Today, smart marketers are strategizing not only about getting through the current economic environment, but are also preparing to be ready for accelerated growth when the recovery finally begins. It’s a delicate balancing act. For many businesses, short-term priorities may focus on maintaining volume and gaining share at the expense of competitors. Hence, the popular new phrase, “flat is the new up.” Yet brand builders also need to keep one eye on the future. Brands need to establish meaningful connections with their consumers to ensure brand relevancy in both good and bad times. ANA’s 2009 brand building conference, themed “Brand Building in Tough Times & Beyond,” will showcase innovators who have plotted strategies for successful brands today as well as beyond. All speakers will be asked to leave behind actionable ideas for both immediate and longer-term brand growth. You’ll leave the day with at least a dozen brand-building ideas and inspirational tactics to engage with consumers. Guaranteed or your money back!
Host:
Roger Adams Chairman
ANA Brand Management Committee
ECONOMIC KEYNOTE - UNDERSTANDING TODAY AND ADVICE FOR SPOTTING TOMORROW'S TURNAROUND What's happening with the economy now and what will be the signs that a recovery is starting?-so that smart marketers are ready. Liz Ann Sonders, senior vice president and chief investment strategist for Charles Schwab & Co., has a range of investment strategy responsibilities ranging from market and economic analysis to investor education. She also chairs Schwab's Investment Strategy Council, which provides strategic asset allocation guidance and tactical sector recommendations for the firm's investor base. Ms. Sonders is a regular guest on many CNBC programs, ABC's Good Morning America and World News Tonight, CBS's The Evening News and The Early Show, PBS's Lehrer News Hour and Nightly Business Report, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg Television and Radio. She will focus on the economy's current impact on consumer behavior and provide insight into potential signs that indicate a recovery has begun.
Liz Ann Sonders Senior Vice President, Chief Investment Strategist
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Q&A Session
Roger Adams Chairman
ANA Brand Management Committee
MILLERCOORS: WINNING WITH INNOVATION IN A TOUGH ECONOMY Understanding "true innovation" during this economic downturn is critical. The expectations for innovation have increased -- it must create value to be innovative. "Small ideas" or ideas with a "low probability of success" are not acceptable today. As a result, insight is more important than ever. Patrick Edson, vice president of marketing innovation, will discuss how insights are not just linear -- true insights are the ability to see unarticulated needs that marketers must cultivate to win in their categories.Mr.Edson will share the "Innovation Success Formula" that he applies at MillerCoors. He will discuss what great ideas look like while also showcasing his "Open Mind" testing model where many ideas are tested quickly and inexpensively to focus resources and uncover gems. Mr. Edson will show how to innovate products that are currently on the shelf as a way to reinvigorate core brands. Highlighted will be work on innovation projects such as Cold activation, Super Cold Draft, and Home Draft. MillerCoors' nimble strategy is aimed at the right ideas and biggest economic levers to translate into success.
Patrick Edson Vice President, Marketing Innovation
MillerCoors LLC
Q&A Session Bob Liodice President and Chief Executive Officer
ANA
Walmart STORES: EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE IN TOUGH TIMES Walmart Stores is the bright spot in a bleak economic environment. According to retail analysts, the reason Walmart is performing well is not only due to their value position, but because customers have come to trust their "Save Money, Live Better" promise, and are leaving the stores delighted. Walmart strongly believes in building long-term brand strategies that resonate with their customers in these tough times and beyond. They're also supporting these efforts with increased media spending. Hear how Walmart plans to stay ahead of the curve of this recession.
Steve Bratspies Senior Vice President, Dry Grocery
Walmart Stores, Inc.
