PHOENIX – Join the Business Marketing Association (BMA) Phoenix and the Arizona Technology Council on September 15, 2009, at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa for the Marketing Technology Summit 2009. The event was created to educate business marketing professionals on technologies that can cost-effectively make a positive impact on customer engagement and ultimately, sales.

The five-hour event features a keynote presentation, two panel discussions, and a networking and technology showcase – all designed to help Arizona marketers build their plans for the future. Event speakers represent media, agencies, technology giants and online marketing experts, all of whom can provide attendees with real-life perspectives on what’s working, what’s not, and how to measure success in the emerging world of digital and social marketing.

“Effective use of marketing technologies such as online video, search engine optimization and social media platforms can help businesses grow faster, and more profitably, than the competition,” said Al Maag, president of the Business Marketing Association, Phoenix chapter, and chief communications officer at Avnet, Inc. “According to an exclusive survey of b-to-b and b-to-c marketing professionals by BtoB Magazine and the Association of National Advertisers, 66% of the marketers surveyed said they are now using social media, up from 20% of respondents to the 2007 survey. This first-of-its-kind event will help marketing professionals learn more about these technologies that can bring true return on investment to their companies’ marketing efforts.”

Event Overview:
Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa

Summit Sessions:
Keynote Session: The New Paradigm for Digital Marketing, Search Marketing and Brand Success; Understand the convergence of search and display, and how digital agencies will support the migration of search to other media. Featured speaker: Jeffrey Pruitt, chairman, SEMPO and CEO, Acendant
Panel 1: Social Media — Show Me the Money! What’s really working in social media? Moderated by: Ellis Booker, editor, BtoB Magazine
Panel 2: Marketing ROI – The Dream is Alive; Lead generation and brand building in an increasingly sophisticated marketing tracking world. Moderated by: Sheila Kloefkorn, president, KEO Marketing

Networking/Technology Showcase:

Network with peers in business marketing and connect with more than 30 business-to-business and technology companies to learn about products and services designed to help marketers cost-effectively engage new and existing customers.

Cost to attend:
AZ Tech Council and BMA Members: $35
General Admission: $50

To register, visit http://www.aztechcouncil.org/ and click on Phoenix Events.

About the Arizona Technology Council

The Arizona Technology Council is a private, not-for-profit trade association founded to connect, represent and support the state’s expanding technology industry. To promote economic growth and professional development in Arizona’s technology sector, the Council provides members networking opportunities, business support and access to educational forums. The Council strives to distinguish Arizona as a leader in the technology community and offer resources that are exclusive to its members. To become a member or to learn more about the Arizona Technology Council, please visit http://www.aztechcouncil.org.

About the Business Marketing Association Phoenix

Begun in 1922 as the National Industrial Advertising Association, today’s Business Marketing Association represents a lifetime of expertise in business-to-business marketing and communications strategy and tactics. The Phoenix chapter was established in 2008. They meet every third Tuesday afternoon with workshops and programs that enhance members’ marketing knowledge and careers.

LONDON – WPP announced a research project that is intended to explore the dynamics between search engine marketing and brand building. WPP agencies will work on the project with help from Microsoft Advertising.

“Today, marketers are spending billions on search engine marketing, primarily as a direct response mechanism,” said David Sable, vice chairman & COO of Wunderman, a WPP agency. “We think it’s time to better understand how search builds brands differently than traditional media. The connection between brand building and search marketing is at best, spotty and the research we will conduct may help shed light on how brands can tap into search as a brand and market share builder.”

WPP agencies Wunderman, BrandAsset Consulting®, and ZAAZ will be the primary drivers on the research initiative, which will delve into the developing interplay between brands and search engine efficacy. According to Sable, the WPP agencies are “intrigued by the next generation of search engine marketing, as evidenced by developments like Microsoft Corp.’s new search engine, Bing, and the opportunity it presents for consumers to embrace brands.” The study will encompass the impact search is having on WPP’s blue chip clients and consumers around the world.

“We’re pleased to work with WPP’s agencies on research in this area,” said Scott Howe, corporate vice president of the Advertiser & Publisher Solutions Group at Microsoft. “Coming on the heels of our launch of Bing, the opportunity is ripe to re-think preconceived notions about what search decision engines can and cannot do, and how the connections between search and display are becoming increasingly interwoven to drive brand awareness.”

