired of networking events that waste time and money? Let dynamic speaker and author Alice Heiman show you a fast, fun, easy way to make lots of contacts in a short period of time. Even the shyest personal marketers feel comfortable and successful utilizing Alice Heimans proven Biz Talk Blender technique. Turn any gathering into a rich, rewarding opportunity for personal and professional growth!

Attend This Workshop, And Youll Learn:

• Alices Top Ten Tips for personal networking!
• How to quickly and gracefully move from one encounter to the next!
• How to ask all the right questionsand leave them wanting to know more about you!

About Our Speaker
Alice established Alice Heiman, LLC in 1997 focused on redesign, implementation and reinforcement of sales processes. Her clients include Fidelity Investments, John Deere Credit, Macromedia, Harley Davidson Financial, Greater Nevada Credit Union, and SBC.

Alice has been featured in Selling Power Magazine and has a regular column on sales management in Northern Nevada Business Weekly. She is also a contributing editor for Simple Team Solutions.

Cost
$20 - AMA Members with RSVP
$30 - Non-Members with RSVP
$40 - Without RSVP (Seating is on a space-available, first-come, first-serve basis)
$10 - Students with RSVP

RSVP online by Monday, Jan 21 at 2:00pm

RSVP online now and save

With Erica Olsen, Author of Strategic Planning for Dummies

Thurs, January 17, 2008 - Check in 8:00AM-8:30 - Program 8:30-10:00
Harrah’s Reno Convention Center
RSVP online now

Great leaders know where they’re headed and they take steps to control their destiny. Grab all of your failed plans, inked-up cocktail napkins, and half-hearted “mission statements” and join your friends and colleagues as Erica shows you how to turn dreams into actions in 2008!

Erica Olsen, of M3 Planning, will share a series of strategy and best practices you can use in kick-start your new year! As a bonus, Erica will share some megatrends you don’t want to ignore—and show you how you can take advantage of them in your business!

Attend This Workshop, And You’ll Get:

• A straightforward strategic planning framework for 2008!
• Tips on how to track progress and stay on course all year!
• Guidance from an expert who has helped hundreds of companies—large and small—with their planning processes!

About Our Speaker
Strategy expert Erica Olsen is the founder and Vice President of M3 Planning, Inc, strategy consultants and developers of the online planning and execution solution, mystrategicplan.com. With M3’s online strategic planning system, any organization, regardless of size and budget, can build a plan in a matter of weeks (or even days). A frequent lecturer at the University of Nevada, Reno and University of Phoenix, Erica holds a B.A. in Communications and an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird.

DATE: Thursday, January 17, 2008
TIME: Registration and Networking: 8AM-8:30
Presentation and Breakfast: 8:30AM-10:00
PLACE: Harrah’s Reno Convention Center
COST:
$30 - AMA Members With RSVP
$40 - Non-Members With RSVP
$50 - At the door without RSVP - Seating is on a space-available, first-come, first-served basis, with seating at 8:30 AM
$15 - Students with RSVP

RSVP online now and save!

Note: To cancel your RSVP, please email Roseanne Hardenbrook at least 48 hours before the event