Q&A Session
Natalie Zmuda Reporter
Advertising Age
DUNKIN' DONUTS: POSITIVE THINKING FOR TOUGH TIMES Tough times call for serious measures. Dunkin' Donuts is well positioned in its category, with a focus on value. While the brand and message are extremely relevant in the current economy, the brand is not sitting back. With their new positive-message campaign "You Kin' Do It," Dunkin' Donuts is planning to increase advertising spending and utilize a variety of social media. Cynthia Ashworth, Dunkin Donuts' vice president of consumer engagement is charged with tapping all forms of media and messaging to attract new customers to the brand, while keeping core patrons passionate and engaged. "It's not just about advertising. It's really about connecting with the consumer... and finding the best way to use the new options out there to get the right message to the right people."
Q&A Session Manish Shrivastava Director, Customer Segment Marketing
The Home Depot
FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS: BUILDING MARKET CONFIDENCE THROUGH CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT Leading brands are responsible for steering the marketplace through challenging times. Fender Musical Instruments has adapted lessons from over 60 years of experience—including previous periods of economic downturn—in balancing legacy with leadership by building market confidence through consumer engagement. Fender has become a musical and cultural icon by focusing on the very specific needs and desires of musicians and the retail network that serves them. In an industry driven by the most passionate and creative consumers, translating marketing concepts into consumer activity becomes even more challenging and highly scrutinized. Fender met that challenge and has developed innovative consumer and retail programs that engage consumers in authentic and powerful ways while constantly advancing a vital brand legacy.
Richard McDonald Senior Vice President, Global Marketing
Fender Musical Instrument Corporation
Q&A Session
Kathleen Hunter Vice President, MIC and Content ANA
12:20pm
Luncheon Keynote Our lunchtime keynote will feature Matt Freeman, chief executive officer of Betawave, who will ask and answer “Does an impression count if it doesn’t make one?” and detail how attention and engagement are the new currencies for building brands online.
SHOPPER MARKETING SPARKS GROWTH With 70 percent of purchase decisions being made in-store, the retail space as a marketing platform is being transformed at an unprecedented pace. Marketing dollars are being shifted away from mass media channels and at-retail communications are opening new pathways for marketers. Frito-Lay is employing shopper marketing to build relationships and make the right connections between their brands, their retail customers, and shoppers. Shopper marketing is more important now than ever before as today's economic climate is making the retail environment an intense battleground.
Jason McDonell Vice President, General Manager, Customer Strategy Frito-Lay, Inc.
Q&A Session Jennifer Rooney Editor, CMO Strategy and TalentWorks
Advertising Age
DRIVING BRAND MARKETING THROUGH CONSUMER CONVERSATIONS The explosion of user-generated content—in chat rooms, blogs, and now social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, and others—has changed the old media power structure forever. Today the conversations and opinions of microbloggers can help to shape a brand overnight. How does a marketer begin to make sense of all the chatter taking place in the social media space to efficiently and effectively promote brands?
Q&A Session Roger Adams Chairman
ANA Brand Management Committee
BRAND BUILDING IN TOUGH TIMES: ANA SURVEY We mentioned it earlier in the conference theme - how do marketers strategize to get through the current economic environment but also prepare for accelerated growth when the recovery finally occurs? It's a delicate balancing act. ANA surveyed its members on brand building in tough times and beyond. Issues included:
Effective ways for building brand equity
Measures of brand health, defined as the measure to which brand equity is increasing or declining
Brand deterioration warning signs
Short-term versus long-term brand building strategies
A panel of senior level marketers, all members of the ANA Brand Management Committee, will comment on the survey results and provide their insights.
Moderator Bill Duggan Executive Vice President
ANA
Chris Jogis Senior Vice President, Group Head, U.S. Consumer Marketing
MasterCard Worldwide
Marty Ordman Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Communications
Dole Food Company
RECAP AND KEY TAKEAWAYS The agenda for this conference promises, "All speakers will be asked to leave behind actionable ideas for both immediate and longer-term brand growth. You'll leave the day with at least a dozen brand-building ideas, and inspirational tactics for how to engage with consumers. Guaranteed or your money back!" We'll summarize the learnings for the day and send you home with ideas to apply to your business.
Roger Adams Chairman
ANA Brand Management Committee