The two companies will focus their efforts around the following areas:

* The correlation between brand awareness and search efficacy;
* How search engines are changing consumer behavior;
* How social marketing impacts the search for brands;
* The connections between paid search and brand development;

Research will be designed to uncover new findings on where and how search is working best: at what stage of brand development it generates the greatest impact and how the intersection of categories and consumer preference and purchase intent comes into play.

“Ultimately, we hope the findings that come out of this research will help inform media mix strategy for both direct response and brand building in the future,” Sable said. “We’re committed to helping clients improve their decision-making processes and better evaluate how their brands co-exist within the entire world of brands, and this research will us live up to this promise.”

This investigation will culminate in a report by WPP agencies on how the newly invigorated competition in search marketing is impacting consumers’ level of brand recognition – as well as the future direction of search. Initial findings are expected to be shared during Advertising Week in New York, in late-September 2009.

About Wunderman

Wunderman is the original architect of response-driven marketing, an estimated trillion dollar global industry. Today, with 50+ years of innovation, creativity, and insight, Wunderman stands as the first name in advertising that delivers measurable results. Throughout its network of 120+ offices in 50+ countries and 15+ specialized companies, Wunderman speaks the customer’s language—whatever the dialect—at the right time, creating profitable conversations that build brands and generate sales. Wunderman is part of Young & Rubicam Brands and a member of WPP.

About BrandAsset® Consulting

BrandAsset® Consulting helps business executives, investors and marketers assess and drive the strategic direction and intangible value of brands. We have created proprietary models and metrics using the world’s most comprehensive database of brands. Our BrandAsset® Valuator model has measured brands since 1993 and today over 35,000 brands have been evaluated among over 600,000 respondents in over 50 countries. Brand Asset Consulting is part of Young & Rubicam Brands.

About ZAAZ

ZAAZ employs a unique combination of logic and creativity to achieve positive business results for clients large and small. ZAAZ provides web strategy, creative design, user experience, web analytics, and site- and search-optimization services. The combination of strategic planning, smart execution and comprehensive analytics to scientifically measure and optimize the customer experience sets ZAAZ apart from other interactive agencies and its approach complements Wunderman’s “test and run” optimization philosophy. Founded in 1998, ZAAZ became part of Wunderman in July 2006.

SAN FRANCISCO – Federated Media Publishing (FM), a next-generation media and publishing company, today launched an overhauled self-service ad platform for small and medium sized business marketers. The new platform allows marketers to access FM’s premium content and offers total flexibility and control over advertising efforts. The platform’s new features give marketers complete control over their ad buy and help make the most efficient use of their advertising budgets.

“With the new functionality available in the self-service ad platform, marketers with smaller budgets have the same access to our sites that Fortune 500 brand advertisers enjoy,” said John Battelle, founder, chairman and CEO of Federated Media. “Conversational media is where consumers congregate, form opinions and make purchasing decisions. It’s not just major brands that need to be here; it’s everybody.”

Marketers now have access to a fully-featured campaign planner complete with transparent site lists, real-time inventory availability, and an ad creative upload tool. Marketers also have the flexibility to buy on a site-specific basis, across categories, or based on the desired audience demographic. And, marketers can choose to purchase on either a CPM basis or on a flat rate basis.

“As the editor of Small Business Trends, a go-to resource for the entrepreneurial crowd, I’m proud that FM is reaching out to the SMB market with their new ad platform,” said Anita Campbell. “There is no question that FM has some of the best content, and therefore some of the most valuable readers, on the Web. Now small business marketers have the ability to target FM’s premium content and the audience that goes along with it.”

FM has also unveiled the Online Marketing Idea Exchange, an online community where advertisers, developers, and the wider marketing community can get or contribute advice, solicit or offer professional help, or simply share ideas on how small to mid-sized businesses can more effectively engage customers online. During the first month, FM is offering an ad creative giveaway where entrants will be eligible to win an ad creative makeover. The Online Marketing Idea Exchange features sections including Community Engagement, Publisher Engagement, Brand Building, Ad Creative Studio, as well as a Resources section with everything from a Glossary to FAQs.

For more, or to try out the new platform, please visit: http://advertisers.federatedmedia.net.

About Federated Media

At FM, we believe great voices attract great audiences. We’re in the business of supporting those voices by connecting them to great marketers, as well as providing a suite of services that let authors focus on what they do best: make compelling media. In so doing, we are creating federations of respected voices that prosper on their own terms. Current federations include Sports, Technology, Automotive, Business & Marketing, Media & Entertainment, Video Gaming, Graphics Arts, News 2.0, Lifestyle, Parenting and Green. For more information, please go to http://www.federatedmedia.net.

CHICAGO – The American Marketing Association announces the return of Mplanet, an industry-leading event for the world’s most influential marketing leaders and academics to share new ideas, innovations and proven strategies in today’s challenging marketing environment. The American Marketing Association, the largest marketing association in North America for individuals and organizations involved in the practice, teaching and study of marketing worldwide, will host the conference in partnership with The Wharton School and Bain & Company.

“This techno-driven, borderless world has created many new challenges and consumers are becoming resistant to traditional marketing,” said Dennis Dunlap, Chief Executive Officer of the American Marketing Association. “From rapidly changing computing and communication platforms to a weakening economy, today’s marketing leaders need fresh insights to improve performance and to drive results within their organizations.”

To help marketers navigate the magnitude and pace of change in this new environment, Mplanet 2009 will explore four core themes:

* Brand Building in a Digital World
* Connecting with Empowered Customers
* Marketing Mix in a Fragmented World
* Global Marketing on a Borderless Planet

Speakers from the World’s Best Brands

The marketing event will feature executive leaders from today’s most respected brands. Top CEOs, CMOs and other marketing executives and luminaries will share innovative practices and actionable takeaways in three different types of “podium-free” sessions:

* Perspectives – Trends, knowledge and experiences from C- level leaders and luminaries.
* Forums – Strategic-oriented dialogue on niche topics from leading marketing minds.
* Spotlights – Tools, techniques and takeaways from subject matter experts.

Headlining the marketing event are two keynote speakers. Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO of Xerox will share her insights and vast experience on one of the most pressing issues that marketers face today: “Getting Heard in a Sea of Information.” Mulcahy was recently named the first female CEO of the Year by Chief Executive Magazine.

RK Krishna Kumar, Chairman of Tata Coffee and Vice Chairman of Tata Tea and Indian Hotels of Tata Sons Ltd, will also share his expertise in a keynote address on “Brands Without Borders: The New Marketing Imperative.” In his role helping to protect and promote the Tata brand in India and across the globe, Kumar will provide an international perspective on lessons learned working across product lines, borders and customer segments.

Mplanet attendees will also have the opportunity to hear from today’s best marketing minds. Other highlight speakers include:

* Mary Dillon, EVP & Global CMO, McDonald’s
* John Hayes, CMO, American Express
* Stephen Quinn, EVP and CMO, Wal-Mart
* Michael Fasulo, CMO, Sony
* Cammie Dunaway, EVP Sales and Marketing, Nintendo
* Jon Iwata, SVP Marketing & Communications, IBM
* Michael Mendenhall, SVP and CMO, Hewlett-Packard
* Mark Addicks, SVP and CMO, General Mills
* Julie Fasone-Holder, SVP, Chief Marketing Sales and Reputation Officer, Dow Chemical

“The decision to bring back Mplanet was based entirely on the response we received from the first event. Eighty-two percent of our attendees said they would recommend Mplanet,” said Dennis Dunlap, Chief Executive Officer of the American Marketing Association. “From our keynote speakers to the conference content and our strategic partners, Mplanet 2009 will deliver on American Marketing Association’s commitment to remain a marketing advocate, thought leader and resource for marketing professionals.”

Registration

To register for Mplanet, please visit www.mplanet2009.com or by phone at 800-AMA-1150.

About the American Marketing Association

The American Marketing Association is the largest marketing association in North America. It is a professional association for individuals and organizations involved in the practice, teaching and study of marketing worldwide. It is also the source that marketers turn to every day to deepen their marketing expertise, elevate their careers, and, ultimately, achieve better results. American Marketing Association members are connected to a network of experienced marketers nearly 25,000 strong.

American Marketing Association offers highly acclaimed Training Series, professional conferences and Hot Topic events focused on the immediate needs of marketers, as well as trends shaping the future. American Marketing Association’s website, MarketingPower.com, is the everyday connection to marketing information, articles, case studies, best practices and a robust job board. Additionally, the American Marketing Association is the source for the field’s top magazines and journals, including Marketing News.

For more information, visit our website at www.marketingpower.com.